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Apostlenes-gjerninge 7
En Levende Bok

Stefanus sin forsvarstale

7 Øverstepresten spurte Stefanus: ”Er disse anklagene sanne?”

2 Stefanus svarte: ”Kjære brødre og ledere i folket vårt! Hør etter det jeg vil si! Vår mektige og vidunderlige Gud viste seg for vår stamfar Abraham, da han bodde i Mesopotamia før han hadde flyttet til Karan.[a] 3 Gud sa til ham: ’Gå ut fra ditt land og dine slektninger og gå til det landet som jeg skal lede deg til.’[b] 4 Derfor flyttet Abraham fra landet til kaldeerne og bosatte seg i Karan. Der bodde han til faren hans var død. Siden førte Gud ham videre til det landet der dere nå bor. 5 Gud ga ham ingen jord, ikke et eneste lite område, men han lovet at hele landet til slutt skulle tilhøre Abraham og etterkommerne hans. Dette til tross for at Abraham på den tiden ikke hadde noen barn.

6 Gud sa også til ham at etterkommerne hans skulle bo i et fremmed land og bli slaver og være undertrykket i 400 år. 7 ’Men jeg skal straffe det folket som gjør dem til slaver’, sa Gud, ’og etter dette skal de forlate det fremmede landet og tilbe meg på dette stedet.’[c]

8 Gud ga Abraham instruksjoner om at alle gutter i hver familie skulle bli omskåret. Det var et tegn på at de aksepterte den pakten Gud hadde inngått med Abraham. Da Abraham sin sønn som het Isak, var født, ble han omskåret på den åttende dagen. Isak ble seinere far til Jakob[d], og Jakob ble far til de tolv sønnene som bli regnet som våre stamfedre. 9 Disse stamfedrene, altså sønnene til Jakob, var misunnelige på broren sin som het Josef. De solgte Josef som slave til Egypt, men Gud var med ham. 10 Først reddet han Josef ut av alle vanskelighetene og lot ham bli en høyt aktet og mektig medarbeider hos farao som var konge i Egypt. Deretter ga Gud Josef en slik visdom at farao utnevnte ham til å styre hele Egypt og ta hånd om den kongelige forvaltningen.

11 Etter et tid ble det sultekatastrofer og store lidelser i Egypt og Kanaan, der forfedrene våre bodde. Folket vårt manglet mat. 12 Da fikk Jakob høre at det fortsatt var såkorn i Egypt. Derfor sendte han sine sønner dit for å kjøpe såkorn, først en gang og så en gang til. 13 På den andre reisen til Egypt avslørte Josef for dem hvem han var, og brødrene ble presentert for farao. 14 Noe seinere sendte Josef bud etter faren sin Jakob og hele slekten hans for at de skulle komme til Egypt. Til sammen var de 75 personer. 15 Så kom Jakob til Egypt og ble der til han døde, både han og sønnene hans. 16 Kroppene deres ble ført til Sikem og ble begravd i den graven som Abraham kjøpte av Hemors sønner.

17 Nå nærmet det seg den tiden da Gud skulle innfri løftet sitt til Abraham. Folket vårt hadde vokst kraftig og blitt et stort folk i Egypt. 18 Men på denne tiden fikk Egypt en ny konge, en som ikke kjente til Josef.[e] 19 Denne kongen var grusom mot folket vårt og forsøkte ved list å kvitte seg med alle gjennom å tvinge forfedrene våre til å sette ut sine nyfødte barn, slik at de skulle dø.

20 I denne tiden ble Moses født. Han var et uvanlig vakkert barn. Foreldrene hans skjulte ham hjemme i tre måneder. 21 Til slutt ble han for stor til å gjemme bort. De ble tvunget til å sette ham ut. Da ble han funnet av datteren til farao. Hun adopterte gutten som sin egen sønn. 22 Moses fikk den beste utdannelsen noen kunne få i Egypt. Han var handlekraftig og snakket med stor myndighet.

23 Da Moses var 40 år, begynte han å gruble over sine røtter og ville lete opp sitt eget folk, israelittene[f], for å hjelpe dem. 24 Ved et besøk han gjorde blant sine, fikk han se en egypter som mishandlet en israelitt. Han skyndte seg og kom israelitten til hjelp og hevnet seg ved å drepe egypteren. 25 Moses trodde at folket skulle forstå at Gud hadde sendt ham for å sette alle fri, men det gjorde de ikke.

