Open English Translation ACTs Chapter 6

6 However around that time when the number of Yeshua-followers were growing, some of the Greek converts starting grumbling about the Jewish believers because the Greek widows were being overlooked in the daily sharing of food and money. 2 So the twelve missionaries assembled the believers together and told them, “We’re not pleased about having to take time off sharing the message of God to be serving here at the distribution tables. 3 So brothers, look around you for seven men who’re well known to be full of God’s spirit and wisdom, so we can appoint them to be in charge of this part of the work. 4 Then we ourselves can continue to pray and share the message.”

5 This idea pleased the group, so they went ahead and chose Stephen (a man full of faith and of the holy spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a non-Jew from Antioch who had previously converted to Judaism). 6 They stood these seven up in front of the missionaries, who prayed and then placed their hands on them.

7 God’s message continued spreading and the number of followers in Yerusalem was rapidly increasing, and a large number of the priests became believers.

8 Now Stephen (one of the seven) was full of grace and power and was doing miracles and amazing demonstrations of God’s power among the people. 9 But a group from the Freedmen Synagogue as well as Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia Minor rose up and started arguing against Stephen, 10 but they weren’t able to refute the wisdom that he spoke with the help of the pure spirit. 11 So they got some men to falsely accuse Stephen saying, “We heard him denigrating Moses and God.” 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the law teachers and so they approached Stephen and arrested him and brought him to the council chambers. 13 There they produced the false witnesses saying, “This man won’t stop spreading messages against this holy temple and against the law 14 because we heard him saying that that Yeshua from Nazareth will be tearing down this building and will be changing the traditions that Moses gave to us.” 15 So then the council members looked across at Stephen and saw that his face was shining like that of one of God’s messengers.