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ACTS 6
9. The Appointment of Seven Deacons

1. And in these days, as the disciples were multiplying in number, a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily dispensing.
2. And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, It is not fitting for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.
3. But brothers, look for seven well-attested men from among you, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint over this need.
4. But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.
5. And the word pleased all the multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch,
6. Whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

10. The Growth of the Word
and the Multiplication of the Disciples

7. And the word of God grew, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly; and a large number of the priests obeyed the faith.

11. The Increase of the Persecution
by the Jewish Religionists
a. The Martyrdom of Stephen
(1) Opposed and Arrested

8. And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
9. But some of those of the synagogue which is called the synagogue of the Libertines and of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and Asia rose up and disputed with Stephen;
10. Yet they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
11. Then they instigated some men to say, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.
12. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and led him to the Sanhedrin.
13. And they set up false witnesses, saying, This man does not cease speaking words against this holy place and the law,
14. For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.
15. And all those sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw his face as though it were the face of an angel.

ACTS 7

1. And the high priest said, Are these things so?

(2) Testifying

2. And he said, Men, brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
3. And said to him, Come out from your land and from your relatives, and come into the land which I will show you.
4. Then he came forth from the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, after his father died, He removed him into this land, in which you now dwell.
5. Yet He did not give him an inheritance in it, not even a place to set his foot on; and He promised to give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him, while he had no child.
6. And God spoke in this way that his seed would be a sojourner in a foreign land, and they would enslave them and mistreat them four hundred years.
7. And whatever nation they will serve as slaves I will judge, said God, and after these things they will come forth and serve Me as priests in this place.
8. And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision; and thus Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac, Jacob; and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.
9. And the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt; yet God was with him
10. And rescued him out of all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he appointed him governor over Egypt and over all his house.
11. And a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan as well as great affliction; and our fathers could find no sustenance.
12. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers out the first time.
13. And during the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Josephs race became manifest to Pharaoh.
14. And Joseph sent word and called for Jacob his father and all his family, seventy-five souls in all.
15. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he ended his days, he and our fathers.
16. And they were carried over to Shechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.