Acts 7
1 And the high priest said, "Are these things so?"
And the high priest said, Are these things then so?
2 Stephen answered. "Listen, brothers and fathers. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
And he said, Brethren and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
3 and said to him, "Leave your country and your kindred, and come to whatever land I will show you.
and said to him, Go out of thy land and out of thy kindred, and come into the land which I will shew thee.
4 "So he left Chaldea and settled in Haran, and from there, after his father’s death, God moved him to this land which you inhabit.
Then going out of the land of the Chaldeans he dwelt in Charran, and thence, after his father died, he removed him into this land in which ye now dwell.
5 "But he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not a single square yard of ground; yet he promised to bestow the land as a permanent possession on him and his posterity - he at that time being childless.
And he did not give him an inheritance in it, not even what his foot could stand on; and promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when he had no child.
6 "What God said was this. "‘His offspring will sojourn in a foreign land where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.
And God spoke thus: His seed shall be a sojourner in a strange land, and they shall enslave them and evil entreat [them] four hundred years;
7 "‘And the nation, whichever it is, that enslaves them I will judge, said God, ‘and after ward they shall come out, and they shall worship me in this place.
and the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God; and after these things they shall come forth and serve me in this place.
8 "Then he gave him a covenant of circumcision, and under this covenant he became the father of Isaac, whom he circumcised on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs.
And he gave to him [the] covenant of circumcision; and thus he begat Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
9 "The patriarchs out of jealousy sold Joseph into Egypt.
And the patriarchs, envying Joseph, sold him away into Egypt. And God was with him,
10 "But God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him grace and wisdom, when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him Governor over Egypt, and over all the royal household.
and delivered him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he appointed him chief over Egypt and all his house.
11 "Then there came a famine over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, and great distress, so that our ancestors could not find food.
But a famine came upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great distress, and our fathers found no food.
12 "But Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and sent our ancestors there on their first visit.
But Jacob, having heard of there being corn in Egypt, sent out our fathers first;
13 "On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh was informed of Joseph’s parentage.
and the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh.
14 "Then Joseph sent and invited Jacob his father and all his family, numbering seventy-five souls, to come to him;
And Joseph sent and called down to him his father Jacob and all [his] kindred, seventy-five souls.
15 "and Jacob went down into Egypt.
And Jacob went down into Egypt and died, he and our fathers,
16 "There he died, and our ancestors also, and they were carried across to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
and were carried over to Sychem and placed in the sepulchre which Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the [father] of Sychem.
17 "but as the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God made to Abraham, the people multiplied and increased in Egypt;
But as the time of promise drew near which God had promised to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,
18 "until there arose a king who knew not Joseph.
until another king over Egypt arose who did not know Joseph.
19 "He dealt craftily with our race, and oppressed our forefathers, by making them expose their infants so that they should not live.
He dealt subtilly with our race, and evil entreated the fathers, casting out their infants that they might not live.
20 "In this time Moses was born, a divinely beautiful child, who was brought up for three months in his father’s house.
In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly lovely, who was nourished three months in the house of his father.
21 "When he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and brought him up as her own son.
And when he was cast out, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and brought him up for herself [to be] for a son.
22 "So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in his words and works.
And Moses was instructed in all [the] wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
23 "And when he was forty years old it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel;
And when a period of forty years was fulfilled to him, it came into his heart to look upon his brethren, the sons of Israel;
24 "and when he saw one of them wronged he wrought redress for the one overpowered, by striking down the Egyptian.
and seeing a certain one wronged, he defended [him], and avenged him that was being oppressed, smiting the Egyptian.
25 "(Now he supposed that his brothers would understand how God by his hand was bringing them deliverance; but they did not.)
For he thought that his brethren would understand that God by his hand was giving them deliverance. But they understood not.
26 "Next day he came upon two of them fighting, and tried to make peace between them. "‘Sirs,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you wronging each other?’
And on the morrow he shewed himself to them as they were contending, and compelled them to peace, saying, Ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one another?
27 "But the man who was ill-treating his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, "‘Who made you a magistrate and ruler over us?
But he that was wronging his neighbour thrust him away, saying, Who established thee ruler and judge over us?
28 "‘Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Dost thou wish to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
29 "Alarmed at this question, Moses fled from the land, and went to live in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.
And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Madiam, where he begat two sons.