26 Neste dag fikk han øye på to israelitter som hadde røket opp i slagsmål. Han forsøkte å mekle mellom dem og sa: ’Dere er jo brødre! Hvorfor vil dere skade hverandre?’ 27 Men de som hadde startet slagsmålet, dyttet Moses unna og spurte: ’Hvem har satt deg til leder og dommer over oss? 28 Tenker du å drepe meg som du drepte egypteren i går?’[g] 29 Da Moses hørte at det han hadde gjort, var kjent, flyktet han fra Egypt og levde som fremmed i landet Midjan. Der ble han far til to sønner.

30 Da han 40 år seinere oppholdt seg i ørkenen, nær fjellet Sinai, viste en engel seg for ham i en brennende tornebusk. 31 Moses ble svært forbauset over det han så, og da han gikk nærmere for å undersøke hva det var, ropte Herren til ham: 32 ’Jeg er dine forfedres Gud, Abrahams, Isaks og Jakobs Gud.’ Da skalv Moses av frykt og våget ikke å se opp. 33 Herren sa til ham: ’Ta av deg sandalene, for du står på hellig jord. 34 Jeg har sett lidelsene som mitt folk treller under i Egypt og hørt ropene deres. Nå har jeg kommet for å sette dem fri, og jeg sender deg tilbake til Egypt.’[h]

35 Gud sendte altså tilbake den samme mannen, som folket før hadde avvist med ordene: ’Hvem har satt deg til leder og dommer over oss?’. Gjennom engelen som viste seg i tornebusken, ble han valgt ut til leder og redningsmann. 36 Moses fikk ved hjelp av mirakler og tegn lede folket ut av Egypt, gjennom Rødehavet og ørkenen i 40 år.

37 Det var Moses som bar fram Guds budskap til israelittene og sa: ’Gud skal la en profet lik meg stå opp for dere av deres eget folk.’[i] 38 Det var også Moses som fikk snakke med en engel på fjellet Sinai og formidle engelen sitt budskap til folket da de var i ørkenen. Han fikk ta imot Guds lov, budskapet som gir liv,[j] og overgi det til oss.

39 Men forfedrene våre satte seg opp mot Moses og ville vende tilbake til Egypt. 40 De sa til Aron, som var bror til Moses: ’Lag guder til oss som kan lede oss, for denne Moses som førte oss ut av Egypt, ser ut til å ha forsvunnet.’[k] 41 Så laget de en avgud i form av en kalv og ofret til den, glade over det de selv hadde skapt i menneskelig klokskap. 42 Da ga Gud opp folket og lot dem tjene solen, månen og stjernene som sine guder! I profetene sin bok[l] sier Gud:

’Var det meg dere ofret til i de 40 årene i ørkenen, dere Israels folk?
43     Nei, dere drasset omkring på avgudene deres,
teltet til Molok og stjernen til Romfa,
    bilder som dere selv gjorde for å kunne tilbe.
Derfor skal jeg fordrive dere til et land bortenfor Babylon.’[m]

44 På reisen gjennom ørkenen hadde forfedrene våre med seg vitnesbyrdets telt[n]. Teltet var laget nøyaktig etter det forbilde som Gud hadde vist Moses. 45 Det gikk siden i arv til forfedrene våre. Da Josva erobret landet fra folkene som Gud drev bort, tok de med seg teltet inn i det nye landet. Det ble siden brukt helt til kong Davids tid.

46 Gud hadde i sin godhet valgt ut David til å tjene ham, og David ba om å få bygge et tempel for Israels Gud, 47 Det ble sønnen hans Salomo som fikk gjøre det. 48 Likevel bor ikke den Høyeste i bygninger som menneskene har laget. Gud sier jo i profeten Jesaja:

49 ’Himmelen er min trone,
    og jorden er min foteskammel.
Kan du bygge et tempel til meg som er bedre enn dette?
sier Herren.
Kan du gi meg et sted der jeg kan bo?
50     Jeg har jo skapt både himmelen og jorden.’[o]

51 Dere gjenstridige skapninger, som nekter å høre på det Gud sier. Dere er som de verste gudsfornektere! Alltid gjør dere motstand mot Guds Hellige Ånd, akkurat som forfedre deres gjorde. 52 Si meg navnet på en eneste profet som bar fram Guds budskap og ikke ble forfulgt av forfedrene deres. De drepte til og med dem som forutsa at den Rettferdige[p] skulle komme, han som dere nå har forrådt og myrdet. 53 Dere var med vilje og vitende ulydige mot Moseloven[q], til tross for at dere fikk den overrakt fra englenes hender.”

