Acts 7
1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
And the chief priest said: Are these things so?
2 And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
He replied: Brethren and fathers, hear: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, while he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
3 and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’
and said to him: Get out from your land, and from your kindred, and come into a land that I will show you.
4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.
Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran; and thence, after his father died, he removed into this land, in which you now dwell.
5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.
And he gave him no inheritance in it, not a foot breadth: and yet he promised to give it for a possession to him, and to his posterity after him, when as yet he had no child.
6 God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
And God spoke thus: That his posterity should sojourn in a strange land, and they should enslave them and afflict them, for four hundred years.
7 ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’
And the nation to which they shall be in bondage I will judge, said God; and after that, they shall come forth and serve me in this place.
8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and thus he begot Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
and delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharoah, king of Egypt: and he made him governor over Egypt, and his whole house.
11 Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.
And there came a famine, and great affliction on the whole land of Egypt, and of Chanaan: and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time:
13 On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
and, on their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the kindred of Joseph were made known to Pharaoh.
14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.
And Joseph sent and called to him his father Jacob, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls.
15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.
And Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers;
16 Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.
and they were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulcher which Abraham bought for its value in silver, from the sons of Emmor, the father of Sychem.
17 As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.
And as the time of the promise which God had made with an oath to Abraham drew near, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,
18 Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.
till another king arose, who knew not Joseph.
19 He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
He dealt insidiously with our race, and afflicted our fathers, so that they exposed their infants, in order that they might not live.
20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.
At which time Moses was born; and he was exceedingly beautiful, and was nursed three months in his father’s house.
21 When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.
But having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and educated him as her own son.
22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
23 When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
When he had completed his fortieth year, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.
24 And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.
And seeing one of them unjustly treated, he defended and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian.
25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.
And he supposed that his brethren would understand that, by his hand, God would give them salvation: but they understood not.
26 The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
And on the next day he showed himself to them, as they were fighting, and endeavored to persuade them to peace, saying, Men, you are brothers: why do you injure one another?
27 But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?
But he that was doing the injury to his neighbor, thrust him away, saying, Who made you a ruler or a judge over us?
28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
29 At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.
And at that saying Moses fled, and became a resident in the land of Midian, where he begot two sons.
30 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
And when forty years were completed, there appeared to him, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight, and as he was drawing near to observe it, the voice of the Lord came to him:
32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not observe it.
33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
Then said the Lord to him: Loose your shoes from your feet; for the place in which you stand is holy ground.
34 I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them; and now come, and I will send you into Egypt.
35 This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? him God sent as a ruler and as a redeemer, by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.
36 He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.
He brought them out, after he had performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, forty years.
37 This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’
This is that Moses, who said to the sons of Israel, A prophet like me will the Lord your God raise up for you from among your brethren; him shall you hear.
38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers; he received the living oracles, that he might give them to us.
39 But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
To him our fathers were not willing to be obedient; but they rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’
saying to Aaron: Make us gods that shall go before us; for, as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him.
41 At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
But God turned and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: Your victims and your sacrifices did you offer to me for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
Yes, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your God Remphan, images which you made to worship; and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.
The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, built as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to build it, according to the pattern which he had seen:
45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,
which our fathers, who were with Joshua, received by succession, and brought into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God continued to drive out from the face of our fathers till the days of David,
46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
who found favor before God, and desired to find a dwelling-place for the God of Jacob.
47 But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.
But Solomon built him a house.
48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
Yet the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands, as says the prophet:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?
Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build me? says the Lord; or what is the place of my rest?
50 Has not My hand made all these things?’
Has not my hand made all these things?
51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
You stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and in ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so also do you.
52 Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—
Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They slew also those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you have now become the betrayers and murderers;
53 you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
who received the law by the appointment of angels, and have not kepi, it.
54 On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.
When they heard these things, they were enraged in their hearts, and gnashed upon him with their teeth.
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
But being full of the Holy Spirit, he looked earnestly up into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
and he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.
57 At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
And they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and, with one consent, rushed upon him,
58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
and drove him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
And they stoned Stephen while he was calling on the Lord, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 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.
And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice: Lord, let not this sin stand against them. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was well pleased with his death.
