使徒行传 7
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
司提反的申辯
7 大祭司說：“真有這些事嗎？” 2 司提反說：“各位父老兄弟請聽！我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕，在美索不達米亞，還沒有住在哈蘭的時候，榮耀的 神向他顯現， 3 對他說：‘你要離開本地本族，到我指示你的地方去。’ 4 他就離開迦勒底人的地方，住在哈蘭。他父親死後， 神又叫他從那裡遷到你們現在所住的地方。 5 在這裡 神並沒有賜他產業，連立足之地也沒有。但 神應許把這地賜給他和他的後裔為業，雖然那時他還沒有兒子。 6 神就這樣說：‘你的後裔必在外地寄居，人要奴役、虐待他們四百年。’ 7 神又說：‘奴役他們的那個國家，我要親自懲罰。以後，他們要出來，在這地方事奉我。’ 8 神也賜他割禮為約。這樣，亞伯拉罕生了以撒，第八天就給他行了割禮。後來，以撒生雅各，雅各生了十二位祖先。
9 “祖先妒忌約瑟，把他賣到埃及去，然而 神與他同在， 10 救他脫離一切苦難，使他在埃及王法老面前，有智慧、得恩寵。法老立他為首相，管理埃及和法老的全家。 11 後來埃及和迦南全地遭遇饑荒、大災難，我們的祖先找不到糧食。 12 雅各聽見埃及有穀糧，就派我們的祖先去，這是第一次。 13 第二次的時候，約瑟就向哥哥們表露自己的身世，法老才知道約瑟的家世。 14 約瑟就派人去把他父親雅各和全家七十五人都接來。 15 於是雅各下了埃及。後來他和我們祖先都死了， 16 運到示劍，埋葬在亞伯拉罕用銀子向哈抹子孫買來的墳地裡。
17 “ 神給亞伯拉罕的應許快要實現的時候，以色列人在埃及人口繁盛增多； 18 但是，到了另一位不認識約瑟的君王興起統治埃及的時候， 19 他就謀害我們的同胞，虐待我們的祖先，逼他們拋棄自己的嬰孩，不容嬰孩存活。 20 就在那時候，摩西出生了，他非常俊美，在父親的家中撫養了三個月。 21 他被拋棄的時候，法老的女兒把他拾起來，當作兒子撫養。 22 摩西學盡了埃及人的一切學問，說話行事都有能力。
23 “到了四十歲，他心中起了一個念頭，要去看望自己的同胞以色列人。 24 當他看見有一個人受欺負，就去護衛，為那受屈的抱不平，打死了那個埃及人。 25 他以為同胞們都必知道 神要藉著他的手拯救他們，事實上他們卻不知道。 26 第二天，有人在打架，摩西就出面調解，說：‘你們是弟兄，為甚麼彼此欺負呢？’ 27 那欺負鄰舍的把他推開，說：‘誰立了你作我們的領袖和審判官呢？ 28 難道你想殺我，像昨天殺那個埃及人一樣嗎？’ 29 摩西因為這句話，就逃到米甸地寄居，在那裡生了兩個兒子。
30 “過了四十年，在西奈山的曠野，有一位使者，在荊棘中的火燄裡，向摩西顯現。 31 他見了這個異象，十分驚奇；他正上前察看的時候，就有主的聲音說： 32 ‘我是你祖宗的 神，就是亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的 神。’摩西戰戰兢兢，不敢觀看。 33 主對他說：‘把你腳上的鞋脫掉，因為你所站的地方是聖地。 34 我的子民在埃及所受的痛苦，我實在看見了；他們的歎息我也聽見了，我下來是要救他們。你來，我要派你到埃及去。’ 35 他們拒絕了這位摩西，說：‘誰立了你作領袖和審判官呢？’但 神藉著在荊棘中向他顯現的使者的手，派他作領袖和救贖者。 36 這人領他們出來，並且在埃及地、紅海和曠野，行奇事神蹟四十年。 37 以前那位對以色列人說‘ 神要從你們弟兄中間，給你們興起一位先知像我’的，就是這摩西。 38 那曾經在曠野的大會中，和那在西奈山上對他說話的使者同在，也與我們的祖先同在的，就是他。他領受了活的聖言，傳給我們。 39 我們的祖先不肯聽從他，反而把他推開，他們的心已經轉向了埃及， 40 就對亞倫說：‘給我們做一些神像，可以走在我們前頭。因為把我們從埃及地領出來的那個摩西，我們不知道他遭遇了甚麼事。’ 41 在那些日子裡，他們做了一個牛犢，把祭物獻給那偶像，並且因自己手所做的而歡樂。 42 於是 神轉身離開，任憑他們事奉天象，正如先知書所說：
‘以色列家啊，
你們在曠野四十年，
豈是將祭牲和祭物獻給我呢？
43 你們抬著摩洛的帳幕，
和理番神的星，
