Acts 6
What Happens in This Chapter
The group of Jesus' followers keeps growing, and a complaint comes up: Greek-speaking widows are being left out when food is handed out each day. The twelve apostles ask the group to choose seven trusted men to handle this work, so the apostles can keep praying and teaching. One of the seven, Stephen, does great wonders and argues with men from a synagogue who cannot answer him. They find men to lie about him, and Stephen is taken to the Jewish council.
Plain reading written for kids. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea at a time.
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
1In those days more and more people were following Jesus. Some of these followers spoke Greek. Others spoke Hebrew. The Greek-speaking ones began to complain about the Hebrew-speaking ones. They said their widows were being left out when food was handed out each day. A widow is a woman whose husband has died.
The KJV says "Grecians" and "Hebrews." Both groups were Jewish followers of Jesus. One group spoke Greek and had lived outside the land of Israel. The other group spoke the local language, Hebrew or Aramaic.
2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
2So the twelve apostles, the men Jesus chose to lead, called all the followers together. They said, "It is not right for us to stop teaching God's word so we can hand out food."
3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
3"So, friends, choose seven men from among you. Pick men that everyone speaks well of. They must be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. We will put them in charge of this job."
4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
4"Then we can keep on praying and keep on teaching God's word."
5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
5Everyone liked this idea. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. They also chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch. Nicolas was not born Jewish. He had joined the Jewish faith later.
6Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
6They brought these seven men to the apostles. The apostles prayed and laid their hands on them.
7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
7God's word kept spreading. The number of Jesus' followers in Jerusalem grew very fast. Even many priests, the men who served at the temple, believed and obeyed.
8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
8Stephen was full of faith and full of God's power. He did great wonders and signs among the people.
9Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
9Then some men began to argue with Stephen. They belonged to a meeting place called the Synagogue of the Freedmen. A synagogue is a building where Jews met to pray and learn. Some of these men came from Cyrene and Alexandria. Others came from Cilicia and Asia.
The KJV calls this the synagogue "of the Libertines." That does not mean wild or lawless people. It means freedmen: people who had once been slaves and were set free, and their families.
10And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
10But they could not win the argument. Stephen spoke with wisdom, and God's Spirit helped him speak.
11Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.
11So they secretly got some men to tell lies. Those men said, "We heard him say insulting things about Moses and about God."
12And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
12They got the people upset, and the leaders and the teachers of the law too. They grabbed Stephen and took him to the council.
The "council" was the Sanhedrin. It was the highest Jewish court in Jerusalem, made up of leaders who judged cases.
13And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
13They brought in men who told lies about him. Those men said, "This man never stops speaking against our holy temple and against God's law."
14For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.
14"We heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will tear this place down. He said Jesus will change the rules Moses gave us."
15And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
15Everyone sitting in the council stared straight at Stephen. His face looked like the face of an angel.
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