Acts 7
1 And the high priest said, Are these things so?2 And he said, Brethren and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,3 and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, God removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell:5 and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.6 And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years.7 And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve 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 the twelve patriarchs.9 And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him,10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.11 Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time.13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s race became manifest unto Pharaoh.14 And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.15 And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers;16 and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.17 But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,18 till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.19 The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live.20 At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father’s house.21 and when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works.23 But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian:25 and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not.26 And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?28 Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?29 And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.30 And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.31 And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord,32 I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.33 And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.36 This man led them forth, having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.37 This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me.38 This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:39 to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt,40 saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.41 And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.42 But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of the god Rephan, The figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen.45 Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession of the nations, that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;46 who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.47 But Solomon built him a house.48 Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet,
49 The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet: What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord: Or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers;53 ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.54 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, 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.
Acts 7
Stephen’s Defense Before the Council
1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?”t2 So he replied,t “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefathert Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’s4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, Godt made him movet to this country where you now live.5 Het did not give any of it to him for an inheritance,t not even a foot of ground,t yet Godt promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him,s even though Abrahamt as yet had no child.6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Yourtdescendants will be foreignerstin a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years.s7 But I will punishtthe nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of therets and worshiptme in this place.’s8 Then Godt gave Abrahamt the covenants of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old,t and Isaac became the father oft Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.s9 Thet patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, soldt him into Egypt. Butt God was with him,10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who madet him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.11 Then a famine occurred throughoutt Egypt and Canaan, causingt great suffering, and ours ancestorst could not find food.12 So when Jacob heard that there was graint in Egypt, he sent our ancestorst theret the first time.13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s familyt became known to Pharaoh.14 So Joseph sent a messaget and invitedt his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five peoplet in all.15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there,t along with our ancestors,t
16 and their bonest were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of moneys from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham,t the people increased greatly in numbert in Egypt,18 until another king who did not know abouttJoseph ruledtover Egypt.s19 This was the one who exploitedt our peoplet and was cruel to our ancestors,t forcing them to abandont their infants so they would die.t20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautifult to God. Fort three months he was brought up in his father’s house,21 and when he had been abandoned,t Pharaoh’s daughter adoptedt him and brought him upt as her own son.22 So Moses was trainedt in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerfult in his words and deeds.23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mindt to visit his fellow countryment the Israelites.t24 Whent he saw one of them being hurt unfairly,t Mosest came to his defenset and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.25 He thought his own peoplet would understand that God was delivering themt through him,t but they did not understand.s26 The next day Mosest saw two ment fighting, and tried to make peace betweent them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushedt Mosest aside, saying, ‘Who madetyou a ruler and judge over us?28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ts
29 When the man said this,t Moses fled and became a foreignert in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30 “Aftert forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the deserttof Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.s31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord,32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers,tthe God of Abraham, Isaac,tand Jacob.’s Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.t33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.s34 I have certainly seen the sufferingtof my people who are in Egypt andhave heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them.tNowtcome, I will send you to Egypt.’s35 This sames Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’s God sent as both ruler and deliverert through the hand of the angelt who appeared to him in the bush.36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signsts in the land of Egypt,t att the Red Sea, and in the wildernesst for forty years.37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites,t ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’s38 This is the man who was in the congregationt in the wildernesst with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors,t and het received living oraclest to give to you.s39 Ourt ancestorst were unwilling to obeys him, but pushed him asides and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egyptt– we do not know what has happened to him!’s41 Att that timet they made an idol in the form of a calf,t broughtt a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicingt in the works of their hands.t42 But God turned away from them and gave them overs to worship the hostts of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrificestforty years in the wilderness, was it,thouse of Israel?43 But you took along the tabernacletsof Molochsand the star of thesgod Rephan,sthe images you made to worship, but I will deporttyou beyond Babylon.’s44 Our ancestorst had the tabernaclets of testimony in the wilderness,t just as Godt who spoke to Moses ordered himt to make it according to the design he had seen.45 Ourt ancestorst received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors,ts until the timet of David.46 Het found favort witht God and asked that he couldt find a dwelling placet for the houses of Jacob.47 But Solomon built a houses for him.
48 Yet the Most Highs does not live in houses made by human hands,s as the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and earth is the footstool for my feet.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is my resting place?s
50 Did my handtnot make all these things?’ts
51 “You stubborns people, with uncircumcisedt hearts and ears!t You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestorst did!52 Which of the prophets did your ancestorst not persecute?s Theyt killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One,s whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!s
53 Yout received the law by decrees given by angels,ts but you did not obeyt it.”t
54 When they heard these things, they became furioust and ground their teetht at him.55 But Stephen,t fullt of the Holy Spirit, looked intentlyt toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standings at the right hand of God.56 “Look!” he said.t “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”57 But they covered their ears,s shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent.58 Whent they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him,s and the witnesses laid their cloaksts at the feet of a young man named Saul.59 Theyt continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”60 Then he fellt to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”s Whent he had said this, he died.t
