Actuum Apostolorum 7
1 Dixit autem princeps sacerdotum: Si haec ita se haberent?
Then the high priest said, “Can these things be so?”
2 Qui ait: Viri fratres, et patres audite: Deus gloriae apparuit patri nostro Abrahae cum esset in Mesopotamia, prius quam moraretur in Charan.
So he said: “Men, brothers and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he resided in Haran,
3 et dixit ad illum: Exi de terra tua, et de cognatione tua, et veni in terram, quam monstravero tibi.
and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into a land that I will show you.’
4 Tunc exiit de terra Chaldaeorum, et habitavit in Charan. Et inde, postquam mortuus est pater eius, transtulit illum in terram istam, in qua nunc vos habitatis.
Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and resided in Haran. From there, after his father died, God moved him to this land in which you now live;
5 Et non dedit illi hereditatem in ea, nec passum pedis: sed repromisit dare illi eam in possessionem, et semini eius post ipsum, cum non haberet filium.
yet He did not give him an inheritance in it, not even a footstep. He promised to give it to him for a possession, that is, to his seed after him, though he had no child.
6 Locutus est autem ei Deus: Quia erit semen tuum accola in terra aliena, et servituti eos subiicient, et male tractabunt eos annis quadringentis:
Further, God spoke like this: that his offspring would be aliens in a foreign land—and that they would be enslaved and oppressed—four hundred years.
7 et gentem cui servierint, iudicabo ego, dixit Dominus. et post haec exibunt, et servient mihi in loco isto.
‘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.’
8 Et dedit illi testamentum circumcisionis: et sic genuit Isaac, et circumcidit eum die octavo: et Isaac, et Iacob: et Iacob, duodecim Patriarchas.
And He gave him a covenant of circumcision; and so he begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac did the same to Jacob, and Jacob to the twelve patriarchs.
9 Et Patriarchae aemulantes, Ioseph vendiderunt in Aegyptum. et erat Deus cum eo:
“The patriarchs, being envious, sold Joseph into Egypt; yet 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 adversities, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11 Venit autem fames in universam Aegyptum, et Chanaan, et tribulatio magna: et non inveniebant cibos patres nostri.
And a famine came upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, even a great affliction, and our fathers could not find food.
12 Cum audisset autem Iacob esse frumentum in Aegypto: misit patres nostros primum:
But upon hearing that there was wheat in Egypt, Jacob first sent our fathers.
13 et in secundo cognitus est Ioseph a fratribus suis, et manifestatum est Pharaoni genus eius.
On the second trip Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was presented to Pharaoh.
14 Mittens autem Ioseph accersivit Iacob patrem suum, et omnem cognationem suam in animabus septuagintaquinque.
Joseph sent and summoned his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.
15 Et descendit Iacob in Aegyptum, et defunctus est ipse, et patres nostri.
So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers;
16 Et translati sunt in Sichem, et positi sunt in sepulchro, quod emit Abraham pretio argenti a filiis Hemor filii Sichem.
and they were transferred to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor of Shechem.
17 Cum autem appropinquaret tempus promissionis, quam confessus erat Deus Abrahae, crevit populus, et multiplicatus est in Aegypto,
“Now as the time of the promise was approaching which God had sworn to Abraham, the people increased and were multiplied in Egypt,
18 quoadusque surrexit alius rex in Aegypto, qui non sciebat Ioseph.
until a different king arose who had not known Joseph.
19 Hic circumveniens genus nostrum, afflixit patres nostros ut exponerent infantes suos ne vivificarentur.
This man took advantage of our race and oppressed our fathers, making them expose their babies so that they would not stay alive.
20 Eodem tempore natus est Moyses et fuit gratus Deo, qui nutritus est tribus mensibus in domo patris sui.
At that time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; he was nurtured in his father's house for three months.
21 Exposito autem illo, sustulit eum filia Pharaonis, et nutrivit eum sibi in filium.
When he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter took him to herself and brought him up as her own son.
22 Et eruditus est Moyses omni sapientia Aegyptiorum, et erat potens in verbis, et in operibus suis.
So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; he was mighty in words and deeds.
23 Cum autem impleretur ei quadraginta annorum tempus, ascendit in cor eius ut visitaret fratres suos filios Israel.
Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel.
24 Et cum vidisset quendam iniuriam patientem, vindicavit illum: et fecit ultionem ei, qui iniuriam sustinebat, percusso Aegyptio.
Well seeing one of them being wronged, he defended and avenged the one being oppressed, striking down the Egyptian.
25 Existimabat autem intelligere fratres, quoniam Deus per manum ipsius daret salutem illis: at illi non intellexerunt.
Now he supposed that his brothers understood that God was giving them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand.
26 Sequenti vero die apparuit illis litigantibus: et reconciliabat eos in pace, dicens: Viri, fratres estis, ut quid nocetis alterutrum?
The next day he appeared to them as they were fighting and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?’
27 Qui autem iniuriam faciebat proximo, repulit eum, dicens: Quis te constituit principem, et iudicem super nos?
But the one who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses away, saying: ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 numquid interficere me tu vis, quemadmodum interfecisti heri Aegyptium?
Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’
29 Fugit autem Moyses in verbo isto: et factus est advena in terra Madian, ubi generavit filios duos.
Well Moses fled at that word, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begot two sons.
30 Et expletis annis quadraginta, apparuit illi in deserto montis Sina Angelus in igne flammae rubi.
“And when another forty years had passed, Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 Moyses autem videns, admiratus est visum. et accedente illo ut consideraret, facta est ad eum vox Domini, dicens:
Well upon seeing it Moses was amazed at the sight, but as he approached for a closer look the voice of the Lord came to him:
32 Ego sum Deus patrum tuorum, Deus Abraham, Deus Isaac, et Deus Iacob. Tremefactus autem Moyses, non audebat considerare.
‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ Moses started trembling and did not dare to look.
33 Dixit autem illi Dominus: Solve calceamentum pedum tuorum: locus enim in quo stas, terra sancta est.
So the Lord said to him: ‘Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
34 Videns vidi afflictionem populi mei, qui est in Aegypto, et gemitum eorum audivi, et descendi liberare eos. Et nunc veni, et mittam te in Aegyptum.
I have definitely seen the mistreatment of my people in Egypt, and have heard their groaning; and I have come down to deliver them. So now come, I will send you to Egypt.’
35 Hunc Moysen, quem negaverunt, dicentes: Quis te constituit principem et iudicem? hunc Deus principem et redemptorem misit, cum manu Angeli, qui apparuit illi in rubo.
“This Moses whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—God sent him as leader and deliverer by the hand of the Angel who 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.
This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.
37 Hic est Moyses, qui dixit filiis Israel: Prophetam suscitabit vobis Deus de fratribus vestris, tamquam meipsum audietis.
“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up to you a Prophet from among your brothers, like 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.
This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, who was with the Angel who spoke with him on Mount Sinai and was with our fathers, who received living oracles to give to us;
39 Cui noluerunt obedire patres nostri: sed repulerunt, et aversi sunt cordibus suis in Aegyptum,
to whom our fathers did not want to be obedient; rather they rejected him and turned back in their heart to Egypt,
40 dicentes ad Aaron: Fac nobis deos, qui praecedant nos: Moysi enim huic, qui eduxit nos de terra Aegypti, nescimus quid factum sit ei.
saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will go before us; because this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has become of him.’
41 Et vitulum fecerunt in diebus illis, et obtulerunt hostiam simulachro, et laetabantur in operibus manuum suarum.
Well they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and started rejoicing in the works of their hands.
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 Israel?
But God turned away and gave them over to serve the army of the heaven, just as it is written in Book of the Prophets: ‘House of Israel, did you offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness?
43 Et suscepistis tabernaculum Moloch, et sidus Dei vestri Rempham, figuras, quas fecistis, adorare eas. Et transferam vos in Babylonem.
Actually you took along the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god, Rephan, the images that you made to worship; so I will relocate you beyond Babylon.’
44 Tabernaculum testimonii fuit cum patribus nostris in deserto, sicut disposuit illis Deus, loquens ad Moysen, ut faceret illud secundum formam, quam viderat.
“The tent of the testimony, according to the pattern that Moses had seen, just as the One speaking to him had commanded to make it, was with our fathers in the wilderness;
45 Quod et induxerunt, suscipientes patres nostri cum Iesu in possessionem Gentium, quas expulit Deus a facie patrum nostrorum, usque in diebus David,
which, having received it in turn, our fathers with Joshua brought into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, until the days of David;
46 qui invenit gratiam ante Deum, et petiit ut inveniret tabernaculum Deo Iacob.
who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob,
47 Salomon autem aedificavit illi domum.
but Solomon built Him a house.
48 Sed non excelsus in manufactis habitat, sicut per Prophetam dicit:
However, the Most High does not dwell in handmade sanctuaries, just as the prophet says:
49 Caelum mihi sedes est: terra autem scabellum pedum meorum. Quam domum aedificabitis mihi, dicit Dominus? aut quis locus requietionis meae est?
‘Heaven is my throne, while the earth is a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me,’ says the Lord, ‘or what place for my rest?
50 Nonne manus mea fecit haec omnia?
Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 Dura cervice, et incircumcisis cordibus, et auribus, vos semper Spiritui sancto resistitis, sicut Patres vestri, ita et vos.
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always oppose the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so you do.
52 Quem Prophetarum non sunt persecuti patres vestri? Et occiderunt eos, qui praenunciabant de adventu Iusti, cuius vos nunc proditores, et homicidae fuistis:
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers;
53 qui accepistis legem in dispositione Angelorum, et non custodistis.
you who received the Law as ‘ordinances of angels’ and have not kept it!”
54 Audientes autem haec dissecabantur cordibus suis, et stridebant dentibus in eum.
Well as they heard these things their hearts were being sawed in half, and they started gnashing their teeth at him.
55 Cum autem esset plenus Spiritu sancto, intendens in caelum, vidit gloriam Dei, et Iesum stantem a dextris virtutis Dei.
But he, being full of Holy Spirit and looking intently into the heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on God's right,
56 Et ait: Ecce video caelos apertos, et filium hominis stantem a dextris Dei.
and said, “Wow! I see the heavens opened and the Son of the Man standing at God's right!”
57 Exclamantes autem voce magna continuerunt aures suas, et impetum fecerunt unanimiter in eum.
Yelling at the top of their voice they covered their ears and rushed at him all at once,
58 Et eiicientes eum extra civitatem lapidabant: et testes deposuerunt vestimenta sua secus pedes adolescentis, qui vocabatur Saulus.
and throwing him out of the city they stoned him! (The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.)
59 Et lapidabant Stephanum invocantem, et dicentem: Domine Iesu suscipe spiritum meum.
Yes, they stoned Stephen as he called out and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 Positis autem genibus, clamavit voce magna, dicens: Domine ne statuas illis hoc peccatum. Et cum hoc dixisset, obdormivit in Domino.
Then kneeling down he called out at the top of his voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And upon saying this he fell asleep. (Saul was in full agreement with his murder.)
