Acts 6:8–15

Stephen Seized

⁸Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs^u among the people. ⁹Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene^v and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia^w and Asia^x—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.^y

¹¹Then they secretly^z persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”^a

¹²So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.^{b 13}They produced false witnesses,^c who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place^d and against the law. ¹⁴For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^e and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^f

¹⁵All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin^g looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.