Veritable King James Version
1Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was increasing, a complaint arose from the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve tables.
3Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this task.
4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5This proposal pleased the whole group, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch.
6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
8Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
9But some from the synagogue of the Freedmen, as it was called, and of the Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
10They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
11Then they secretly persuaded some to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
12They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him before the council.
13They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law.
14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
15All who sat in the council, looking intently at him, saw his face like the face of an angel. Acts Chapter 7 Acts Chapter 7 – Veritable King James Version (VKJV)
Translation notes
Greek Terms and Choices: The term diakonia in verse 1 is rendered as “distribution” to reflect its context of serving food to widows, aligning with its use for practical service. Hellēnistai and Hebraioi are translated as “Hellenistic Jews” and “Hebraic Jews” to distinguish cultural/linguistic groups within the early church. In verse 3, adelphoi is translated as “brothers” in the inclusive sense of believers, as the context addresses the whole community. The phrase “full of the Spirit” retains the NA28’s plēreis pneumatos for theological fidelity. Pronouns: “Their” in verse 1 refers to the Hellenistic Jews’ widows, using gender-neutral plural to reflect the group. “Us” and “we” in verses 2–4 refer to the Twelve, with masculine pronouns retained as the group is historically male. Capitalization is applied to “Spirit” as a divine reference.
Greek Terms and Choices: Pistis in verse 5 is translated as “faith” to maintain theological consistency with its use in Acts. “Holy Spirit” is capitalized to denote deity, per VKJV principles. The term proselutos for Nicolaus is rendered as “proselyte” to clarify his status as a Gentile convert to Judaism. The phrase “laid their hands on them” reflects the Greek epethēkan autous tas cheiras, a ritual act of commissioning. Pronouns: “They” in verse 5 refers to the whole group of disciples, gender-neutral for inclusivity. “Their” in verse 6 refers to the apostles, masculine as historically appropriate. “Them” refers to the seven men, also masculine based on the Greek autous.
Greek Terms and Choices: Logos tou theou is translated as “word of God,” with “God” capitalized per VKJV deity rules. Pistis is again rendered as “faith,” referring to Christian belief. The term hiereis is translated as “priests,” referring to Jewish priests, as the context is Jerusalem’s temple community. Pronouns: No pronouns requiring specific gender or capitalization decisions appear in this verse. “Disciples” is gender-neutral, reflecting mathētai as inclusive of the community.
Greek Terms and Choices: Charis in verse 8 is translated as “grace” to reflect divine favor, per NA28. Sēmeia is rendered as “signs,” consistent with VKJV’s theological fidelity for miraculous acts. The term Libertinos is translated as “Freedmen,” referring to former slaves or their descendants. “Spirit” in verse 10 is capitalized as a divine reference, aligning with Stephen’s empowerment. Pronouns: “He” in verse 10 refers to Stephen, masculine per Greek autou. “They” refers to the disputants, gender-neutral as the group is mixed and unspecified in gender.
Greek Terms and Choices: In verse 11, hypoballo is translated as “secretly persuaded” to capture the sense of underhanded instigation. Blasphēmos is rendered as “blasphemous,” reflecting the serious accusation. In verse 14, “Jesus of Nazareth” is capitalized per VKJV deity rules. The phrase “face of an angel” in verse 15 translates prosōpon hōs prosōpon angelou, retaining the vivid imagery of divine radiance. Pronouns: “Him” and “his” refer to Stephen, masculine per Greek auton. “They” refers to the accusers and council, gender-neutral as the group is mixed. “This Jesus” uses capitalized “Jesus” for deity, with “this” reflecting the Greek touton in a derogatory sense by the accusers.
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