Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Parallel translations
- WEB He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
- KJV And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- NKJV Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- NASB Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
- NLT He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Stephen knelt and prayed for his killers' forgiveness, then died. His Christlike love for his enemies displays the gospel's transforming power.
Overview
Stephen's final prayer for his murderers mirrors Jesus' prayer on the cross (Luke 23:34), showing the same spirit of forgiveness. That Scripture says he 'fell asleep' presents death for the believer as restful and hopeful, not final. His martyrdom would bear fruit, not least in the eventual conversion of Saul who stood by.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Matt 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
- Luke 23:34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.
- 1 Cor 15:20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- 1 Th 4:13–14Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
- Rom 12:14–21Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
- Acts 20:36When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
- Luke 6:28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
- Acts 9:40Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
- 1 Cor 15:18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
- Luke 22:41And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
- Acts 21:5But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
- Acts 13:36For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.
- Dan 6:10Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- 1 Th 5:10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
- 1 Cor 15:6After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
- Matt 27:52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
- Ezra 9:5At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
- 1 Cor 11:30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
- 1 Cor 15:51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 7:60 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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