司提反在议会讲道

大祭司问司提反:“真有这些事吗?”

司提反说:“各位父老兄弟,请听!我们的先祖亚伯拉罕哈兰以前,还在美索不达米亚的时候,荣耀的神向他显现, 对他说:

‘你要离开你的故土和亲族,
到我所要指示你的地方去。’[a]

“于是亚伯拉罕离开迦勒底人的地方,住在哈兰。他的父亲死了以后,神使他从那里迁移到你们现在所住的这地方。 在这里,神并没有赐给他继业,连立足的地方也没有。可是神应许要把这地赐给他和他的后裔为业。当时,亚伯拉罕还没有孩子。 神这样说:

‘他的后裔要在他人之地做寄居的,
那里的人要奴役、虐待他们四百年。
可是我要惩罚那奴役他们的国家。’
神又说:
‘这些事以后,他们将要出来,在这地方事奉我。’[b]

神又赐给亚伯拉罕割礼的约。这样,亚伯拉罕生了以撒,第八天给他行了割礼。后来以撒生了雅各雅各生了十二位先祖。

先祖在埃及

“先祖们嫉妒约瑟,把他卖到埃及去。可是神与他同在, 10 救他脱离一切患难,并且使他在埃及王法老面前蒙恩宠、有智慧。法老就委任约瑟做宰相,统管埃及和法老全家。 11 后来整个埃及[c]迦南地区遭遇了饥荒和大灾难,我们的祖先找不到粮食。 12 雅各听说埃及有粮食,就派我们的祖先去,这是第一次。 13 第二次去的时候,约瑟的身世被他的兄弟们知道了,这样,约瑟的家族就被法老知道了。 14 于是约瑟派人把他的父亲雅各和所有的亲属请来,一共七十五人[d][e] 15 雅各下到埃及,后来他死了,我们的祖先也死了, 16 遗体被带回示剑,安放到亚伯拉罕示剑用一笔银子从哈莫尔的子孙买来的坟墓里。

拒绝摩西的拯救

17 “随着神向亚伯拉罕所宣告[f]的那应许时期临近,以色列子民在埃及兴旺、增多, 18 直到另一个不认识约瑟的王起来统治埃及 19 这王狡猾地对待我们的同胞,虐待我们的祖先,强迫他们丢弃自己的婴孩,好使婴孩活不下去。 20 就在那时候,摩西出生了。他在神的眼里[g]十分俊美,在父亲家里被抚养了三个月。 21 后来他被丢弃的时候,法老的女儿把他捡去,当做自己的儿子抚养。 22 摩西埃及人的一切智慧上受了教育,说话行事都有能力。

23 “当他满四十岁的时候,心里决定要去探望[h]自己的同胞[i]以色列子民。 24 他看见一个同胞[j]受欺负,就去卫护他,为那受压迫的人报仇,打死了那个埃及人。 25 摩西以为自己的同胞[k]会领悟神是藉着他的手拯救他们[l],但他们却不领悟。 26 第二天,一些同胞在争斗,摩西就出来,劝他们和睦,说:‘各位!你们是同胞[m],为什么互相欺负呢?’

27 “但那欺负同伴[n]的人把摩西推开,说:

‘谁委任你做我们的首领和审判官呢? 28 难道你想杀了我,像你昨天杀了那个埃及人一样吗?’[o]

29 摩西听了这话就逃跑了,并寄居在米甸[p],在那里生了两个儿子。 30 过了四十年,在西奈山的旷野,一位天使[q]在荆棘火焰中向摩西显现。 31 摩西见了这景象[r],感到惊奇。正当他上前要观看的时候,有主的声音说: 32 ‘我是你祖先的神,就是亚伯拉罕以撒雅各的神[s]。’[t]摩西战战兢兢,不敢观看。

33 “主对他说:

