Acts 7
1 The high priest said, “Are these things so?”
Then the high priest asked, ‘Is this true?’
2 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,
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 and said to him, ‘Get out of your land and away from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.’
“Leave your country and your people, and come into the country that I will show you.”
4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land where you are now living.
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 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 offspring after him, when he still had no child.
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 God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.
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 ‘I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve me in this place.’
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 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.
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 “The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him
The Patriarchs, out of jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him,
10 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.
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 Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.
Then a famine spread over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, causing great distress, and our ancestors could find no food.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.
Hearing, however, that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob sent our ancestors there on their first visit.
13 On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was revealed to Pharaoh.
In the course of their second visit, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
14 Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.
Then Joseph sent an urgent invitation to his father Jacob and to his relatives, seventy-five persons in all;
15 Jacob went down into Egypt and he died, himself and our fathers;
and so Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and our ancestors also,
16 and they were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
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 “But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
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 until there arose a different king who didn’t know Joseph.
until a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to the throne.
19 The same took advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to abandon their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.
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 At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome to God. He was nourished three months in his father’s house.
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 When he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and reared him as her own son.
and, when he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh found him and brought him up as her own son.
22 Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.
So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and proved his ability both by his words and actions.
23 But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
When he was in his fortieth year, he resolved to visit his fellow Israelites;
24 Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian.
and, seeing an Israelite ill-treated, he defended him, and avenged the man, who was being wronged, by striking down the Egyptian.
25 He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn’t understand.
He thought his own people would understand that God was using him to save them; but they failed to do so.
26 “The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’
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 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
But the man who was ill-treating his fellow workman pushed Moses aside saying – “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?
28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Do you mean to make away with me as you did yesterday with that Egyptian?”
29 Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
At these words Moses took to flight, and became an exile in Midian; and there he had two sons born to him.
30 “When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
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 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, the voice of the Lord came to him,
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 ‘I am the God of your fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Moses trembled and dared not look.
“I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses trembled, and did not dare to look.
33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
Then the Lord said to him – “Take your sandals off your feet, for the spot where you are standing is holy ground.
34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you into Egypt.’
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 “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.
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 This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
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 This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like 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 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 living revelations to give to us,
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 to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
Yet our ancestors refused him obedience; more than that, they rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,
40 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 don’t know what has become of him.’
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 They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
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 But God turned away and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
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 You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship, so I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’
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 “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;
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 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,
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 who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
David found favour with God, and prayed that he might provide the God of Jacob with a place to reside.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
But it was Solomon who built a house for God.
48 However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,
Yet it is not in buildings made by hands that the Most High dwells. As the prophet says –
49 ‘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?
“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 Didn’t my hand make all these things?’
Was it not my hand that made all these things?”
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
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 Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.
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 You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”
you who received the Law as transmitted by angels and yet failed to keep it.’
54 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
As they listened to this, the Council grew frantic with rage, and gnashed their teeth at Stephen.
55 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,
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 and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
‘Look,’ he exclaimed, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!’
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord.
At this, with a loud shout, they stopped their ears and all rushed on him, forced him outside the city,
58 They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
and began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
And they stoned Stephen, while he cried to the Lord, ‘Lord Jesus! Receive my spirit!’
60 He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Falling on his knees, he called out loudly, ‘Lord! Do not charge them with this sin;’ and with these words he fell asleep.
