Acts 7
1 And the chief priest said, “Are then these things so?”
“Are these allegations true?” the high priest asked.
2 And he said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia, before his dwelling in Haran,
“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.
3 and He said to him, Go forth out of your land, and out of your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.
God told him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the country that I'm going to show you.’
4 Then having come forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran, and from there, after the death of his father, He removed him to this land wherein you now dwell,
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.
5 and He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a footstep, and promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him—he having no child.
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.
6 And God spoke thus, that his seed will be sojourning in a strange land, and they will cause it to serve, and will do it evil [for] four hundred years.
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.
7 And the nation whom they will serve I will judge, said God; And after these things they will come forth and will do Me service in this place.
God said, ‘I will punish the nation that enslaves them. Eventually they will leave and come here to worship me.’
8 And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begot Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac [begot] Jacob, and Jacob—the twelve patriarchs;
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.
9 and the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,
The patriarchs, who were jealous of Joseph, sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him,
10 and delivered him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he set him—governor over Egypt and all his house.
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.
11 And there came a scarcity on all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,
Now a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan. It caused terrible misery, and our forefathers had no food.
12 and Jacob having heard that there was grain in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time;
When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt he sent our forefathers down on their first visit.
13 and at the second time was Joseph made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became disclosed to Pharaoh,
During their second visit, Joseph revealed to his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh discovered Joseph's family background.
14 and Joseph having sent, called for his father Jacob, and all his relatives—with seventy-five souls—
Joseph sent for his father and all his relatives—seventy-five in total.
15 and Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers,
Jacob traveled to Egypt, and died there—as did our forefathers.
16 and they were carried over into Shechem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Shechem.
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.
17 And according as the time of the promise was drawing near, which God swore to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,
As the time approached regarding the promise that God had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt increased.
18 until another king rose, who had not known Joseph;
A new king came to the throne in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.
19 this one, having dealt subtly with our family, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babies, that they might not live;
He took advantage of our people and treated our ancestors badly, forcing them to abandon their babies so they would die.
20 in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up [for] three months in the house of his father;
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.
21 and he having been set outside, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and reared him to herself for a son;
When he had to be abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter rescued him and took care of him as her own son.
22 and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.
Moses received instruction in all areas of Egyptian knowledge, and he became a powerful speaker and leader.
23 And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came on his heart to look after his brothers, the sons of Israel;
However, when he was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the Israelites.
24 and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he defended, and did justice to the oppressed, having struck the Egyptian;
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.
25 and he was supposing his brothers to understand that God gives salvation through his hand; and they did not understand.
Moses thought his fellow Israelites would see that God was rescuing them through him, but they didn't.
26 On the succeeding day, also, he showed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, you are brothers, why do you do injustice to one another?
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?’
27 And he who is doing injustice to the neighbor, thrusted him away, saying, Who set you a ruler and a judge over us?
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.
28 Do you wish to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
‘Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
29 And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begot two sons,
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.
30 and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai [the] Messenger of the LORD, in a flame of fire of a bush,
Forty years later, in the desert of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush.
31 and Moses having seen, wondered at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the LORD to him,
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:
32 I [am] the God of your fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses having become terrified, did not dare behold,
‘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.
33 and the LORD said to him, Loose the sandal of your feet, for the place in which you have stood is holy ground;
The Lord told him, ‘Take off your sandals, because where you are standing is holy ground.
34 seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that [is] in Egypt, and I heard their groaning, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send you to Egypt.
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.’
35 This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who set you a ruler and a judge? This one God sent [as] a ruler and a redeemer, by the hand of [the] Messenger who appeared to him in the bush;
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.
36 this one brought them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years;
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.
37 this is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel: The LORD your God will raise up to you a Prophet out of your brothers, like to me, Him will you hear.
This is the same Moses who promised the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet like me from among your people.’
38 This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the Messenger who is speaking to him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers who received the living oracles to give to us;
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.
39 to whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but thrusted away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
He was the one our fathers wouldn't listen to. They rejected him and decided to return to Egypt.
40 saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who will go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what has happened to him.
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.’
41 And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands,
Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf, sacrificed to it, and celebrated what they themselves had made!
42 and God turned, and gave them up to do service to the host of Heaven, according as it has been written in the scroll of the Prophets: Did you offer slain beasts and sacrifices to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
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?
43 And you took up the dwelling place of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan—the figures that you made to worship them, and I will remove your dwelling beyond Babylon.
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.’
44 The Dwelling Place of the Testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He directed, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen;
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.
45 which also our fathers having in succession received, 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,
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.
46 who found favor before God, and requested to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob;
David found favor with God and asked to make a more permanent home for the God of Jacob.
47 and Solomon built Him a house.
But it was Solomon who built a Temple for him.
48 But the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, according as the prophet says:
Of course the Almighty doesn't live in temples we make. As the prophet said,
49 Heaven [is] My throne, And the earth My footstool, What house will you build to Me? Says the LORD; Or what [is] the place of My rest?
‘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?
50 Has My hand not made all these things?
Didn't I make everything?’
51 You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers—also you;
You arrogant, hard-hearted people! You never listen! You always fight against the Holy Spirit! You act just like your fathers did!
52 which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who declared before about the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers,
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—
53 who received the Law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep [it].”
you who received the law by means of the angels, but refused to keep it.”
54 And hearing these things, they were cut to the hearts, and gnashed the teeth at him;
When they heard this, the council members became mad with rage, and snarled at him, grinding their teeth.
55 and being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked steadfastly to the sky, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed up into heaven and saw God's glory, with Jesus standing at God's right hand.
56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.”
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand.”
57 And they, having cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and rushed with one accord on him,
But they held their hands over their ears and shouted as loudly as they could. They rushed together at him,
58 and having cast him forth outside of the city, they were stoning [him]—and the witnesses put down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul—
dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. His accusers laid their coats down beside a young man called Saul.
59 and they were stoning Stephen, [as he was] calling and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”;
As they went on stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 and having bowed the knees, he cried with a loud voice, “LORD, may You not lay to them this sin”; and having said this, he fell asleep.
He kneeled down, calling out, “Lord, please don't hold this sin against them!” And after he said this, he died.
