²³ But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us.

¹⁸ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

22 “Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.”

² This 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.^[a]

²³ The old man stepped outside to talk to them. “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful.

¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

⁴⁹ and said, “We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing! ⁵⁰ So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the Lord from our share of the plunder—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the Lord and make us right with him.^[a]”

⁵¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders—all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects. ⁵² In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift to the Lord weighed about 420 pounds.^{[b] 53} All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves. ⁵⁴ So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle^[c] as a reminder to the Lord that the people of Israel belong to him.