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Acts 7

Stephen’s Speech

1 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:

^a“Brothers and fathers, hear me. ^bThe God ^cof glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia ^dbefore he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him ^e‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 ^fThen he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And ^gafter his father died ^hGod removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised ⁱto give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him ^jthough he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that ^khis offspring would ^lbe sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them ^mfour hundred years. 7 ‘But ⁿI will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out ^oand worship me in this place.’ 8 And ^phe gave him the covenant of circumcision. And ^qso Abraham became the father of Isaac, and ^rcircumcised him on the eighth day, and ^sIsaac became the father of Jacob, and ^tJacob of the twelve patriarchs.

9 “And the patriarchs ^ujealous of Joseph, ^vsold him into Egypt; but ^wGod was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and ^xgave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt ^ywho made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now ^zthere came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12 ^aaBut when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13 And ^abon the second visit ^acJoseph made himself known to his brothers, and ^adJoseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 And ^aeJoseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred ^afseventy-five persons in all. 15 And ^agJacob went down into Egypt, and ^ahhe died, he ^aiand our fathers, 16 and ^ajthey were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that ^akAbraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 “But ^alas the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham ^amthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until there arose over Egypt another king ^anwho did not know Joseph. 19 ^aoHe dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants ^apso that they would not be kept alive. 20 ^aqAt this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, 21 and ^arwhen he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses ^aswas instructed in ^atall the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was ^aumighty in his words and deeds.

23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart ^avto visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 ^awAnd on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying ^ax‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this retort ^ayMoses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian ^azwhere he became the father of two sons.

30 “Now when forty years had passed ^baan angel appeared to him ^bbin the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ^bc‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him ^bd‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 ^beI have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and ^bfhave heard their groaning, and ^bgI have come down to deliver them. ^bhAnd now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

35 “This Moses, whom they rejected ^bisaying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer ^bjby the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 ^bkThis man led them out, performing ^blwonders and signs ^bmin Egypt and ^bnat the Red Sea and ^boin the wilderness for ^bpforty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you ^bqa prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one ^brwho was in the congregation in the wilderness with ^bsthe angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. ^btHe received ^buliving ^bvoracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and ^bwin their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron ^bx‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And ^bythey made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and ^bzwere rejoicing in ^cathe works of their hands. 42 But ^cbGod turned away and ^ccgave them over to worship ^cdthe host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

^ce“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
^cfduring the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of ^cgMoloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our fathers had ^chthe tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses ^cidirected him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn ^cjbrought it in with Joshua when they ^ckdispossessed the nations ^clthat God drove out before our fathers. So it was ^cmuntil the days of David, 46 ^cnwho found favor in the sight of God and ^coasked to find a dwelling place for ^cpthe God of Jacob. ^{▼

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Some manuscripts for the house of Jacob} 47 But it was ^crSolomon who built a house for him. 48 ^csYet the Most High does not dwell ^ctin houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 ^cu“‘Heaven is my throne,
^cvand the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’

51 ^cw“You stiff-necked people, ^cxuncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^cyAs your fathers did, so do you. 52 ^czWhich of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of ^dathe Righteous One ^dbwhom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law ^dcas delivered by angels and ^dddid not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 Now when they heard these things ^dethey were enraged, and they ^dfground their teeth at him. 55 But he ^dgfull of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw ^dhthe glory of God, and Jesus standing ^diat the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see ^djthe heavens opened, and ^dkthe Son of Man standing ^dlat the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together ^{▼

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Or rushed with one mind} at him. 58 Then ^dnthey cast him out of the city and ^dostoned him. And ^dpthe witnesses laid down their garments ^dqat the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen ^drhe called out, “Lord Jesus ^dsreceive my spirit.” 60 And ^dtfalling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice ^du“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this ^dvhe fell asleep.