Acts 7
1 And the high priest said, Are these things so?
Then the High Priest asked him, "Are these statements true?"
2 And he said, Men! Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.
The reply of Stephen was, "Sirs--brethren and fathers--listen to me. God Most Glorious appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,
3 And he said to him, Go forth out of thy land, and from thy kinfolk, and come into a land that I will show thee.
and said to him, "'Leave your country and your relatives, and go into whatever land I point out to you.'
4 Then after coming out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God resettled him in this land in which ye now dwell.
"Thereupon he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran till after the death of his father, when God caused him to remove into this country where you now live.
5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a footstep. And he promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, although there was no child by him.
But he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not a single square yard of ground. And yet He promised to bestow the land as a permanent possession on him and his posterity after him--and promised this at a time when Abraham was childless.
6 And God spoke thus: His seed would be alien in a foreign land, and they would enslave and mistreat them four hundred years.
And God declared that Abraham's posterity should for four hundred years make their home in a country not their own, and be reduced to slavery and be oppressed.
7 And I will judge the nation to whomever they will be in bondage, God said, and after these things they will come forth and serve me in this place.
"'And the nation, whichever it is, that enslaves them, I will judge,' said God; 'and afterwards they shall come out, and they shall worship Me in this place.'
8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so he begot Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. And Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
"Then He gave him the Covenant of circumcision, and under this Covenant he became the father of Isaac--whom he circumcised on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, being envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. And God was with him,
"The Patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him
10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he appointed him governor over Egypt and his entire house.
and delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him governor over Egypt and all the royal household.
11 Now a famine came on all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers found no sustenance.
But there came a famine throughout the whole of Egypt and Canaan--and great distress--so that our forefathers could find no food.
12 But when Jacob heard of grain being in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time.
When, however, Jacob heard that there was wheat to be had, he sent our forefathers into Egypt; that was the first time.
13 And during the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's race became manifest to Pharaoh.
On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh was informed of Joseph's parentage.
14 And Joseph having sent forth, he summoned Jacob his father. And all his kinfolk, in souls, were seventy-five.
Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his family, numbering seventy-five persons, to come to him,
15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he perished, he and our fathers.
and Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and so did our forefathers,
16 And they were carried into Shechem, and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a price of silver from the sons of Hamor of Shechem.
and they were taken to Shechem and were laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money paid in silver.
17 But as the time of the promise approached that God swore to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
"But as the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people became many times more numerous in Egypt,
18 until another king arose who had not known Joseph.
until there arose a foreign king over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph.
19 This man, who cunningly victimized our race, mistreated our fathers to make their infants be placed outside in order not to keep alive.
He adopted a crafty policy towards our race, and oppressed our forefathers, making them cast out their infants so that they might not be permitted to live.
20 During which time Moses was born (and he was well-formed by God) who was reared three months in his father's house.
At this time Moses was born--a wonderfully beautiful child; and for three months he was cared for in his father's house.
21 And when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter took him away, and reared him for a son to herself.
At length he was cast out, but Pharaoh's daughter adopted him, and brought him up as her own son.
22 And Moses was reared in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and possessed great influence through his eloquence and his achievements.
23 But when a forty year time span was fulfilled by him, it came into his heart to go help his brothers, the sons of Israel.
"And when he was just forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his brethren the descendants of Israel.
24 And after seeing a certain man suffering wrong, he defended him, and did vengeance for the man being oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian.
Seeing one of them wrongfully treated he took his part, and secured justice for the ill-treated man by striking down the Egyptian.
25 And he presumed his brothers understood that, by his hand, God was giving them salvation, but they did not understand.
He supposed his brethren to be aware that by him God was sending them deliverance; this, however, they did not understand.
26 And on the next day he was seen by them as they fought, and he was reconciling them for peace, having said, Men, ye are brothers. Why is it that ye wrong each other?
The next day, also, he came and found two of them fighting, and he endeavoured to make peace between them. "'Sirs,' he said, 'you are brothers. Why are you wronging one another?'
27 But the man doing wrong to his neighbor thrust him away, having said, Who appointed thee a ruler and a judge over us?
"But the man who was doing the wrong resented his interference, and asked, "'Who appointed you magistrate and judge over us?
28 Do thou not want to kill me, as thou killed the Egyptian yesterday?
Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'
29 And Moses fled at this word, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he begot two sons.
"Alarmed at this question, Moses fled from the country and went to live in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.
30 And forty years having been fulfilled, an agent of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in a flame of fire of a bush.
"But at the end of forty years there appeared to him in the Desert of Mount Sinai an angel in the middle of a flame of fire in a bush.