Stefanus bli steinet

54 Da de religiøse lederne hørte dette, ble de så rasende på Stefanus at de freste av sinne[r]. 55 Stefanus, som var fylt av Guds Hellige Ånd, så opp mot himmelen og fikk se Guds herlighet og Jesus som sto ved Guds høyre hånd.[s] 56 Stefanus sa: ”Jeg ser himmelen åpen og Jesus, Menneskesønnen[t], stå ved Guds høyre hånd!”

57 Da skrek de høyt og holdt seg for ørene. Så kastet de seg over Stefanus. 58 De slepte ham ut av byen for å steine ham. De som anklaget ham, vrengte av seg kappene sine og la dem foran føttene på en ung mann som het Saulus[u].

59 Mens steinene haglet over Stefanus, ba han: ”Herre Jesus, ta imot min Ånd.” 60 Så falt han på kne og ropte: ”Herre, du må ikke anklage dem for denne synden!” Med disse ordene hengende i luften drepe de ham.

Footnotes

  1. 7:2 Mesopotamia tilsvarte omtrent Irak i vår tid. Karan var en by som lå i nåværende Syria.
  2. 7:3 Se Første Mosebok 12:1.
  3. 7:7 Se Første Mosebok 12:7 og 15:13-14 og Andre Mosebok 3:12.
  4. 7:8 Jakob ble kalt også Israel. Se Første Mosebok 32:27-28.
  5. 7:18 Se Andre Mosebok 1:8.
  6. 7:23 Israelitter er et annet navn på jødene. Israelitt betyr etterkommere til Israel. Han hadde en sønn som het Juda, og som har gitt navn til jødene.
  7. 7:28 Se Andre Mosebok 2:14.
  8. 7:34 Se Andre Mosebok 3:5-10.
  9. 7:37 Se Femte Mosebok 18:15.
  10. 7:38 Han fikk ta imot Moseloven, eller den jødiske loven, som finnes skrevet ned i Første til Femte Mosebok.
  11. 7:40 Se Andre Mosebok 32:1.
  12. 7:42 Profetenes bok er en av delene i den jødiske Skriften, det vil si Bibelens første del, den som vi kaller Det gamle testamente. De to andre delene dere Moseloven og salmene.
  13. 7:43 Se Amos 5:25-27. Stefanus siterer den greske oversettelsen av Bibelens første del, den som vi kaller Det gamle testamente. Men den har byttet ut Damaskus mot Babylon.
  14. 7:44 Før Israels folk hadde bygget et virkelig tempel, anvendte de et telt. I det innerste rommet, som ble kalt ”Det aller helligste”, ble det oppbevart en gullkiste, som ble kalt arken. I kisten lå paktstegnet, det vil si steintavlene med de ti budene.
  15. 7:50 Se Jesaja 66:1-2.
  16. 7:52 Stefanus taler om Jesus.
  17. 7:53 Moseloven, eller den jødiske loven, finnes skrevet ned i Første til Femte Mosebok.
  18. 7:54 På gresk: skar tenner mot ham.
  19. 7:55 Den som står på Guds høyre side, deler hans makt og regjerer sammen med ham.
  20. 7:56 ”Menneskesønnen” er et hebraisk ord for å si ”av mennesker”. Det var en tittel på Messias, den lovede kongen, hentet fra Daniel 7:13-14.
  21. 7:58 Saulus ble senere kjent under sitt latinske navn Paulus.
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Actes 7
La Bible du Semeur

7 Le grand-prêtre lui demanda : Reconnais-tu les faits qui te sont reprochés ?

2 Etienne dit alors :

Chers frères et pères de notre peuple, écoutez-moi : le Dieu glorieux apparut jadis à notre ancêtre Abraham, quand il vivait encore en Mésopotamie, avant de s’établir à Harân, 3 et il lui dit : Quitte ton pays et ta parenté, et va dans le pays que je t’indiquerai[a]. 4 C’est ainsi qu’Abraham quitta la Chaldée et vint se fixer à Harân. De là, après la mort de son père, Dieu le fit venir dans le pays où vous habitez actuellement. 5 Pourtant, il ne lui donna ici aucune propriété, pas même un mètre carré de terre. Mais il lui promit de lui donner le pays tout entier, à lui et à ses descendants après lui, alors qu’à cette époque il n’avait pas encore d’enfant[b].

