Actuum Apostolorum 7
1 dixit autem princeps sacerdotum si haec ita se habent
Then the high priest asked, ‘Is this true?’
2 qui ait viri fratres et patres audite Deus gloriae apparuit patri nostro Abraham cum esset in Mesopotamiam priusquam moraretur in Charram
Stephen replied, ‘Brothers and fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him –
3 et dixit ad illum exi de terra tua et de cognatione tua et veni in terram quam tibi monstravero
“Leave your country and your people, and come into the country that I will show you.”
4 tunc exiit de terra Chaldeorum et habitavit in Charram et inde postquam mortuus est pater eius transtulit illum in terram istam in qua nunc vos habitatis
And so Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father’s death, God caused him to migrate into this country, in which you are now living.
5 et non dedit illi hereditatem in ea nec passum pedis et repromisit dare illi eam in possessionem et semini eius post ipsum cum non haberet filium
God did not at that time give him any part of it, not even a foot of ground. But he promised to give him possession of it and his descendants after him, though at that time he had no child.
6 locutus est autem Deus quia erit semen eius accola in terra aliena et servituti eos subicient et male tractabunt eos annis quadringentis
God’s words were these – “Abraham’s descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.
7 et gentem cui servierint iudicabo ego dixit Deus et post haec exibunt et deservient mihi in loco isto
But I myself will judge the nation, to which they will be enslaved,” God said, “and after that they will leave the country and worship me in this place.”
8 et dedit illi testamentum circumcisionis et sic genuit Isaac et circumcidit eum die octava et Isaac Iacob et Iacob duodecim patriarchas
Then God made with Abraham the covenant of circumcision; and under it Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him when he was eight days old; and Isaac became the father of Jacob; and Jacob of the Twelve Patriarchs.
9 et patriarchae aemulantes Ioseph vendiderunt in Aegyptum et erat Deus cum eo
The Patriarchs, out of jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him,
10 et eripuit eum ex omnibus tribulationibus eius et dedit ei gratiam et sapientiam in conspectu Pharaonis regis Aegypti et constituit eum praepositum super Aegyptum et super omnem domum suam
and delivered him out of all his troubles, and enabled him to win favour and show wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him Governor of Egypt and of his whole household.
11 venit autem fames in universam Aegyptum et Chanaan et tribulatio magna et non inveniebant cibos patres nostri
Then a famine spread over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, causing great distress, and our ancestors could find no food.
12 cum audisset autem Iacob esse frumentum in Aegypto misit patres nostros primum
Hearing, however, that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob sent our ancestors there on their first visit.
13 et in secundo cognitus est Ioseph a fratribus suis et manifestatum est Pharaoni genus eius
In the course of their second visit, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
14 mittens autem Ioseph accersivit Iacob patrem suum et omnem cognationem in animabus septuaginta quinque
Then Joseph sent an urgent invitation to his father Jacob and to his relatives, seventy-five persons in all;
15 et descendit Iacob in Aegyptum et defunctus est ipse et patres nostri
and so Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and our ancestors also,
16 et translati sunt in Sychem et positi sunt in sepulchro quod emit Abraham pretio argenti a filiis Emmor filii Sychem
and their bodies were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 cum adpropinquaret autem tempus repromissionis quam confessus erat Deus Abrahae crevit populus et multiplicatus est in Aegypto
As the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people increased largely in numbers in Egypt,
18 quoadusque surrexit rex alius in Aegypto qui non sciebat Ioseph
until a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to the throne.
19 hic circumveniens genus nostrum adflixit patres ut exponerent infantes suos ne vivificarentur
This king acted deceitfully towards our people and ill-treated our ancestors, making them abandon their own infants, so that they should not be reared.
20 eodem tempore natus est Moses et fuit gratus Deo qui nutritus est tribus mensibus in domo patris sui
It was just at this time that Moses was born. He was an exceedingly beautiful child, and for three months was brought up in his own father’s house;
21 exposito autem illo sustulit eum filia Pharaonis et enutrivit eum sibi in filium
and, when he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh found him and brought him up as her own son.
