Acts 7:23-60

English Standard Version

²³ “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart ^(A)to 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 (B)And 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, ^(C)‘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 ^(D)Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, ^(E)where he became the father of two sons.

³⁰ “Now when forty years had passed, ^(F)an angel appeared to him ^(G)in 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 (H)‘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, ^(I)‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ^34 (J)I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and ^(K)have heard their groaning, and ^(L)I have come down to deliver them. ^(M)And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses, whom they rejected, ^(N)saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer ^(O)by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ^36 (P)This man led them out, performing ^(Q)wonders and signs ^(R)in Egypt and ^(S)at the Red Sea and ^(T)in the wilderness for ^(U)forty years. ³⁷ This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you ^(V)a prophet like me from your brothers.’ ³⁸ This is the one ^(W)who was in the congregation in the wilderness with ^(X)the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. ^(Y)He received ^(Z)living ^(AA)oracles to give to us. ³⁹ Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and ^(AB)in their hearts they turned to Egypt, ⁴⁰ saying to Aaron, ^(AC)‘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 ^(AD)they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and ^(AE)were rejoicing in ^(AF)the works of their hands. ⁴² But ^(AG)God turned away and ^(AH)gave them over to worship ^(AI)the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had ^(AM)the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses ^(AN)directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. ⁴⁵ Our fathers in turn ^(AO)brought it in with Joshua when they ^(AP)dispossessed the nations ^(AQ)that God drove out before our fathers. So it was ^(AR)until the days of David, ^46 (AS)who found favor in the sight of God and ^(AT)asked to find a dwelling place for ^(AU)the God of Jacob.^{[a] 47} But it was ^(AV)Solomon who built a house for him. ^48 (AW)Yet the Most High does not dwell ^(AX)in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

^51 (BA)“You stiff-necked people, ^(BB)uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^(BC)As your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (BD)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of ^(BE)the Righteous One, ^(BF)whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³ you who received the law ^(BG)as delivered by angels and ^(BH)did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things ^(BI)they were enraged, and they ^(BJ)ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(BK)full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw ^(BL)the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(BM)at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see ^(BN)the heavens opened, and ^(BO)the Son of Man standing ^(BP)at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[b] at him. ⁵⁸ Then ^(BQ)they cast him out of the city and ^(BR)stoned him. And ^(BS)the witnesses laid down their garments ^(BT)at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, ^(BU)he called out, “Lord Jesus, ^(BV)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And ^(BW)falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ^(BX)“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, ^(BY)he fell asleep.