أعمال 6

١ 1 وَفِي تِلْكَ ٱلْأَيَّامِ إِذْ تَكَاثَرَ ٱلتَّلَامِيذُ، حَدَثَ تَذَمُّرٌ مِنَ ٱلْيُونَانِيِّينَ عَلَى ٱلْعِبْرَانِيِّينَ أَنَّ أَرَامِلَهُمْ كُنَّ يُغْفَلُ عَنْهُنَّ فِي ٱلْخِدْمَةِ ٱلْيَوْمِيَّةِ.

During that time, many more people were becoming believers. [Some of them were from other countries and spoke only the Greek language, but most of them had always lived in Israel and spoke the Hebrew language]. Those who spoke Greek began to complain about those who spoke Hebrew. They were saying. “When [you Hebrew-speaking believers] distribute [food or money] to widows every day, you are not giving fair amounts to the widows who speak Greek!”

٢ 2 فَدَعَا ٱلِٱثْنَا عَشَرَ جُمْهُورَ ٱلتَّلَامِيذِ وَقَالُوا: «لَا يُرْضِي أَنْ نَتْرُكَ نَحْنُ كَلِمَةَ ٱللهِ وَنَخْدِمَ مَوَائِدَ.

So, [after the] twelve [apostles had heard what they were complaining about], they summoned all the [other] believers [in Jerusalem to meet] together. Then the apostles said [to those other believers], “We [(exc)] would not be doing right if we stopped [preaching and teaching] God’s message [about Jesus] in order to distribute food [MTY] [and money to the widows]!

٣ 3 فَٱنْتَخِبُوا أَيُّهَا ٱلْإِخْوَةُ سَبْعَةَ رِجَالٍ مِنْكُمْ، مَشْهُودًا لَهُمْ وَمَمْلُوِّينَ مِنَ ٱلرُّوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ وَحِكْمَةٍ، فَنُقِيمَهُمْ عَلَى هَذِهِ ٱلْحَاجَةِ.

So, fellow believers, carefully choose seven men from among you, men whom [you] know that the Spirit [of God] controls completely and who are very wise. Then we [(exc)] will appoint them to do this work,

٤ 4 وَأَمَّا نَحْنُ فَنُواظِبُ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَاةِ وَخِدْمَةِ ٱلْكَلِمَةِ».

and we [(exc)] will devote our time to pray and to preach and teach the message [about Jesus].”

٥ 5 فَحَسُنَ هَذَا ٱلْقَوْلُ أَمَامَ كُلِّ ٱلْجُمْهُورِ، فَٱخْتَارُوا ٱسْتِفَانُوسَ، رَجُلًا مَمْلُوًّا مِنَ ٱلْإِيمَانِ وَٱلرُّوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ، وَفِيلُبُّسَ وَبُرُوخُورُسَ وَنِيكَانُورَ وَتِيمُونَ وَبَرْمِينَاسَ وَنِيقُولَاوُسَ دَخِيلًا أَنْطَاكِيًّا.

What the apostles recommended pleased all of the [other] believers. So they group chose Stephen. He was a man who strongly believed [in God] and whom the Holy Spirit controlled completely. [They also chose] Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas who was from Antioch [city]. Nicolas had accepted the Jewish religion [before he had believed in Jesus].

٦ 6 الَّذِينَ أَقَامُوهُمْ أَمَامَ ٱلرُّسُلِ، فَصَلُّوا وَوَضَعُوا عَلَيْهِمِ ٱلْأَيَادِيَ.

They brought these [seven] men to the apostles. Then after the apostles prayed [for those men], they placed their hands on [the heads of each one of] them [to appoint them to do that work].

٧ 7 وَكَانَتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱللهِ تَنْمُو، وَعَدَدُ ٱلتَّلَامِيذِ يَتَكَاثَرُ جِدًّا فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، وَجُمْهُورٌ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ يُطِيعُونَ ٱلْإِيمَانَ.