22 et eruditus est Moses omni sapientia Aegyptiorum et erat potens in verbis et in operibus suis
So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and proved his ability both by his words and actions.
23 cum autem impleretur ei quadraginta annorum tempus ascendit in cor eius ut visitaret fratres suos filios Israhel
When he was in his fortieth year, he resolved to visit his fellow Israelites;
24 et cum vidisset quendam iniuriam patientem vindicavit illum et fecit ultionem ei qui iniuriam sustinebat percusso Aegyptio
and, seeing an Israelite ill-treated, he defended him, and avenged the man, who was being wronged, by striking down the Egyptian.
25 existimabat autem intellegere fratres quoniam Deus per manum ipsius daret salutem illis at illi non intellexerunt
He thought his own people would understand that God was using him to save them; but they failed to do so.
26 sequenti vero die apparuit illis litigantibus et reconciliabat eos in pacem dicens viri fratres estis ut quid nocetis alterutrum
The next day he again appeared on the scene, when some of them were fighting, and tried to make peace between them. “Men,” he said, “you are brothers; how is it that you are ill-treating one another?”
27 qui autem iniuriam faciebat proximo reppulit eum dicens quis te constituit principem et iudicem super nos
But the man who was ill-treating his fellow workman pushed Moses aside saying – “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?
28 numquid interficere me tu vis quemadmodum interfecisti heri Aegyptium
Do you mean to make away with me as you did yesterday with that Egyptian?”
29 fugit autem Moses in verbo isto et factus est advena in terra Madiam ubi generavit filios duos
At these words Moses took to flight, and became an exile in Midian; and there he had two sons born to him.
30 et expletis annis quadraginta apparuit illi in deserto montis Sina angelus in igne flammae rubi
Forty years had passed when there appeared to him, in the desert of Mount Sinai, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 Moses autem videns admiratus est visum et accedente illo ut consideraret facta est vox Domini
When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the vision; but on his going nearer to look at it more closely, the voice of the Lord was heard to say –
32 ego Deus patrum tuorum Deus Abraham et Deus Isaac et Deus Iacob tremefactus autem Moses non audebat considerare
“I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses trembled, and did not dare to look.
33 dixit autem illi Dominus solve calciamentum pedum tuorum locus enim in quo stas terra sancta est
Then the Lord said to him – “Take your sandals off your feet, for the spot where you are standing is holy ground.
34 videns vidi adflictionem populi mei qui est in Aegypto et gemitum eorum audivi et descendi liberare eos et nunc veni et mittam te in Aegyptum
I have seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them. Come now and I will send you into Egypt.”
35 hunc Mosen quem negaverunt dicentes quis te constituit principem et iudicem hunc Deus principem et redemptorem misit cum manu angeli qui apparuit illi in rubo
This same Moses, whom they had disowned with the words – “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” was the man whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer, under the guidance of the angel that had appeared to him in the bush.
36 hic eduxit illos faciens prodigia et signa in terra Aegypti et in Rubro mari et in deserto annis quadraginta
He it was who led them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the desert during forty years.
37 hic est Moses qui dixit filiis Israhel prophetam vobis suscitabit Deus de fratribus vestris tamquam me
This was the Moses who said to the people of Israel – “God will raise up for you, from among yourselves, a prophet, as he raised up me.”
38 hic est qui fuit in ecclesia in solitudine cum angelo qui loquebatur ei in monte Sina et cum patribus nostris qui accepit verba vitae dare nobis
He, too, it was who was present at the assembly in the desert, with the angel who talked to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and who received living truths to impart to you.
39 cui noluerunt oboedire patres nostri sed reppulerunt et aversi sunt cordibus suis in Aegyptum
Yet our ancestors refused him obedience; more than that, they rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,
40 dicentes ad Aaron fac nobis deos qui praecedant nos Moses enim hic qui eduxit nos de terra Aegypti nescimus quid factum sit ei
while they said to Aaron – “Make us Gods who will lead the way for us, since, as for this Moses who has brought us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
41 et vitulum fecerunt in illis diebus et obtulerunt hostiam simulacro et laetabantur in operibus manuum suarum
That was the time when they made the calf and offered sacrifice to their idol, and held festivities in honour of their own handiwork!