6 Et Dieu lui parla ainsi :

Tes descendants séjourneront dans une terre étrangère, ils y seront réduits en esclavage et on les maltraitera pendant quatre cents ans. 7 Mais, ajouta Dieu, j’exécuterai mon jugement contre la nation qui en aura fait ses esclaves. Après cela, ils quitteront le pays étranger et viendront ici même, dans ce pays, pour me rendre un culte[c].

8 Puis Dieu conclut son alliance avec Abraham et lui en donna pour signe la circoncision. Ainsi il eut pour fils Isaac et le circoncit huit jours après sa naissance. Isaac fit de même pour son fils Jacob, et celui-ci, à son tour, pour ses fils, les douze ancêtres de nos tribus[d].

9 Or, les fils de Jacob, poussés par la jalousie, vendirent leur frère Joseph, pour qu’il fût emmené comme esclave en Egypte. Mais Dieu était avec lui. 10 Il le délivra de toutes ses épreuves et, dans sa grâce, il lui donna la sagesse nécessaire devant le pharaon, roi d’Egypte, si bien qu’il fut nommé gouverneur du pays et de toute la maison royale. 11 Alors survint une grande famine dans toute l’Egypte et en Canaan. Ce fut un temps de grande misère. Nos ancêtres ne trouvaient plus de quoi manger.

12 Quand Jacob apprit qu’il y avait du blé en Egypte, il y envoya une première fois ses fils, nos ancêtres. 13 Lors de leur second voyage en Egypte, Joseph se fit reconnaître par ses frères, et le pharaon apprit quelle était l’origine de Joseph. 14 Puis Joseph envoya chercher son père Jacob et toute sa parenté qui comprenait soixante-quinze personnes. 15 Jacob descendit en Egypte ; il y finit ses jours, de même que nos ancêtres. 16 Leurs corps furent ramenés à Sichem, et déposés dans le tombeau qu’Abraham avait acheté pour une certaine somme d’argent aux fils d’Hamor à Sichem. 17 Le moment approchait où Dieu allait accomplir la promesse qu’il avait faite à Abraham : notre peuple s’était multiplié et les Israélites étaient devenus de plus en plus nombreux en Egypte. 18 C’est alors qu’un nouveau roi, qui n’avait pas connu Joseph, monta sur le trône d’Egypte[e]. 19 Il exploita notre peuple de manière perfide et opprima nos ancêtres, jusqu’à les obliger à abandonner leurs nouveau-nés pour qu’ils ne survivent pas.

20 A cette époque naquit Moïse, qui avait la faveur de Dieu[f]. Pendant trois mois, il fut élevé dans la maison de son père. 21 Lorsque finalement ses parents durent l’abandonner, il fut recueilli par la fille du pharaon qui l’éleva comme son propre fils. 22 C’est ainsi que Moïse fut instruit dans toute la science des Egyptiens et qu’il devint un homme dont la parole et les actions avaient des effets remarquables.

23 A l’âge de quarante ans, il voulut venir en aide à ses frères, les Israélites. 24 Voyant que l’on maltraitait l’un d’eux, il prit sa défense, et, pour le venger, tua l’Egyptien qui le maltraitait. 25 Il pensait que ses frères comprendraient que Dieu voulait se servir de lui pour les libérer. Mais ils ne le comprirent pas.

26 Le lendemain, il vit deux d’entre eux se battre. Il s’interposa et essaya de réconcilier les adversaires.

– Mes amis, leur dit-il, vous êtes des frères ! Pourquoi, alors, vous faites-vous du mal ?

27 Mais celui qui maltraitait son compagnon le repoussa en disant : Qui t’a établi chef et juge sur nous ? 28 Voudrais-tu par hasard aussi me tuer, comme tu as tué hier l’Egyptien[g]?

29 Quand Moïse entendit cela, il prit la fuite et alla vivre dans le pays de Madian où il eut deux fils.

30 Quarante années plus tard, un ange lui apparut dans le désert du mont Sinaï, au milieu de la flamme d’un buisson en feu[h]. 31 Saisi d’étonnement à cette vision, Moïse s’approchait pour le considérer de plus près, quand la voix du Seigneur se fit entendre : 32 Je suis le Dieu de tes ancêtres, le Dieu d’Abraham, d’Isaac et de Jacob[i].

