THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

54 When they heard these things, they were enragedJ and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.z 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”aa

57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stoneab him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.ac 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”ad 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,ae “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.af

SAUL THE PERSECUTOR

8 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.a 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 Saul,b however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.c