‘脱掉你脚上的鞋,因为你站的地方是圣地。 34 我的子民在埃及的困苦,我确实看见了;他们的呻吟,我也听见了;于是我下来要救他们。现在你来!我要差派你到埃及去。’[u]

35 “这摩西就是他们拒绝说‘谁委任你做首领和审判官’[v]的那位,神却藉着那在荆棘中向他显现的天使的手,差派他做首领、做救赎者。 36 这个人带领以色列子民出来,在埃及地、在红海,并且在旷野的四十年间,行了奇事和神迹。

以色列悖逆神

37 “这个人就是摩西,他曾告诉以色列子民:‘神[w]将要从你们兄弟中给你们兴起一位先知,像兴起我一样。[x][y] 38 这个人曾在旷野的会众当中,与那在西奈山对他讲话的天使在一起,又和我们的祖先在一起。他接受了生命的话语,把它传给了我们。 39 我们的祖先不肯顺从,反而弃绝了他,甚至在心里转回埃及去, 40 亚伦说:

‘为我们造一些神明在我们前面引路吧,因为带领我们出埃及地的那个摩西,我们不知道他出了什么事!’[z]

41 在那些日子里,他们造了一个牛犊的像,又向那偶像献上祭物,并且为自己手所做的而庆祝。 42 神就转身不顾,任凭他们去事奉天上的万象,正如先知书上所记载的:

以色列家呀!
你们在旷野的四十年里献上的牺牲和祭物,
难道是给我的吗?
43 你们抬起了摩洛的帐幕和你们理番神的星,
就是你们为敬拜而造的像。
因此,我要把你们迁移到巴比伦以外去。’[aa]

真正的会幕

44 “我们的祖先在旷野有见证的会幕,是照着对摩西说话的那一位所吩咐的,并按照摩西看到的样式所做成的。 45 我们的祖先相继承受了这会幕,并且与约书亚一起把它带进了继业之地,就是神从我们祖先面前赶出的外邦人的地,直到大卫的时代。 46 大卫在神面前蒙了恩典,就祈求为雅各的神[ab]预备[ac]一个居所[ad] 47 但为神建造殿宇[ae]的却是所罗门 48 其实至高者并不住在人手所造的殿宇[af]里,正如先知所说:

49 ‘主说:“天是我的宝座,
地是我的脚凳。
你们要为我建造什么样的殿宇[ag]呢?
我安息的地方在哪里呢?
50 这一切难道不都是我手所造的吗?”’[ah]

抗拒圣灵

51 “你们这些顽固不化、心和耳都未受割礼的人哪,你们总是抗拒圣灵!你们的祖先怎样,你们也怎样。 52 有哪一位先知,你们的祖先不逼迫呢?他们杀了那些预言那义者要来的先知,现在你们又成为那义者的出卖者和凶手了。 53 你们领受了藉天使所设立的律法,却不遵守。”

司提反殉道

54 他们听了这些话就勃然大怒[ai],向司提反咬牙切齿。 55 但是司提反充满圣灵,注目望天,看见了神的荣耀,又看见耶稣站在神的右边。 56 他说:“看哪,我看见诸天开了,人子站在神的右边。”

57 于是他们大声喊叫,捂着耳朵,一齐向他冲过去, 58 把他拉到城外,用石头砸他。那些见证人把自己的外衣放在一个称为扫罗的年轻人脚前。 59 他们用石头砸司提反的时候,司提反向主[aj]呼求,说:“主耶稣,求你接受我的灵魂!” 60 然后他跪下,大声呼喊:“主啊,不要把这罪归于他们。”说了这话,他就睡了。

