Acts 6
1In those days, as the number of disciples was swelling, a grumbling broke out among the Greek-speaking Jews against the local Aramaic-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2The Twelve summoned the whole assembly of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to abandon the message of God to serve at tables. 3Therefore, brothers, look among yourselves for seven men who are well-attested, full of pneuma and wisdom, whom we will appoint to this necessary task. 4But as for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the message.”
5This proposal pleased the whole assembly. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and holy pneuma, along with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a convert to Judaism from Antioch. 6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7The message of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically; even a large crowd of priests became submissive to the faith. 8Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9However, some men from the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen—including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia—rose up to argue with Stephen. 10But they were not strong enough to withstand the wisdom and the pneuma by which he spoke.
11Then they instigated some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!” 12They agitated the people, the elders, and the legal scholars. They confronted Stephen, seized him, and hauled him before the High Council. 13They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking words against this holy place and the law. 14For we heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazorean will tear down this place and change the ancestral customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15As everyone sitting in the High Council stared intently at him, they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.