^28 (A)Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all ^(B)the flock, in which ^(C)the Holy Spirit has made you ^(D)overseers, ^(E)to care for ^(F)the church of God,^[a] which he ^(G)obtained ^(H)with his own blood.^{[b] 29} I ^(I)know that after my departure ^(J)fierce wolves will come in among you, ^(K)not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and ^(L)from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore ^(M)be alert, remembering that ^(N)for three years I did not cease night or day ^(O)to admonish every one ^(P)with tears.

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in these days ^(A)when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists^[a] arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in ^(B)the daily distribution. ² And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ^3 (C)Therefore, brothers,^[b] pick out from among you seven men ^(D)of good repute, ^(E)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But ^(F)we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, ^(G)a man full of faith and ^(H)of the Holy Spirit, and ^(I)Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, ^(J)a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and ^(K)they prayed and ^(L)laid their hands on them.

⁷ And ^(M)the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests ^(N)became obedient to ^(O)the faith.

⁷ But ^(A)grace was given ^(B)to each one of us ^(C)according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Therefore it says,

⁹ (^(F)In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into ^(G)the lower regions, the earth?^{[b] 10} He who descended is the one who also ^(H)ascended ^(I)far above all the heavens, that he might ^(J)fill all things.) ¹¹ And ^(K)he gave the ^(L)apostles, the prophets, the ^(M)evangelists, the ^(N)shepherds^[c] and teachers,^{[d] 12 (O)}to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^(P)building up ^(Q)the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to ^(R)the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ^(S)to mature manhood,^[e] to the measure of the stature of ^(T)the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, ^(U)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^(V)deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, ^(W)speaking the truth in love, we are to ^(X)grow up in every way into him who is ^(Y)the head, into Christ, ^16 (Z)from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, ^(AA)when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.