就是你們做來敬拜的像。
所以我要把你們放逐到巴比倫那一邊去。’
44 “我們的祖先在曠野有作證的帳幕，就是跟摩西談話的那位指示他，依照他看見的樣式做的。 45 我們的祖先相繼承受了這帳幕， 神把外族人從他們面前趕走以後，他們就同約書亞把帳幕帶進所得為業的地方，直到大衛的日子。 46 大衛在 神面前蒙了恩，就求為雅各的 神找個居所， 47 而由所羅門為他建造殿宇。 48 其實至高者並不住人手所造的，正如先知說：
49 ‘主說：天是我的寶座，
地是我的腳凳，
你們要為我建造怎樣的殿呢？
哪裡是我安息的地方呢？
50 這一切不都是我手所造的嗎？’
51 “你們頸項剛硬、心和耳都未受割禮的人哪！你們時常抗拒聖靈，你們的祖先怎樣，你們也怎樣。 52 有哪一個先知，你們的祖先不迫害呢？你們殺了那些預先宣告那義者要來的人，現在又把那義者出賣了，殺害了。 53 你們領受了由天使傳達的律法，卻不遵守。”
司提反被石頭打死
54 眾人聽了這些話，心中非常惱怒，就向著司提反咬牙切齒。 55 但司提反被聖靈充滿，定睛望著天，看見 神的榮耀，並且看見耶穌站在 神的右邊， 56 就說：“看哪！我看見天開了，人子站在 神的右邊。” 57 眾人大聲喊叫，掩著耳朵，一齊向他衝過去， 58 把他推出城外，用石頭打他。那些證人把自己的衣服，放在一個名叫掃羅的青年人腳前。 59 他們用石頭打司提反的時候，他呼求說：“主耶穌啊，求你接收我的靈魂！” 60 然後跪下來大聲喊著說：“主啊，不要把這罪歸給他們！”說了這話，就睡了。
使徒行传 7
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
司提凡的申辩
7 大祭司问：“这是真的吗？” 2 司提凡说：“各位父老兄弟，请听我说！我们的祖先亚伯拉罕还未迁到哈兰之前，住在美索不达米亚，荣耀的上帝向他显现，说， 3 ‘你要离开家乡和亲族，到我要指示你的地方去。’ 4 亚伯拉罕就离开迦勒底人的地方，在哈兰住了下来。他父亲过世以后，上帝又领他到你们现在居住的这个地方。 5 当时在这片土地上，上帝没有给他任何产业，他甚至连立足之地也没有。但上帝应许要把这片土地赐给他和他的后裔作产业，尽管那时候亚伯拉罕还没有儿子。 6 上帝又说，‘你的子孙必流落异乡，受奴役、被虐待四百年。 7 但我必惩罚奴役他们的国家，之后你的子孙要离开那里，在这片土地上事奉我。’ 8 上帝又赐下割礼作为祂与亚伯拉罕立约的凭据。亚伯拉罕在以撒出生后的第八天为他行割礼。照样，以撒为他的儿子雅各行了割礼，雅各也为他的儿子——以色列十二位先祖行了割礼。[a]
9 “先祖们嫉妒自己的弟弟约瑟，把他卖到了埃及。但上帝一直与他同在， 10 救他脱离一切危难，又赐他过人的智慧，使他在埃及法老面前得到恩宠，官拜宰相治理全国，并管理王室。 11 后来，埃及和迦南全境遭遇饥荒，灾情严重，我们的先祖们断了粮。 12 雅各听说埃及有粮，就派先祖们去那里买粮，那是我们的先祖初次去埃及。 13 他们第二次去的时候，约瑟才和弟兄们相认，并且领他们拜见埃及王。 14 后来，约瑟派人去把父亲雅各和全族七十五人都接到埃及。 15 从此以后，雅各和其他先祖们便定居埃及，直到去世。 16 后来他们的遗体被带回示剑，安葬在亚伯拉罕买自哈抹子孙的墓地里。
17 “上帝对亚伯拉罕所应许的日子快到的时侯，以色列人在埃及的人口已大大增加。 18 后来埃及有一位不认识约瑟的新王登基。 19 他用毒计苦害我们的同胞，虐待我们的祖先，强令他们把婴孩抛弃，不让婴孩存活。 20 那时，摩西出生了，他长得俊美非凡。他的父母在家里偷偷地抚养了他三个月， 21 最后不得已才丢弃他。法老的女儿救了他，收为养子。
22 “摩西学会了埃及人一切的学问，成为一个说话办事很有能力的人。 23 他四十岁那年决定去探望自己的同胞以色列人。 24 他到了他们那里，看见一个埃及人正在欺负以色列人，就打抱不平，杀了那个埃及人。 25 摩西以为同胞们会明白上帝要借着他的手拯救他们，可是他们并不明白。 26 第二天，他看见两个以色列人在打架，就上前劝解说，‘大家都是同胞，为什么互相殴打呢？’ 27 不料那个欺负人的推开摩西说，‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官？ 28 难道你要杀我，像昨天杀那个埃及人一样吗？’ 29 摩西听了这话，就逃到米甸寄居，在那里成家，生了两个儿子。