42 convertit autem Deus et tradidit eos servire militiae caeli sicut scriptum est in libro Prophetarum numquid victimas aut hostias obtulistis mihi annis quadraginta in deserto domus Israhel
So God turned from them and left them to the worship of the Starry Host, as is written in the book of the prophets – “Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me, house of Israel, all those forty years in the desert?
43 et suscepistis tabernaculum Moloch et sidus dei vestri Rempham figuras quas fecistis adorare eas et transferam vos trans Babylonem
You took with you the tent where Moloch is worshipped and the star of the god Rephan – the images which you had made to worship. Therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon.”
44 tabernaculum testimonii fuit patribus nostris in deserto sicut disposuit loquens ad Mosen ut faceret illud secundum formam quam viderat
Our ancestors had the tent where they worshipped God in the desert, constructed, just as he who spoke to Moses had directed him to make it, after the model which he had seen.
45 quod et induxerunt suscipientes patres nostri cum Iesu in possessionem gentium quas expulit Deus a facie patrum nostrorum usque in diebus David
This tent, which was handed down to them, was brought into this country by our ancestors who accompanied Joshua (at the conquest of the nations that God drove out before their advance), and remained here until the time of David.
46 qui invenit gratiam ante Deum et petiit ut inveniret tabernaculum Deo Iacob
David found favour with God, and prayed that he might provide the God of Jacob with a place to reside.
47 Salomon autem aedificavit illi domum
But it was Solomon who built a house for God.
48 sed non Excelsus in manufactis habitat sicut propheta dicit
Yet it is not in buildings made by hands that the Most High dwells. As the prophet says –
49 caelum mihi sedis est terra autem scabillum pedum meorum quam domum aedificabitis mihi dicit Dominus aut quis locus requietionis meae est
“The heavens are a throne for me, and the earth a stool for my feet. What manner of house will you build me, asks the Lord, or what place is there where I may rest?
50 nonne manus mea fecit haec omnia
Was it not my hand that made all these things?”
51 dura cervice et incircumcisi cordibus et auribus vos semper Spiritui Sancto resistitis sicut patres vestri et vos
Stubborn people, heathen in heart and ears, you are for ever resisting the Holy Spirit; your ancestors did it, and you are doing it still.
52 quem prophetarum non sunt persecuti patres vestri et occiderunt eos qui praenuntiabant de adventu Iusti cuius vos nunc proditores et homicidae fuistis
Which of the prophets escaped persecution at their hands? They killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one; of whom you, in your turn, have now become the betrayers and murderers –
53 qui accepistis legem in dispositionem angelorum et non custodistis
you who received the Law as transmitted by angels and yet failed to keep it.’
54 audientes autem haec dissecabantur cordibus suis et stridebant dentibus in eum
As they listened to this, the Council grew frantic with rage, and gnashed their teeth at Stephen.
55 cum autem esset plenus Spiritu Sancto intendens in caelum vidit gloriam Dei et Iesum stantem a dextris Dei
He, filled as he was with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes intently on the heavens, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.
56 et ait ecce video caelos apertos et Filium hominis a dextris stantem Dei
‘Look,’ he exclaimed, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!’
57 exclamantes autem voce magna continuerunt aures suas et impetum fecerunt unianimiter in eum
At this, with a loud shout, they stopped their ears and all rushed on him, forced him outside the city,
58 et eicientes eum extra civitatem lapidabant et testes deposuerunt vestimenta sua secus pedes adulescentis qui vocabatur Saulus
and began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 et lapidabant Stephanum invocantem et dicentem Domine Iesu suscipe spiritum meum
And they stoned Stephen, while he cried to the Lord, ‘Lord Jesus! Receive my spirit!’
60 positis autem genibus clamavit voce magna Domine ne statuas illis hoc peccatum et cum hoc dixisset obdormivit
Falling on his knees, he called out loudly, ‘Lord! Do not charge them with this sin;’ and with these words he fell asleep.
