Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with us,

to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”

With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!”

Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,

praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway called Solomon’s Portico.

Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

But Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide,

who said by the Holy Spirit through your servant David our forefather, ‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot foolish things?

With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.

When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it.

“We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be.

But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task.

They brought forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop saying things against this holy place and the law.

All who were sitting in the council looked intently at Stephen and saw his face was like the face of an angel.

“But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, the people increased greatly in number in Egypt,