Study Desk

The Jewish leaders understood that Peter and John had no special training or education. But they also saw that they were not afraid to speak. So the leaders were amazed. They also realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus.

They saw the crippled man standing there beside the apostles. They saw that he was healed, so they could say nothing against the apostles.

So the Jewish leaders called Peter and John in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Jesus.

The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish the apostles, because all the people were praising God for what had been done. This miracle was a sign from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old. So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.

So the people brought those who were sick into the streets and put them on little beds and mats. They were hoping that Peter's shadow might fall on them as he walked by.

When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles there. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this.

And so now I tell you, stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan is something they thought up, it will fail.

So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your men who have a good reputation. They must be full of wisdom and the Spirit. We will give them this work to do.

The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew).

But the Spirit was helping him speak with wisdom. His words were so strong that these Jews could not argue with him.

So they told some men to say, "We heard Stephen say bad things against Moses and against God!"

By doing this, these Jews upset the people, the older Jewish leaders, and the teachers of the law. They became so angry that they came and grabbed Stephen and took him to a meeting of the high council.

"So Abraham left the country of Chaldea. He went to live in Haran. After his father died, God sent him to this place, where you live now.

"God made an agreement with Abraham; the sign for this agreement was circumcision. And so when Abraham had a son, he circumcised him when he was eight days old. His son's name was Isaac. Isaac also circumcised his son Jacob. And Jacob did the same for his sons, who became the twelve great ancestors of our people.

But all the land of Egypt and of Canaan became dry. It became so dry that food could not grow, and the people suffered very much. Our people could not find anything to eat.

"But Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt. So he sent our people there. This was their first trip to Egypt.

So Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our other ancestors lived there until they died.

He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he defended him. Moses hit the Egyptian to pay him back for hurting the man. He hit him so hard that it killed him.

So Moses led the people out of Egypt. He worked wonders and miraculous signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and then in the desert for 40 years.

They said to Aaron, ‘Moses led us out of the country of Egypt. But we don't know what has happened to him. So make some gods to go before us and lead us.'