They ¹  continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

Some ¹  devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation ²  over him. ³ 

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and miraculous signs ¹  among the people.

They incited the people, the ¹  elders, and the experts in the law; ²  then they approached Stephen, ³  seized him, and brought him before the council. ⁴ 

All ¹  who were sitting in the council ²  looked intently at Stephen ³  and saw his face was like the face of an angel. ⁴ 

But Stephen, ¹  full ²  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ³  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ⁴  at the right hand of God.

And when the blood of your witness ¹  Stephen was shed, ²  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ³  and guarding the cloaks ⁴  of those who were killing him.’ ⁵ 

The ¹  proposal pleased the entire group, so ²  they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with ³  Philip, ⁴  Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism ⁵  from Antioch. ⁶ 

But some men from the Synagogue ¹  of the Freedmen (as it was called), ²  both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, ³  stood up and argued with Stephen.

Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen ¹  went as far as ²  Phoenicia, ³  Cyprus, ⁴  and Antioch, ⁵  speaking the message ⁶  to no one but Jews.