Acts 6:3-13

3Instead, 1brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, 2full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4But we will 3devote ourselves to prayer and to the 4ministry of the word.” 5The 5announcement found approval with the whole 6congregation; and they chose 7Stephen, a man 8full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and 9Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and 10Nicolas, a 1112proselyte from 13Antioch. 6And they brought these men before the apostles; and after 14praying, they 15laid their hands on them.

716The word of God kept spreading; and 17the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to 18the faith.

8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great 19wonders and 20signs among the people. 9But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both 21Cyrenians and 22Alexandrians, and some from 23Cilicia and 2425Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. 10But they were unable to 26cope with his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. 11Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they 27came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him 28before 29the 30Council. 13They put forward 31false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop 32speaking against this 33holy place and the Law;