"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep."
— Acts 7:59-60 (NIV)
People who search bible verses about Stephen want Scripture on Stephanos — one of the seven chosen to serve the early church in Jerusalem, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," who did wonders among the people, faced the Sanhedrin with a face "like the face of an angel," saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and forgave the men who stoned him — not only persecution in general. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about Paul, Bible verses about John the Baptist, Bible verses about Mary Magdalene, Bible verses about persecution, Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about courage, Bible verses about the Holy Spirit, and Bible verse of the day.
Word study (lead theme). In Greek, Στέφανος Stephanos (Strong's G4736; Bible Hub G4736) — Stephen, a personal name that is the same word as stephanos, "crown" or "victor's wreath." The man named "crown" is the first follower of Jesus Scripture records dying for him. (Persecution pages live elsewhere; this list centers Stephen the man.)
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12 Bible verses about Stephen
Acts 6:3. "Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them." The apostles ask for servants. See Bible verses about wisdom.
Acts 6:5. "This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism." Stephen is named first. See Bible verses about the church.
Acts 6:8. "Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Grace and power. See Bible verses about grace.
Acts 6:10. "But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke." Wisdom given by the Spirit. See Bible verses about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:15. "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." Calm before the council. See Bible verses about courage.
Acts 7:51. "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" The end of his long speech in Acts 7. See Bible verses about repentance.
Acts 7:55-56. "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."" Heaven open. See Bible verses about heaven.
Acts 7:59. "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."" A last prayer. See Bible verses about prayer.
Acts 7:60. "Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep." Forgiving his killers. See Bible verses about forgiveness.
Acts 8:1. "And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." Saul is watching. See Bible verses about persecution.
Acts 8:2. "Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him." The church grieves. See Bible verses about mourning.
Acts 22:20. "And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him." Paul remembers years later. See Bible verses about Paul.
How to use these verses
Pick one verse when you need Stephen — not twelve as a grind. If you are asked to serve in a small, unseen role, start at Acts 6:3–5. If you have to speak up in a hostile room, read Acts 6:10 and 6:15. If someone has wronged you badly, sit with Acts 7:60. If you are facing death or grieving someone who did, read Acts 7:55–59. For persecution in general, open Bible verses about persecution. For the man who watched and later followed Jesus, open Bible verses about Paul. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
Who was Stephen in the Bible?
Stephen was one of seven men the Jerusalem church chose to oversee the daily distribution of food so the apostles could focus on prayer and preaching (Acts 6:1–6). Acts calls him full of faith, grace, power, and the Holy Spirit.
Why was Stephen stoned?
Men from the Synagogue of the Freedmen could not answer him, so they brought false witnesses who said he spoke against the temple and the law (Acts 6:9–14). After his speech to the Sanhedrin and his words about seeing Jesus at God's right hand, the crowd dragged him out of the city and stoned him (Acts 7:57–58).
Was Stephen the first Christian martyr?
He is the first follower of Jesus whose death for his faith is recorded in the Bible. Paul calls him "your martyr Stephen" in Acts 22:20; the Greek word martys also means "witness."
What were Stephen's last words?
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and then, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:59–60). Both echo what Jesus prayed on the cross in Luke 23:34 and 23:46.
How is Stephen different from persecution alone?
Persecution pages gather Scripture on suffering for faith in general. This list centers Stephen the man — his service, his speech, his vision, and his forgiveness.