Footnotes

  1. 使徒行传 7:3 《创世记》12:1。
  2. 使徒行传 7:7 《创世记》15:13-14。
  3. 使徒行传 7:11 埃及——有古抄本作“埃及地”。
  4. 使徒行传 7:14 人——原文直译“灵魂”。
  5. 使徒行传 7:14 七十五人——参《创世记》46:27;《出埃及记》1:5。希伯来原文作“七十人”。
  6. 使徒行传 7:17 宣告——有古抄本作“起誓”。
  7. 使徒行传 7:20 有古抄本没有“在神的眼里”。
  8. 使徒行传 7:23 探望——或译作“照顾”。
  9. 使徒行传 7:23 同胞——原文直译“兄弟”。
  10. 使徒行传 7:24 同胞——原文直译“人”。
  11. 使徒行传 7:25 同胞——原文直译“兄弟”。
  12. 使徒行传 7:25 拯救他们——原文直译“给他们拯救”。
  13. 使徒行传 7:26 同胞——原文直译“兄弟”。
  14. 使徒行传 7:27 同伴——原文直译“邻人”。
  15. 使徒行传 7:28 《出埃及记》2:14。
  16. 使徒行传 7:29 寄居在米甸地——原文直译“成了在米甸地的一个寄居者”。
  17. 使徒行传 7:30 天使——有古抄本作“主的天使”或“主的使者”。
  18. 使徒行传 7:31 景象——或译作“异象”。
  19. 使徒行传 7:32 亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的神——有古抄本作“亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神”。
  20. 使徒行传 7:32 《出埃及记》3:6,15。
  21. 使徒行传 7:34 《出埃及记》3:5,7-8,10。
  22. 使徒行传 7:35 《出埃及记》2:14。
  23. 使徒行传 7:37 神——有古抄本作“主——你们的神”。
  24. 使徒行传 7:37 有古抄本附“你们当听从他。”
  25. 使徒行传 7:37 《申命记》18:15。
  26. 使徒行传 7:40 《出埃及记》32:1,23。
  27. 使徒行传 7:43 《阿摩司书》5:25-27。
  28. 使徒行传 7:46 雅各的神——有古抄本作“雅各的家”。
  29. 使徒行传 7:46 预备——原文直译“寻找”。
  30. 使徒行传 7:46 居所——原文直译“帐幕”或“会幕”。
  31. 使徒行传 7:47 殿宇——原文直译“家”。
  32. 使徒行传 7:48 有古抄本没有“殿宇”。
  33. 使徒行传 7:49 殿宇——原文直译“家”。
  34. 使徒行传 7:50 《以赛亚书》66:1-2。
  35. 使徒行传 7:54 勃然大怒——或译作“心如被刀割”。
  36. 使徒行传 7:59 向主——辅助词语。

Then the High Priest asked him, “Are these accusations true?”

This was Stephen’s lengthy reply: “The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Iraq[a] before he moved to Syria, and told him to leave his native land, to say good-bye to his relatives and to start out for a country that God would direct him to. So he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran, in Syria, until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land of Israel, but gave him no property of his own, not one little tract of land.

“However, God promised that eventually the whole country would belong to him and his descendants—though as yet he had no children! But God also told him that these descendants of his would leave the land and live in a foreign country and there become slaves for 400 years. ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God told him, ‘and afterwards my people will return to this land of Israel and worship me here.’

“God also gave Abraham the ceremony of circumcision at that time, as evidence of the covenant between God and the people of Abraham. And so Isaac, Abraham’s son, was circumcised when he was eight days old. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Jewish nation. These men were very jealous of Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him, 10 and delivered him out of all of his anguish, and gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all Egypt, as well as putting him in charge of all the affairs of the palace.

11 “But a famine developed in Egypt and Canaan, and there was great misery for our ancestors. When their food was gone, 12 Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons[b] to buy some. 13 The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his brothers’ families to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. 15 So Jacob came to Egypt, where he died, and all his sons. 16 All of them were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham bought from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father.

17-18 “As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham to free his descendants from slavery, the Jewish people greatly multiplied in Egypt; but then a king was crowned who had no respect for Joseph’s memory. 19 This king plotted against our race, forcing parents to abandon their children in the fields.

