Acts 7
1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
Then the High Priest asked him, "Are these statements true?"
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,
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 told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’
and said to him, "'Leave your country and your relatives, and go into whatever land I point out to 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.
"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 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.
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 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 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 ‘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, 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 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.
"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 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
"The Patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in 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 favour and wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him governor over Egypt and all the royal household.
11 Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.
But there came a famine throughout the whole of Egypt and Canaan--and great distress--so that our forefathers could find no food.
12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
When, however, Jacob heard that there was wheat to be had, he sent our forefathers into Egypt; that was the first time.
13 On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh was informed of Joseph's parentage.
14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.
Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his family, numbering seventy-five persons, to come to him,
15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.
and Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and so did our forefathers,
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 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 As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.
"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 Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.
until there arose a foreign king over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph.
19 He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
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 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 this time Moses was born--a wonderfully beautiful child; and for three months he was cared for in his father's house.
21 When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.
At length he was cast out, but Pharaoh's daughter adopted him, and brought him up as her own son.
22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and possessed great influence through his eloquence and his achievements.
23 When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
"And when he was just forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his brethren the descendants 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.
Seeing one of them wrongfully treated he took his part, and secured justice for the ill-treated man by striking down the Egyptian.
25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.
He supposed his brethren to be aware that by him God was sending them deliverance; this, however, they did not understand.
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?’
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 who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and 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 you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Do you mean 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.
"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 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
"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 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 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 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 forefathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.' "Quaking with fear Moses did not dare gaze.
33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
"'Take off your shoes,' said the Lord, 'for the spot on which you are standing 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 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 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.
"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 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.
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 same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’
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 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 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 But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
"Our forefathers, however, would not submit to him, but spurned his authority and in their hearts turned back 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.’
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 At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing 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 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?
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 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 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 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.
"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 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,
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 asked to provide a dwelling place 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 it was Solomon who built the house for Him.
But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.
48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
Yet the Most High does not dwell in buildings erected by men's hands. But, as the Prophet declares,
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?
"'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 Has not My hand made all these things?’
Did not My hand form this universe.'
51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
"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 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 forefathers persecute? Yes, they killed those who announced beforehand the advent of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become--
53 you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
you who received the Law given through angels, and yet have not obeyed it."
54 On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.
As they listened to these words, they became infuriated and gnashed their teeth at him.
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, 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 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open 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 At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
Upon this, with a loud outcry they stopped their ears, rushed upon Stephen in a body,
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.
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 While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
So they stoned Stephen, while he prayed, "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.
Then, rising on his knees, he cried aloud, "Lord, do not reckon this sin against them." And with these words he fell asleep.
