Acts 7
1 “Are these allegations true?” the high priest asked.
The high priest said, "Are these things so?"
2 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Stephen replied. “God in his glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia, before he moved to Haran.
He said, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
3 God told him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the country that I'm going to show you.’
and said to him, 'Go out from your land and from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.'
4 So he left the country of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father's death, God sent him here to this country where you now live.
Then he came out of the land of the Kasdim, and lived in Haran. From there, after his father died, he moved him into this land, where you are now living.
5 God didn't give Abraham an inheritance here, not even one square foot. But God did promise Abraham that he would give him and his descendants possession of the land, even though he had no children.
He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him, when he still had no child.
6 God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign country, and that they would be enslaved there, and would be mistreated for four hundred years.
But God spoke in this way, 'His descendants will live as strangers in a foreign land, and that they will be slaves and mistreated, for four hundred years.
7 God said, ‘I will punish the nation that enslaves them. Eventually they will leave and come here to worship me.’
But I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,' said God, 'and after that will they come out, and serve me in this place.'
8 God also gave Abraham the agreement regarding circumcision, and so when Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac was the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.
He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
9 The patriarchs, who were jealous of Joseph, sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him,
"The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt; and God was with him,
10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave him wisdom and helped him gain the favor of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and the royal household.
and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11 Now a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan. It caused terrible misery, and our forefathers had no food.
Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers found no food.
12 When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt he sent our forefathers down on their first visit.
But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.
13 During their second visit, Joseph revealed to his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh discovered Joseph's family background.
On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.
14 Joseph sent for his father and all his relatives—seventy-five in total.
Then Joseph sent, and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.
15 Jacob traveled to Egypt, and died there—as did our forefathers.
Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, himself and our fathers,
16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought with silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
and they were brought back to Shechem, and placed in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor in Shechem.
17 As the time approached regarding the promise that God had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt increased.
"But as the time of the promise came close which God had made to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
18 A new king came to the throne in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.
until 'there arose a different king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.'
19 He took advantage of our people and treated our ancestors badly, forcing them to abandon their babies so they would die.
The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they would not stay alive.
20 It was at this time that Moses was born. He was a handsome child, and for three months he was looked after in his father's home.
At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father's house.
21 When he had to be abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter rescued him and took care of him as her own son.
When he was thrown out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and reared him as her own son.
22 Moses received instruction in all areas of Egyptian knowledge, and he became a powerful speaker and leader.
Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.
23 However, when he was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the Israelites.
But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
24 He saw one of them being mistreated, so he intervened to defend him. On behalf of the man he took revenge and killed the Egyptian.
Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian.
25 Moses thought his fellow Israelites would see that God was rescuing them through him, but they didn't.
He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they did not understand.
26 The next day when he arrived, two Israelites were fighting one another. He tried to reconcile them and stop the fight. ‘Men! You are brothers!’ he told them. ‘Why are you attacking each other?’
"The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?'
27 But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses away. ‘Who put you in charge over us? Are you our judge now?’ he asked.
But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 ‘Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'
29 When he heard this, Moses ran away. He went and lived in exile in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him.
Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30 Forty years later, in the desert of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush.
"When forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 When Moses saw this, he was amazed at the sight, and went over to take a closer look. The voice of the Lord spoke to him:
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came,
32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and didn't dare look up.
'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.' Moses trembled, and dared not look.
33 The Lord told him, ‘Take off your sandals, because where you are standing is holy ground.
The Lord said to him, 'Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
34 I have closely observed the suffering of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groans. I have come down to rescue them. Now come over here, for I'm sending you to Egypt.’
I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.'
35 This was the same Moses that the people had rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ God sent him to be both a ruler and a liberator, by means of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
"This Moses, whom they refused, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?'—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36 Moses led them out after performing miraculous signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and continued to do so in the desert for forty years.
This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
37 This is the same Moses who promised the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet like me from among your people.’
This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.'
38 Moses was with God's assembled people in the desert when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and there with our forefathers he received God's living word to give to us.
This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received words of life to give to us,
39 He was the one our fathers wouldn't listen to. They rejected him and decided to return to Egypt.
to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
40 They told Aaron, ‘Make gods for us to lead us, because we don't know what's happened to this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt.’
saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
41 Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf, sacrificed to it, and celebrated what they themselves had made!
They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
42 So God gave up on them. He left them to their worship of the stars in the sky. This is what the prophets wrote, ‘Were you giving offerings or making sacrifices to me during the forty years in the desert, you Israelites?
But God turned, and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'Did you offer to me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 No, you carried the Tabernacle of the god Moloch and the image of the god Rephan's star, images that you made so you could worship them. So I will banish you in exile beyond Babylon.’
You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship them. Therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon.'
44 Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Testimony in the desert. God had told Moses how he should make it following the blueprint he had seen.
"Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen;
45 Later on, our forefathers carried it with them when they went in with Joshua to occupy the land taken from the nations the Lord drove out before them. It stayed there until the time of David.
which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, to the days of David,
46 David found favor with God and asked to make a more permanent home for the God of Jacob.
who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
47 But it was Solomon who built a Temple for him.
But Solomon built him a house.
48 Of course the Almighty doesn't live in temples we make. As the prophet said,
However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth the place I put my feet. What kind of dwelling could you build for me?’ the Lord asks. ‘What bed could you make for me to rest in?
'Heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?' says the Lord; 'or what is the place of my rest?
50 Didn't I make everything?’
Did not my hand make all these things?'
51 You arrogant, hard-hearted people! You never listen! You always fight against the Holy Spirit! You act just like your fathers did!
"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so you do.
52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers didn't persecute? They killed those who prophesied about the coming of the one who is truly good and right. He is the one you betrayed and murdered—
Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.
53 you who received the law by means of the angels, but refused to keep it.”
You received the Law as it was ordained by angels, and did not keep it."
54 When they heard this, the council members became mad with rage, and snarled at him, grinding their teeth.
Now when they heard these things, they were furious, and they ground their teeth at him.
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed up into heaven and saw God's glory, with Jesus standing at God's right hand.
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand.”
And he said, "Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
57 But they held their hands over their ears and shouted as loudly as they could. They rushed together at him,
But they shouted out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed at him with one accord.
58 dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. His accusers laid their coats down beside a young man called Saul.
They threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As they went on stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
60 He kneeled down, calling out, “Lord, please don't hold this sin against them!” And after he said this, he died.
He kneeled down, and shouted out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