20 “About that time Moses was born—a child of divine beauty. His parents hid him at home for three months, 21 and when at last they could no longer keep him hidden and had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter found him and adopted him as her own son, 22 and taught him all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he became a mighty prince and orator.

23 “One day as he was nearing his fortieth birthday, it came into his mind to visit his brothers, the people of Israel. 24 During this visit he saw an Egyptian mistreating a man of Israel. So Moses killed the Egyptian. 25 Moses supposed his brothers would realize that God had sent him to help them, but they didn’t.

26 “The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Gentlemen,’ he said, ‘you are brothers and shouldn’t be fighting like this! It is wrong!’

27 “But the man in the wrong told Moses to mind his own business. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28 ‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’

29 “At this, Moses fled the country and lived in the land of Midian, where his two sons were born.

30 “Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an Angel appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 Moses saw it and wondered what it was, and as he ran to see, the voice of the Lord called out to him, 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and dared not look.

33 “And the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground. 34 I have seen the anguish of my people in Egypt and have heard their cries. I have come down to deliver them. Come, I will send you to Egypt.’ 35 And so God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected by demanding, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. 36 And by means of many remarkable miracles he led them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, and back and forth through the wilderness for forty years.

37 “Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up a Prophet much like me[c] from among your brothers.’ 38 How true this proved to be, for in the wilderness, Moses was the go-between—the mediator between the people of Israel and the Angel who gave them the Law of God—the Living Word—on Mount Sinai.

39 “But our fathers rejected Moses and wanted to return to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make idols for us, so that we will have gods to lead us back; for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 So they made a calf idol and sacrificed to it, and rejoiced in this thing they had made.

42 “Then God turned away from them and gave them up, and let them serve the sun, moon, and stars as their gods! In the book of Amos’ prophecies the Lord God asks, ‘Was it to me you were sacrificing during those forty years in the desert, Israel? 43 No, your real interest was in your heathen gods—Sakkuth, and the star god Kaiway, and in all the images you made. So I will send you into captivity far away beyond Babylon.’

44 “Our ancestors carried along with them a portable Temple, or Tabernacle, through the wilderness. In it they kept the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. This building was constructed in exact accordance with the plan shown to Moses by the Angel. 45 Years later, when Joshua led the battles against the Gentile nations, this Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory, and used until the time of King David.

46 “God blessed David greatly, and David asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who actually built it. 48-49 However, God doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. ‘The heaven is my throne,’ says the Lord through his prophets, ‘and earth is my footstool. What kind of home could you build?’ asks the Lord. ‘Would I stay in it? 50 Didn’t I make both heaven and earth?’

51 “You stiff-necked heathen! Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your fathers did, and so do you! 52 Name 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. 53 Yes, and you deliberately destroyed God’s laws, though you received them from the hands of angels.”[d]

54 The Jewish leaders were stung to fury by Stephen’s accusation and ground their teeth in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and Jesus the Messiah[e] standing beside God, at his right hand!”

57 Then they mobbed him, putting their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts, 58 and dragged him out of the city to stone him. The official witnesses—the executioners—took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Paul.[f]

59 And as the murderous stones came hurtling at him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And he fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” and with that, he died.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:2 Iraq, literally, “Mesopotamia.” Syria, literally, “Haran,” a city in the area we now know as Syria.
  2. Acts 7:12 his sons, literally, “our fathers.”
  3. Acts 7:37 much like me, literally, “like unto me.”
  4. Acts 7:53 God’s Laws, though you received them from the hands of angels, literally, “the Law as it was ordained by angels.”
  5. Acts 7:56 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
  6. Acts 7:58 Paul, also known as Saul.

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

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 begat the twelve patriarchs.

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

23 And when he was full 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, and smote the Egyptian:

25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

26 And the next day he shewed himself 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 neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and 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? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

47 But Solomon built him an house.

48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54 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 Ghost, 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 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, 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.