Acts 7
1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
Then the High Priest asked: “Is this true?”
2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: “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, Depart from thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.
‘Leave your country and your kindred, and come into the country that I will show you.’
4 Then he came from the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from there, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, in which ye now dwell.
On this, 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 very country, in which you are now living.
5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when as yet he 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 And God spoke in this way, That his offspring should sojourn in a foreign land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and oppress them four hundred years.
God’s words were these — ‘Abraham’s descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.
7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that they shall come forth, 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 shall leave the country and worship me in this place.’
8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat 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 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
The Patriarchs, out of jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him,
10 And delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and 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 there came a famine over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
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 first.
Hearing, however, that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob sent our ancestors there on their first visit.
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known to Pharaoh.
In the course of their second visit, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
14 Then Joseph sent, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, seventy and five souls.
Then Joseph sent an urgent invitation to his father Jacob and to his relations, seventy-five persons in all;
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
and so Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and our ancestors also,
16 And were carried over into Shechem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father 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 when the time of the promise drew near, 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 Till another king arose, who knew not Joseph.
until a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to the throne.
19 The same dealt treacherously with our kindred, and oppressed our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.
This king acted deceitfully towards our race and ill-treated our ancestors, making them abandon their own infants, so that they should not be reared.
20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished in his father’s house three months:
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 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
and, when he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh found him and brought him up as her own son.
22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and proved his ability both by his words and actions.
23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
When he was in his fortieth year, he resolved to visit his brother Israelites;
24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote 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 For he supposed his brethren to understand that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
He thought his brothers would understand that God was using him to save them; but they failed to do so.
26 And the next day he showed himself to them as they were fighting, and would have constrained them to be at peace again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
The next day he again appeared upon 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 that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee 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 Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?
Do you mean to make away with me as you did yesterday with that Egyptian?’
29 Then Moses fled at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat 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 And when forty years had passed, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord 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: and as he drew near to behold it, 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 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and dared not behold.
‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled, and did not dare to look.
33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest 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 seen, I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee 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 thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be 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 very 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 He brought them out, after he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness 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, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you of your brethren, like me; him shall ye hear.
This was the Moses who said to the people of Israel — ‘God will raise up for you, from among your brothers, a Prophet, as he raised up me.’
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the living oracles 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 Whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into 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 to go before us: for as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is 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 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own 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 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness?
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, O House of Israel, All those forty years in the Desert?
43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Molech, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
You took with you the tabernacle of Moloch 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 testimony in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Revelation 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 that came after brought in with Joshua into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, to the days of David;
This Tabernacle, 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 favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
David found favour with God, and prayed that he might find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built for him an house.
But it was Solomon who built a House for God.
48 Yet the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
Yet it is not in buildings made by hands that the Most High dwells. As the Prophet says —
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build for me? saith 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, saith the Lord, Or what place is there where I may rest?
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?
Was it not my hand that made all these things?’
51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.
O! stubborn race, 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 have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them who showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the 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 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
You who received the Law as transmitted by angels and yet failed to keep it.”
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on 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 on the right hand of God.
“Look,” he exclaimed, “I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
At this, with a loud shout, they stopped their ears and all rushed upon him, forced him outside the city,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
and began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And they stoned Stephen, while he cried to the Lord: “Lord Jesus! receive my spirit!”
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And 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.