30 “过了四十年，在西奈山的旷野，上帝的天使在荆棘火焰中向摩西显现。 31 摩西见状很惊奇，正要上前看个究竟，就听见主说， 32 ‘我是你祖先的上帝，是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝。’摩西战战兢兢，不敢观看。 33 主又说，‘脱下你脚上的鞋子，因为你所站的地方是圣地。 34 我已清楚看见我子民在埃及所受的苦难，也听见了他们的哀叹，我下来要救他们。你来，我要派你回埃及。’
35 “百姓曾拒绝这位摩西，说，‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官？’上帝却借着在荆棘中显现的天使亲自差遣他，立他为首领和拯救者。 36 摩西带领以色列人出埃及，过红海，越旷野，四十年间行了许多神迹奇事。 37 就是这位摩西曾对以色列人说，‘上帝要在你们中间兴起一位像我一样的先知。’ 38 这位摩西曾在旷野与以色列的会众——我们的祖先在一起，又在西奈山上与向他传信息的天使在一起，并且领受了生命之道传给我们。
39 “可是我们的祖先不听从他，甚至弃绝他，心里对埃及恋恋不舍。 40 他们请求亚伦说，‘为我们造一些神像来带领我们吧！领我们离开埃及的那个摩西不知怎样了。’ 41 于是，他们造了一个牛犊像，向它献祭，并为自己所做的事沾沾自喜。 42 因此，上帝转脸不顾他们，任由他们祭拜日月星辰，正如先知书的记载，
“‘以色列家啊，
在旷野的四十年间，
你们向我献过祭物和供品吗？
43 你们抬着为自己所造的神像，
就是摩洛的帐篷和理番神明的星，
祭拜它们，
所以我要把你们赶到比巴比伦还远的地方去。’
44 “我们的祖先在旷野的时候，一直带着安放约柜的圣幕，这圣幕是上帝吩咐摩西照他所看见的样式造的。 45 后来我们的祖先承受了圣幕。上帝从我们祖先面前赶走外族人，使他们得到了应许之地。他们同约书亚把圣幕带到那里，一直到大卫的时代。 46 大卫蒙上帝悦纳，祈求为雅各的上帝建造一座圣殿。 47 结果是他的儿子所罗门为上帝建成了圣殿。
48 “其实至高的上帝并不住人造的殿，祂曾借着先知说， 49 ‘天是我的宝座，地是我的脚凳，你们要为我造怎样的殿宇？哪里可作我的安歇之处？ 50 这一切不都是我亲手创造的吗？’
51 “你们这些顽固不化、耳不听心不悔的人[b]，经常抗拒圣灵，所作所为和你们的祖先如出一辙！ 52 哪一位先知没有被你们祖先迫害？那些预言义者——弥赛亚要来的人也被你们的祖先杀害。如今你们竟出卖了那位公义者，杀害了祂！ 53 你们接受了上帝借天使所传的律法，竟不遵守！”
司提凡殉道
54 众人听了这番话，怒火中烧，咬牙切齿。 55 司提凡却被圣灵充满，定睛望天，看见上帝的荣耀和站在上帝右边的耶稣。 56 司提凡说：“看啊！我看见天开了，人子站在上帝的右边。”
57 众人大喊大叫，捂着耳朵，蜂拥而上， 58 把司提凡拉到城外，用石头打他。指控他的人把他们的衣服交给一个名叫扫罗的青年看管。 59 在乱石击打之下，司提凡呼求说：“主耶稣啊，接收我的灵魂吧！”然后跪下高声说： 60 “主啊，不要追究他们的罪！”说完后，就断气了。
Acts 7
GOD’S WORD Translation
Stephen Speaks in His Own Defense
7 Then the chief priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”
2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God who reveals his glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia. This happened before Abraham lived in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your land and your relatives. Go to the land that I will show you.’
