Acts 6

¹ In those days, as the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

³ Brothers and sisters, choose from among you seven men who are well respected, full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this task.

⁴ Then we will give our attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert to Judaism from Antioch.

⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

⁸ Now Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

⁹ But some members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others from Cilicia and Asia rose up and began to argue with Stephen.

¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

¹² They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came up, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin.

¹³ They put forward false witnesses, who testified, "This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

¹⁵ Everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.