Atos 7

59 Yes, they stoned Stephen as he called out and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then kneeling down he called out at the top of his voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And upon saying this he fell asleep.*Sleep is frequently used as a figure for death in the Bible, especially with reference to believers. Stephen’s death reminds me of the Lord’s—both let out a shout, and then died. In the Lord’s case we are explicitly told that He dismissed His spirit. I wonder if Stephen was somehow able to dismiss his (if he was able to shout he still had strength, and death by stoning took a while). Both also asked forgiveness for their murderers. (Saul was in full agreement with his murder.)