Acts 7
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1Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?"1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
2Stephen replied: "Listen, brothers and fathers! "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 2This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.
3God told him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.'3God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’
4So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. 4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.
5God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child.5“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet.
6"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. 6God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.
7But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, 'and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' 7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’
8Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.8“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.
9"Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him 9“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him
10and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household.10and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.
11"But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. 11“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food.
12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. 12Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some.
13On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. 13The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.
14Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt —75 persons in all. 14Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all.
15So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. 15So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors.
16They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem.16Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.
17"Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. 17“As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.
18Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt.18But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.
19By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live.19This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.
20"At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. 20“At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months.
21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 21When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son.
22So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds.22Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.
23"When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. 23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel.
24When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. 24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian.
25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. 25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.
26The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, 'Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?'26“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’
27"But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? 27“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked.
28You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?'28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’
29Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.
30"After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.
31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said,31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the LORD called out to him,
32I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. 32‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.
33Then the Lord told him, 'Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 33“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
34I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' 34I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’
35"This same Moses—whom they rejected by saying, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' —was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. 35“So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.
36It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. 36And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.
37It was this Moses who told the Israelis, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.'37“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’
38This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us,38Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.
39but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. 39“But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.
40They told Aaron, 'Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we don't know what happened to him!' 40They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’
41"At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. 41So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.
42So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: 'O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you?42Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written, ‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
43You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' 43No, you carried your pagan gods— the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’
44"Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 44“Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses.
45Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. 45Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.
46He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, 46“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.
47but it was Solomon who built a house for him. 47But it was Solomon who actually built it.
48However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says,48However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
49"'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest?49‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the LORD. ‘Could you build me such a resting place?
50It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" 50Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’
51"You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 51“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!
52Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 52Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.
53You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!"53You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. 54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.
55But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
56He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"56And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, 57Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him
58ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 58and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" 59As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" After he had said this, he died. 60He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Acts 6
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