Acts 7
1 Then the high priest said: Are these things so?
The high priest said, “Are these things true?”
2 Who said: Ye men, brethren, and fathers, hear. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charan.
Stephen said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran;
3 And said to him: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
he said to him, 'Leave your land and your relatives, and go into the land that I will show you.'
4 Then he went out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charan. And from thence, after his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein you now dwell.
Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran; from there, after his father died, God brought him into this land, where you live now.
5 And he gave him no inheritance in it; no, not the pace of a foot: but he promised to give it him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
He gave none of it as an inheritance to him, no, not even enough to set a foot on. But he promised—even though Abraham had no child yet—that he would give the land as a possession to him and to his descendants after him.
6 And God said to him: That his seed should sojourn in a strange country, and that they should bring them under bondage, and treat them evil four hundred years.
God was speaking to him like this, that his descendants would live for a while in a foreign land, and that the inhabitants there would bring them into slavery and treat them badly for four hundred years.
7 And the nation which they shall serve will I judge, said the Lord; and after these things they shall go out, and shall serve me in this place.
'But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and 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 God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, through envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; and God was with him,
Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into Egypt; but God was with him
10 And delivered him out of all his tribulations: and he gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharao, the king of Egypt; and he appointed him governor over Egypt, and over all his house.
and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who had made him governor over Egypt and over all his household.
11 Now there came a famine upon all Egypt and Chanaan, and great tribulation; and our fathers found no food.
Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our fathers could find no food.
12 But when Jacob had heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers first:
But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first trip.
13 And at the second time, Joseph was known by his brethren, and his kindred was made known to Pharao.
On their second trip Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.
14 And Joseph sending, called thither Jacob, his father, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls.
Joseph sent his brothers back to tell Jacob his father to come to Egypt, along with all his relatives, seventy-five persons in all.
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, and our fathers.
So Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers.
16 And they were translated into Sichem, and were laid in the sepulchre, that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Hemor, the son of Sichem.
They were carried over to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 And when the time of the promise drew near, which God had promised to Abraham, the people increased, and were multiplied in Egypt,
As the time of the promise approached, the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
18 Till another king arose in Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
until there arose another king over Egypt, a king who did not know about Joseph.
19 This same dealing craftily with our race, afflicted our fathers, that they should expose their children, to the end they might not be kept alive.
He deceived our people and forced our fathers to expose their newborn infants so they would not be kept alive.
20 At the same time was Moses born, and he was acceptable to God: who was nourished three months in his father’s house.
At that time Moses was born; he was very beautiful before God and was nourished for three months in his father's house.
21 And when he was exposed, Pharao’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son.
22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and in his deeds.
Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and works.
23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
But when he was about forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
24 And when he had seen one of them suffer wrong, he defended him; and striking the Egyptian, he avenged him who suffered the injury.
Seeing an Israelite being mistreated, Moses defended him and avenged him who was oppressed by striking the Egyptian:
25 And he thought that his brethren understood that God by his hand would save them; but they understood it not.
he thought that his brothers would understand that God by his hand was rescuing them, but they did not understand.
26 And the day following, he shewed himself to them when they were at strife; and would have reconciled them in peace, saying: Men, ye are brethren; why hurt you one another?
On the next day he came to some Israelites as they were quarreling; he tried to put them at peace with each other; he said, 'Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?'
27 But he that did the injury to his neighbour thrust him away, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge over us?
But the one who had wronged his neighbor pushed him away, and said, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 What, wilt thou kill me, as thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian?
Would you like to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'
29 And Moses fled upon this word, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begot two sons.
Moses ran away after hearing this; he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the desert of mount Sina, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.
When forty years were past, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 And Moses seeing it, wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to view it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, there came a voice of the Lord, saying,
32 I am the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses being terrified, durst not behold.
'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look.
33 And the Lord said to him: Loose the shoes from thy feet, for the place wherein thou standest, is holy ground.
The Lord said to him, 'Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
34 Seeing I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, and I will send thee into Egypt.
I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them; now come, I will send you to Egypt.'
35 This Moses, whom they refused, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge? him God sent to be prince and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
This Moses whom they rejected, when they said, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?'—he was the one whom God sent as both a ruler and deliverer. God sent him by the hand of the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush.
36 He brought them out, doing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the desert forty years.
Moses led them out of Egypt, after doing miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Sea of Reeds, and in the wilderness during forty years.
37 This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel: A prophet shall God raise up to you of your own brethren, as myself: him shall you hear.
It is the same Moses who said to the people of Israel, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, a prophet like me.'
38 This is he that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on mount Sina, and with our fathers; who received the words of life to give unto us.
This is the man who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. This is the man who was with our fathers; this is the man who received living words to give to us.
39 Whom our fathers would not obey; but thrust him away, and in their hearts turned back into Egypt,
This is the man whom our fathers refused to obey; they pushed him away from themselves, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.
40 Saying to Aaron: Make us gods to go before us. For as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
At that time they said to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will lead us. As for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'
41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
So they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced because of the work of their hands.
42 And God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven, as it is written in the books of the prophets: Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me for forty years, in the desert, O house of Israel?
But God turned and gave them up to worship the stars in the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'Did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?
43 And you took unto you the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Rempham, figures which you made to adore them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
You accepted the tabernacle of Molech and the star of the god Rephan, and the images that you made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
44 The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the desert, as God ordained for them, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the form which he had seen.
Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as God commanded when he spoke to Moses, that he should make it like the pattern that he had seen.
45 Which also our fathers receiving, brought in with Jesus, into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David.
Later, our fathers, under Joshua, received the tabernacle and brought it with them when they took possession of the land. God took the land from the nations and drove them out before the face of our fathers. The tabernacle remained in the land until the time of David,
46 Who found grace before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
who found favor in the sight of God, and he asked if he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
But it was Solomon who built the house for God.
48 Yet the most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands, as the prophet saith:
However, the Most High does not live in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,
49 Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What house will you build me? saith the Lord; or what is the place of my resting?
'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house can you build for me? says the Lord, or what is the place for my rest?
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?
Did my hand not make all these things?'
51 You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also.
You people who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; you act just as your fathers acted.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed the prophets who appeared in advance of the coming of the Righteous One; and you have now become the betrayers and murderers of him also,
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
you people who received the law that angels had established, but you did not keep it.”
54 Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him.
Now when the council members heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they ground their teeth at Stephen.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up intently into heaven and saw the glory of God; and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56 And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Stephen said, “Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him.
At this the council members covered their ears, and shouting out with a loud voice, altogether they rushed at him.
58 And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul.
They dragged him out of the city where they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid down their outer clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
As they were stoning Stephen, he was calling out to the Lord and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
He knelt down and called out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