4 “Then Abraham left the country of Chaldea and lived in the city of Haran. After his father died, God made him move from there to this land where we now live.
5 “Yet, God didn’t give Abraham anything in this land to call his own, not even a place to rest his feet. But God promised to give this land to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham didn’t have a child. 6 God told Abraham that his descendants would be foreigners living in another country and that the people there would make them slaves and mistreat them for 400 years. 7 God also told him, ‘I will punish the people whom they will serve. After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’
8 “God gave Abraham circumcision to confirm his promise.[a] So when Abraham’s son Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac did the same to his son Jacob, and Jacob did the same to his twelve sons (the ancestors of our tribes).
9 “Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. They sold him into slavery, and he was taken to Egypt. But God was with Joseph 10 and rescued him from all his suffering. When Joseph stood in the presence of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt), God gave Joseph divine favor [b] and wisdom so that he became ruler of Egypt and of Pharaoh’s whole palace. 11 Then a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan brought a lot of suffering. Our ancestors couldn’t find any food. 12 When Jacob heard that Egypt had food, he sent our ancestors there. That was their first trip. 13 On the second trip, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his relatives, 75 people in all. 15 So Jacob went to Egypt, and he and our ancestors died there. 16 They were taken to Shechem for burial in the tomb that Abraham purchased in Shechem from Hamor’s sons.
17 “When the time that God had promised to Abraham had almost come, the number of our people in Egypt had grown very large. 18 Then a different king, who knew nothing about Joseph, began to rule in Egypt. 19 This king was shrewd in the way he took advantage of our people. He mistreated our ancestors. He made them abandon their newborn babies outdoors, where they would die.
20 “At that time Moses was born, and he was a very beautiful child. His parents took care of him for three months. 21 When Moses was abandoned outdoors, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her son. 22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in what he said and did. 23 When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 When he saw an Israelite man being treated unfairly by an Egyptian, he defended the Israelite. He took revenge by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought his own people would understand that God was going to use him to give them freedom. But they didn’t understand. 26 The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. He said to them, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you treating each other unfairly?’
27 “But one of the men pushed Moses aside. He asked Moses, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 After he said that, Moses quickly left Egypt and lived in Midian as a foreigner. In Midian he fathered two sons.
30 “Forty years later, a Messenger appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert of Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was surprised when he saw this. As he went closer to look at the bush, the voice of the Lord said to him, 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and didn’t dare to look at the bush. 33 The Lord told him, ‘Take off your sandals. The place where you’re standing is holy ground. 34 I’ve seen how my people are mistreated in Egypt. I’ve heard their groaning and have come to rescue them. So now I’m sending you to Egypt.’
35 “This is the Moses whom the Israelites rejected by saying, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ This is the one God sent to free them and to rule them with the help of the Messenger who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This is the man who led our ancestors out of Egypt. He is the person who did amazing things and worked miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert for 40 years. 37 This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me.’ 38 This is the Moses who was in the assembly in the desert. Our ancestors and the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai were there with him. Moses received life-giving messages to give to us, 39 but our ancestors were not willing to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. So make gods who will lead us.’ 41 That was the time they made a calf. They offered a sacrifice to that false god and delighted in what they had made.
42 “So God turned away from them and let them worship the sun, moon, and stars. This is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings in the desert for 40 years, nation of Israel? 43 You carried along the shrine of Moloch, the star of the god Rephan, and the statues you made for yourselves to worship. I will send you into exile beyond the city of Babylon.’