30 "But at the end of forty years there appeared to him, in the desert of Mt. Sinai, an angel in a flame of fire, in a bush.
And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a flame of fire of a bush.
31 "When Moses saw it he was astonished at the sight. But when he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord said,
And Moses seeing it wondered at the vision; and as he went up to consider it, there was a voice of [the] Lord,
32 "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. "And Moses trembled and dared not gaze.
I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not consider [it].
33 "And the Lord said. "Take off your sandals, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
And the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place on which thou standest is holy ground.
34 "Truly I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groans, and am come down to rescue them; and now, come, I will send you into Egypt.
I have surely seen the ill treatment of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groan, and have come down to take them out of it; and now, come, I will send thee to Egypt.
35 "This Moses whom they refused when they said, Who made you to be a ruler and a judge? that same Moses we find God sending as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand in the bush.
This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who made thee ruler and judge? him did God send [to be] a ruler and deliverer with the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36 "This was he who brought them out, after he had shown signs and wonders in the wilderness, for forty years.
He led them out, having wrought wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
37 "It was this Moses who said to the Children of Israel, "God will raise up a Prophet for you from among your brothers, as he did me.
This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, A prophet shall God raise up to you out of your brethren like me [him shall ye hear].
38 "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness along with the angel who spoke to him in Mt. Sinai, and with our ancestors to whom he gave living words to hand down to us.
This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers; who received living oracles to give to us;
39 "To him our ancestors would not be obedient, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts turned back into Egypt.
to whom our fathers would not be subject, but thrust [him] from them, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,
40 "Said they to Aaron. "Make Gods for us who shall march in front of us! As for this Moses who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.
saying to Aaron, Make us gods who shall go before us; for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.
41 "And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to this idol, and began to rejoice over what they had made with 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 "So God turned from them, and gave them up to the worship of the heavenly host, as it is written in the book of the Prophets. "Did you offer unto me slain beasts as sacrifices during the 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, Have ye offered me victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 No, it was the Tabernacle of Moloch and the star-symbol of the god Rempha that you lifted up - the images which you made in order to worship them; so I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Yea, ye took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of [your] god Remphan, the forms which ye made to do homage to them; and I will transport you beyond Babylon.
44 "In the wilderness our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Testimony built, as he appointed who told Moses to make it according to the pattern he had seen.
Our fathers had the tent of the testimony in the wilderness, as he that spoke to Moses commanded to make it according to the model which he had seen;
45 "That tabernacle was brought in by our ancestors, in their turn, when they under Joshua entered on the possession of the nations whom God thrust out before them, until the days of David.
which also our fathers, receiving from their predecessors, brought in with Joshua when they entered into possession of [the lands of] the nations, whom God drove out from [the] face of our fathers, until the days of David;
46 "David obtained favor with God, and asked permission to find a dwelling-place for the God of Jacob.
who found favour before God, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob;
47 "But it was Solomon who built him a house.
but Solomon built him a house.
48 "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands; as said the prophet.
But the Most High dwells not in [places] made with hands; as says the prophet,
49 "The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet; What kind of house will you build for me? saith the Lord. Or what resting-place shall I have?
The heaven [is] my throne and the earth the footstool of my feet: what house will ye build me? saith [the] Lord, or where [is the] place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make this universe?
has not my hand made all these things?
51 "Stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Ghost! As your fathers did, so do you.
O stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers, ye also.
52 "Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become -
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain those who announced beforehand concerning the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have now become deliverers up and murderers!
53 "you who received the law, given through angels, and obeyed it not."
who have received the law as ordained by [the] ministry of angels, and have not kept [it].
54 As they heard these words they became furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
And hearing these things they were cut to the heart, and gnashed their teeth against him.
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
But being full of [the] Holy Spirit, having fixed his eyes on heaven, he saw [the] glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 "Look, I see heaven open," he said, "And the Son of man standing at the right hand of God."
and said, Lo, I behold the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.
57 With a loud outcry they stopped their ears, and rushed upon Stephen in a body,
And they cried out with a loud voice, and held their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;
58 dragged him outside the city, and stoned him, the witnesses throwing off their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
and having cast [him] out of the city, they stoned [him]. And the witnesses laid aside their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul.
59 So they stoned Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
And they stoned Stephen, praying, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep.