So [the believers] continued to tell many people the message from God. (The number of people in Jerusalem who believed [in Jesus] was increasing greatly./More and more people in Jerusalem were believing in Jesus.) [Among them] were many [Jewish] priests who were believing the message [about Jesus].

٨ 8 وَأَمَّا ٱسْتِفَانُوسُ فَإِذْ كَانَ مَمْلُوًّا إِيمَانًا وَقُوَّةً، كَانَ يَصْنَعُ عَجَائِبَ وَآيَاتٍ عَظِيمَةً فِي ٱلشَّعْبِ.

God was enabling Stephen to do many things by God’s power. He was doing many amazing miracles among the [Jewish] people.

٩ 9 فَنَهَضَ قَوْمٌ مِنَ ٱلْمَجْمَعِ ٱلَّذِي يُقَالُ لَهُ مَجْمَعُ ٱللِّيبَرْتِينِيِّينَ وَٱلْقَيْرَوَانِيِّينَ وَٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيِّينَ، وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنْ كِيلِيكِيَّا وَأَسِيَّا، يُحَاوِرُونَ ٱسْتِفَانُوسَ.

However, some people opposed Stephen. They were Jews from a group [that regularly met together in a Jewish meeting place that was] {[that people]} called the Freedmen’s Meeting Place. [Those people were from] Cyrene and Alexandria [cities] and [also] from Cilicia and Asia [provinces]. They all began to argue with Stephen.

١٠ 10 وَلَمْ يَقْدِرُوا أَنْ يُقَاوِمُوا ٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَٱلرُّوحَ ٱلَّذِي كَانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ.

But they were not able (to refute [what he said/to prove that what he said was wrong]), [because God’s] Spirit enabled him to speak very wisely.

١١ 11 حِينَئِذٍ دَسُّوا لِرِجَالٍ يَقُولُونَ: «إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَاهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلَامِ تَجْدِيفٍ عَلَى مُوسَى وَعَلَى ٱللهِ».

Then that group secretly persuaded [some] men to [falsely accuse Stephen. saying], “We [(exc)] heard him say bad things about Moses and God.”

١٢ 12 وَهَيَّجُوا ٱلشَّعْبَ وَٱلشُّيُوخَ وَٱلْكَتَبَةَ، فَقَامُوا وَخَطَفُوهُ وَأَتَوْا بِهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَجْمَعِ،

So, [by saying that], they made the [other Jewish] people angry [at Stephen, including] the elders and the teachers of the [Jewish] laws. Then [they all] seized Stephen and took him to the Jewish Council.

١٣ 13 وَأَقَامُوا شُهُودًا كَذَبَةً يَقُولُونَ: «هَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ لَا يَفْتُرُ عَنْ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ كَلَامًا تَجْدِيفًا ضِدَّ هَذَا ٱلْمَوْضِعِ ٱلْمُقَدَّسِ وَٱلنَّامُوسِ،

They [also] brought in some other men who accused Stephen falsely [about several things]. They said, “This fellow continually says bad things about this holy Temple and about the laws [that Moses received from God].

١٤ 14 لِأَنَّنَا سَمِعْنَاهُ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ يَسُوعَ ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّ هَذَا سَيَنْقُضُ هَذَا ٱلْمَوْضِعَ، وَيُغَيِّرُ ٱلْعَوَائِدَ ٱلَّتِي سَلَّمَنَا إِيَّاهَا مُوسَى».

Specifically, we [(exc)] have heard him say that this Jesus from Nazareth [town] will destroy this Temple and will tell us to obey different customs than Moses [taught our ancestors].”

١٥ 15 فَشَخَصَ إِلَيْهِ جَمِيعُ ٱلْجَالِسِينَ فِي ٱلْمَجْمَعِ، وَرَأَوْا وَجْهَهُ كَأَنَّهُ وَجْهُ مَلَاكٍ.

When all [the people] who were sitting in the Council [room heard that, and as they] all stared at Stephen, they saw that his face was [shining] [SIM] like the face of an angel.