44 “In the desert our ancestors had the tent of God’s promise. Moses built this tent exactly as God had told him. He used the model he had seen. 45 After our ancestors received the tent, they brought it into this land. They did this with Joshua’s help when they took possession of the land from the nations that God forced out of our ancestors’ way. This tent remained here until the time of David, 46 who won God’s favor. David asked that he might provide a permanent place for the family of Jacob.[c] 47 But Solomon was the one who built a house for God.
48 “However, the Most High doesn’t live in a house built by humans, as the prophet says:
49 ‘The Lord says,
“Heaven is my throne.
The earth is my footstool.
What kind of house are you going to build for me?
Where will I rest?
50 Didn’t I make all these things?” ’
51 “How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You’re just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute? They killed those who predicted that a man with God’s approval would come. You have now become the people who betrayed and murdered that man. 53 You are the people who received Moses’ Teachings, which were put into effect by angels. But you haven’t obeyed those teachings.”
Stephen Is Executed
54 As council members listened to Stephen, they became noticeably furious. 55 But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked into heaven, saw God’s glory, and Jesus in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 56 So Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the throne!”
57 But the council members shouted and refused to listen. Then they rushed at Stephen with one purpose in mind, 58 and after they had thrown him out of the city, they began to stone him to death. The witnesses left their coats with a young man named Saul.
59 While council members were executing Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, welcome my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” After he had said this, he died.
Acts 7
EasyEnglish Bible
Stephen speaks to the Jewish leaders
7 The most important priest said to Stephen, ‘These men are saying things against you. Are these things true?’
2 Stephen said, ‘Men of Israel, my friends and leaders. Listen to what I say. Our great God appeared to our ancestor, Abraham, when he was still living in Mesopotamia. This happened before he went to Haran. 3 God said to Abraham, “Leave your own country and your own family and go to a different country. I will show you where that will be.”[a]
4 So Abraham left his country where the Chaldean people lived. He went to Haran and he stayed there. While he was there, his father died. Then God said to him, “Leave this place.” God then sent him to live in Canaan. This is where we are living now.[b]
5 At that time, God did not give Abraham any part of Canaan for his own family. He did not give Abraham even a very small piece of ground. But God made a promise to Abraham. He said, “This land will become your own country. It will also be your descendants' country.” When God said this to him, Abraham did not yet have any children. 6 This is what God said to him: “Your descendants will live in a foreign country for 400 years. The people in that country will cause your descendants to be their slaves. They will be very cruel to them. 7 But I will punish those people who cause your descendants to work as slaves for them. After I have done that, your descendants will leave that country. They will come to this place and worship me here.” That is what God said to Abraham.[c]
8 Then God made an covenant with Abraham that his descendants would be his special people. God said, “You must circumcise all your baby boys.”
Later, Abraham became the father of Isaac. Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old. Then Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob himself had 12 sons. These sons became the 12 ancestors of the families of Israel.[d]
9 One of Jacob's sons was called Joseph. Jacob was more kind to Joseph than to his other sons. For this reason, Joseph's brothers did not like him. So one day they took Joseph and they sold him as a slave. The men that bought Joseph took him to Egypt. There he became the slave of an important man. All this time, God took care of Joseph. 10 God saved him from all his troubles and he helped him to live in a wise way. Because of that, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, liked Joseph. He saw that Joseph was very wise. So Pharaoh gave Joseph authority to rule Egypt and everyone in the king's own house.
11 Then there was a famine everywhere in Egypt and in Canaan. Everyone was very hungry and they suffered a lot. Our ancestors also had no food to eat. 12 Jacob heard news that Pharaoh had stored a lot of wheat in Egypt. So he sent his sons there to buy food from Pharaoh. This was the first time that they went to Egypt.
13 Later, Jacob sent his sons back to Egypt for a second time. This time, Joseph told his brothers who he really was. As a result, Pharaoh came to know about Joseph's family. 14 After this, Joseph sent a message to his father, that he should also come to Egypt with his whole family. At that time, there were 75 people in Jacob's family.
15 So Jacob went to Egypt with all his family. Jacob and his 12 sons, our ancestors, lived there until they died.[e]
16 When the people of Israel left Egypt, they carried with them the dead bodies of Joseph and his family. They took them back to Shechem and they buried them in a hole for dead people there. Abraham had bought that ground in Shechem from the family of a man called Hamor. He had paid Hamor the right money for it.’[f]
17 Stephen then said, ‘After many years, the time arrived for God to make his promise to Abraham become true. By this time, Jacob's family who still lived in Egypt had become very many. 18 Now, a different king ruled Egypt. This new king did not know anything about Joseph and what he had done. 19 He was very cruel to our ancestors and he caused them to suffer. When new babies were born, he said that our people must put them out of their homes. He said that because he wanted the babies to die.