31 And when Moses looked, he wondered at the sight. And as he approached to examine, a voice of the Lord came to him,
When Moses saw this he wondered at the sight; but on his going up to look further, the voice of the Lord was heard, saying,
32 I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. But Moses, who developed trembling, dared not examine.
"'I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.' "Quaking with fear Moses did not dare gaze.
33 And the Lord said to him, Put off the shoes from thy feet, for the place on which thou stand is holy ground.
"'Take off your shoes,' said the Lord, 'for the spot on which you are standing is holy ground.
34 Having looked, I saw the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I heard their groaning, and I came down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
I have seen, yes, I have seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them. And now I will send you to Egypt.'
35 This Moses whom they refused, having said, Who appointed thee a ruler and a judge? This man God sent, a ruler and a liberator by the hand of the agent who appeared to him in the bush.
"The Moses whom they rejected, asking him, 'Who appointed you magistrate and judge?' --that same Moses we find God sending as a magistrate and a deliverer by the help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36 This man brought them forth after performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
This was he who brought them out, after performing marvels and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea, and in the Desert for forty years.
37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you, from your brothers, like me.
This is the Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, "'God will raise up a Prophet for you, from among your brethren, just as He raised me up.'
38 This is he who became in the congregation in the wilderness with the agent who spoke to him on the mount Sinai, and of our fathers who received living oracles to give to us.
'This is he who was among the Congregation in the Desert, together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our forefathers, who received ever-living utterances to hand on to us.
39 To whom our fathers did not want to become obedient, but they thrust away, and turned back in their heart to Egypt,
"Our forefathers, however, would not submit to him, but spurned his authority and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
40 after saying to Aaron, Make gods for us who will lead us. For this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.
They said to Aaron, "'Make gods for us, to march in front of us; for as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered up sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
"Moreover they made a calf at that time, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and kept rejoicing in the gods which their own hands had made.
42 But God turned, and gave them over to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
So God turned from them and gave them up to the worship of the Host of Heaven, as it is written in the Book of the Prophets, "'Were they victims and sacrifices which you offered Me, forty years in the Desert, O House of Israel?
43 And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, the images that ye made to worship them. And I will deport you beyond Babylon.
Yes, you lifted up Moloch's tent and the Star of the God Rephan--the images which you made in order to worship them; and I will remove you beyond Babylon.'
44 The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, just as he arranged (he who spoke to Moses), to make it according to the pattern that he had seen.
"Our forefathers had the Tent of the Testimony in the Desert, built as He who spoke to Moses had instructed him to make it in imitation of the model which he had seen.
45 Which also our fathers, having received in succession, brought in with Joshua into the possession of the nations whom God drove out from the presence of our fathers, until the days of David
That Tent was bequeathed to the next generation of our forefathers. Under Joshua they brought it with them when they were taking possession of the land of the Gentile nations, whom God drove out before them. So it continued till David's time.
46 who found favor in the sight of God. And he asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
David obtained favour with God, and asked leave to provide a dwelling-place for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.
48 However the Most High does not dwell in man-made temples, just as the prophet says,
Yet the Most High does not dwell in buildings erected by men's hands. But, as the Prophet declares,
49 The heaven is to me a throne, and the earth a footstool of my feet. What house will ye build for me? says the Lord. Or what is the place of my rest?
"'The sky is My throne, and earth is the footstool for My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what resting place shall I have?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?
Did not My hand form this universe.'
51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers, ye also.
"O stiff-necked men, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you also are continually at strife with the Holy Spirit--just as your forefathers were.
52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold about the coming of the Righteous man, of whom ye now have become betrayers and murderers,
Which of the Prophets did not your forefathers persecute? Yes, they killed those who announced beforehand the advent of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become--
53 who received the law at directions of agents, and did not keep it.
you who received the Law given through angels, and yet have not obeyed it."
54 Now when they heard these things, they were split with a saw in their hearts, and they gnashed their teeth against him.
As they listened to these words, they became infuriated and gnashed their teeth at him.
55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, having gazed into heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
But, full of the Holy Spirit and looking up to Heaven, Stephen saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.
56 And he said, Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
"I can see Heaven wide open," he said, "and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand."
57 But they, having cried out in a great voice, held their ears shut, and rushed upon him with one accord.
Upon this, with a loud outcry they stopped their ears, rushed upon Stephen in a body,
58 And having expelled him out of the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments beside the feet of a young man called Saul.
dragged him out of the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments and giving them into the care of a young man called Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, who was calling and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
So they stoned Stephen, while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
60 And having knelt down, he cried out in a great voice, Lord, place not this sin to them. And after saying this, he slept.
Then, rising on his knees, he cried aloud, "Lord, do not reckon this sin against them." And with these words he fell asleep.