20 It was at this time that Moses was born. He was a very beautiful baby. His parents took care of him for three months in their own home. 21 Then they had to put him outside. But Pharaoh's daughter found him and she took him to her home. She took care of him as if he was her own son.[g] 22 Moses had teachers who taught him all the wise things that the Egyptians knew. He learned how to speak well. He could also do powerful things.
23 When Moses was 40 years old, he went to see his own people, the people of Israel. 24 He saw that an Egyptian man was being cruel to one of the Israelite men. So he went to help the Israelite man. He killed the Egyptian man to punish him. 25 Moses thought that his own people would understand him. They would know that God was using him to save them. They would no longer be slaves to work for the Egyptians. But his people did not understand all this. 26 On the next day, Moses saw two Israelite men. They were fighting each other. He tried to make them become friends. He said to them, “Listen to me, men. You are both in the family of Israel. You should not hurt each other.”
27 The man who was being cruel to the other man pushed Moses away. He said to Moses, “You have no authority to rule us. You are not our judge. 28 I know that yesterday you killed an Egyptian man. So do you want to kill me too?”
29 When Moses heard this, he decided to run away. He went to the land of Midian and he lived there. He married a wife and they had two sons.
30 Moses lived in Midian for 40 years. Then, one day, he was in the wilderness near Sinai mountain. He saw a bush there that was burning. An angel appeared to him in the fire. 31 Moses was very surprised by what he saw. He went near to the bush so that he could see it better. Then he heard the Lord God speak to him from the bush. 32 God said, “I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Moses was very frightened. He was too afraid to look at the bush any more.
33 Then the Lord God said to Moses, “Remove your shoes from your feet, because you are standing in a very special place. This is my own place. 34 I have seen that the Egyptians are being cruel to my people. My people are crying with pain and I have heard them. Now I have come down to save them. So come here and listen to me. I will send you back to Egypt.” ’[h]
35 Then Stephen said, ‘Moses is the man that the people of Israel would not accept. They had said to him, “You have no authority to rule us. You are not our judge.” But God did send Moses to rule them. God himself sent Moses to save them from the Egyptians. God spoke to Moses through the angel that appeared to him in the bush. 36 So it was Moses who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. He did some powerful things before the people left Egypt. This showed that God was with him. He did more miracles at the Red Sea. Then he led the people through the wilderness for 40 years. He also did more miracles there.[i]
37 It was Moses who said to the people of Israel, “God will send you a prophet. He will be one of your own people. He will speak God's message as I have done.” 38 This is the same Moses who was leader of our people in the wilderness. He was there with our ancestors when the angel spoke to him on Sinai mountain. He received the message from God to give to us. Those words from God bring life to us.
39 But our ancestors would not obey Moses. They did not accept him as their leader. They wanted to go back to Egypt. 40 So the people said to Aaron, “Please make us some gods that we can carry in front of us. Yes, that man Moses brought us out of Egypt. But now we do not know what has happened to him.”[j]
41 It was then that the people made something that would be an idol for them. They made it from gold with the shape of a young bull. They killed some animals and they burned them as a gift for their idol. The people then had a big meal together because they were very happy. They thought that they had made something that was very good.[k]
42 But God turned away from his people. He let them do what they wanted to do. He let them worship the stars in the sky.
One of God's prophets wrote about this long ago:
“God said, ‘People of Israel, listen!
When you were in the wilderness for 40 years,
you brought sacrifices and gifts to me.
But you did not really worship me when you did that.
43 No. You carried with you the idol of the god called Molech.
You also carried an idol with the shape of a star,
to be like your god, Rephan.
These were the idols which you worshipped in the wilderness.
So now I will send you away from your own country.
You will go to live in places beyond Babylon.’ ”[l]
44 When our ancestors were in the wilderness, they carried a special tent with them.[m] It showed that God was there with them and that is where they worshipped him. God showed Moses how he should make that tent. The people made it in the way that God had said.
45 Later, our ancestors received that special tent for themselves. They brought it with them when they came with Joshua to live in this land. They took the land from the people who were living here. God chased out those people so that our ancestors could live there. The tent remained in this place until David became the king of Israel.[n]
46 God was happy with King David and he helped him very much. So David said to God, “May I build a special house where you can live among your people, the descendants of Jacob?” 47 But it was David's son, Solomon, who built a house for God.[o]
48 But we know that God does not live in a house that people have made. He is the powerful God who is over all. God's prophet Isaiah spoke these words:[p]
49 The Lord God says,
“Heaven is the seat where I sit to rule.
The earth is the place where I put my feet.
You could not build a house for me where I could live.
You could not make a place for me to rest there.
50 I am the one who has made all these things myself.” ’
51 Then Stephen said, ‘You people do not want to obey God! You do not want to listen to God's true message. You are the same as your ancestors. Like them, you always fight against what the Holy Spirit says. 52 Your ancestors did bad things to every prophet that God sent to them. They even killed the prophets who told them about the Righteous Man that God would send. Now you have given that Man to his enemies. You have made them kill him. 53 You are the people who received God's Law. God caused his angels to give that Law to your ancestors. But you have not obeyed it.’
The Jewish leaders kill Stephen
54 The group of Jewish leaders listened to Stephen. What he said made them very angry. They bit their teeth together because they were so angry. 55 But the Holy Spirit filled Stephen. He looked up to heaven and he saw the bright light of God's glory. He also saw Jesus, who was standing at the right side of God. 56 Stephen said, ‘Look! I can see into heaven itself. It is open! I can see the Son of Man and he is standing at the right side of God!’[q]
57 When the Jewish leaders heard this, they put their hands over their ears. Then they shouted very loudly at Stephen and they all ran towards him. 58 They took hold of Stephen and they pulled him out of the city. They removed their coats. They gave them to a young man to keep them safe. This young man was called Saul. Then they began to throw stones at Stephen to kill him.
59 While the men were throwing stones at him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, please receive my spirit as I die.’ 60 Then he fell down on his knees. He shouted, ‘Lord, please forgive these men. Do not punish them because they are doing this to me.’ After Stephen had said this, he died.
Footnotes
- 7:3 Abraham lived with his father in a city called Ur. Ur was in a country called Babylonia, which is now part of Iraq. Abraham moved with his father from Ur to live in Haran.
- 7:4 The land that God led Abraham to was called Canaan. This country is now called Israel. Jerusalem is the capital city.
- 7:7 We can read about God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. Abraham's descendants worked in Egypt for 400 years. Then Moses led them out of that country to the country which became Israel. Moses was standing on Sinai mountain when God spoke to him. We can read about this in Exodus 3.
- 7:8 Jacob is also sometimes called Israel. We can read the names of Jacob's 12 sons in Genesis 35:23-26.
- 7:15 The kings of the country of Egypt were always called Pharaoh. We can read the story of Joseph in Genesis 37—50.
- 7:16 Shechem was the place in Canaan where Jacob and his family had lived. Jacob and Joseph knew that one day their families would return to Shechem. So Jacob asked his family to take his dead body back to Shechem. We can read about this in Genesis 49:29-33. Much later, Joseph also asked his family to take his dead body back to Shechem. We can read about this in Genesis 50:25 and Joshua 24:32.
- 7:21 We can read this story about Moses in Exodus 2:1-10.
- 7:34 We can read this story about Moses in Exodus 3.
- 7:36 We can read about this in Exodus 7—17.
- 7:40 Aaron was the brother of Moses.
- 7:41 We can read about this in Exodus 32:1-6.
- 7:43 We can read this in Amos 5:25-27. Amos was speaking a message from God.
- 7:44 A tent is a house that someone made from cloth or animal skins. When people travel, they can carry it from one place to the next place. God told Moses how to make this special tent. It was called the tabernacle.
- 7:45 Many other people were already living in Canaan. But God had promised to give Canaan to the people of Israel. Joshua helped the people of Israel to fight the other people in Canaan. And God helped the people of Israel to win their battles. So the people who had lived there went away from Canaan.
- 7:47 God did not want David to build a house for him. But David brought together the materials to build it.
- 7:48 See Isaiah 66:1-2
- 7:56 The Son of Man is another name for Jesus. Jesus often called himself the Son of Man when he talked to people. Jesus was ready to receive Stephen into heaven.
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