Tout tremblant, Moïse n’osait pas lever les yeux. 33 Le Seigneur lui dit :

Ote tes sandales, car le lieu où tu te tiens est un lieu saint[j] . 34 J’ai vu la souffrance de mon peuple en Egypte. J’ai entendu ses gémissements et je suis descendu pour le délivrer. Et maintenant, viens : je t’envoie en Egypte[k].

35 Ainsi ce Moïse que ses frères avaient repoussé en lui disant : Qui t’a établi chef et juge sur nous[l]?, c’est lui que Dieu a envoyé comme chef et libérateur du peuple avec l’aide de l’ange qui lui était apparu dans le buisson. 36 C’est lui qui les fit sortir d’Egypte en accomplissant des prodiges et des signes miraculeux dans ce pays, puis lors de la traversée de la mer Rouge[m] et, pendant quarante ans, dans le désert.

37 Ce fut encore lui qui dit aux Israélites : Dieu suscitera pour vous, du milieu de vos compatriotes, un prophète qui sera comme moi[n].

38 Lorsque le peuple était rassemblé au désert, c’est encore lui qui servit d’intermédiaire entre l’ange qui lui parlait sur le mont Sinaï et nos ancêtres. Il reçut de Dieu des paroles de vie pour nous les transmettre.

39 Nos ancêtres refusèrent de lui obéir. Bien plus : ils le repoussèrent et se laissèrent gagner par le désir de retourner en Egypte. 40 Ils vinrent demander à Aaron : Fais-nous des dieux qui marchent à notre tête, car ce Moïse qui nous a fait sortir d’Egypte, nous ne savons pas ce qui lui est arrivé[o].

41 Ils façonnèrent alors un veau, ils offrirent un sacrifice à cette idole, et ils célébrèrent de joyeuses fêtes en l’honneur de ce qu’ils avaient fabriqué de leurs mains.

42 Dieu se détourna d’eux et les abandonna à l’idolâtrie et au culte des astres du ciel. C’est bien ce qui est écrit dans le livre des prophètes :

Est-ce à moi que vous avez présenté ╵des sacrifices et des offrandes,
pendant les quarante ans ╵de votre séjour au désert, ╵vous, peuple d’Israël ?
43 Non, vous avez porté ╵la tente de Molok[p]
et l’astre de votre dieu Rompha,
idoles que vous avez fabriquées ╵pour vous prosterner devant elles.
C’est pourquoi je vous déporterai ╵au-delà de Babylone[q].

44 Au désert, nos ancêtres avaient avec eux la tente qui contenait le traité de l’alliance et que Dieu avait ordonné à Moïse de construire d’après le modèle qu’il lui avait montré. 45 Cette tente a été confiée à la génération suivante de nos ancêtres. Ils l’emmenèrent avec eux quand ils conquirent, sous la conduite de Josué, le pays où se trouvaient les peuplades que Dieu chassa devant eux. Elle y demeura jusqu’au temps de David.

46 Celui-ci obtint la faveur de Dieu et demanda de pouvoir donner une demeure au Dieu de Jacob. 47 Mais ce fut Salomon qui bâtit le Temple. 48 Cependant, le Dieu très-haut n’habite pas dans des édifices construits par des mains humaines. C’est ce que dit le prophète :

49 Mon trône, c’est le ciel,
et mon marchepied, c’est la terre.
Quelle est donc la maison ╵que vous me bâtirez, ╵dit le Seigneur,
quelle demeure ╵pour mon lieu de repos ?
50 Toutes ces choses, ╵n’est-ce pas moi qui les ai faites[r]?

51 O vous hommes obstinés qui, comme de véritables incirconcis, gardez votre cœur et vos oreilles fermés, vous résistez toujours à l’Esprit Saint ! 52 Vous ressemblez bien à vos ancêtres ! Y a-t-il un seul prophète que vos ancêtres n’aient pas persécuté ? Ils ont tué ceux qui annonçaient la venue du seul Juste. Et vous, maintenant, vous l’avez trahi et assassiné ! 53 Oui, vous avez bien reçu la Loi de Dieu par l’intermédiaire des anges, mais vous ne l’avez jamais observée…

L’exécution d’Etienne

54 A ces mots, ceux qui siégeaient au Grand-Conseil devinrent fous de rage : ils grinçaient des dents contre Etienne. 55 Mais lui, rempli du Saint-Esprit, leva les yeux au ciel et vit la gloire de Dieu, et Jésus debout à la droite de Dieu. Alors, il s’écria : 56 Ecoutez : je vois le ciel ouvert et le Fils de l’homme debout à la droite de Dieu.

57 A ces mots, ils se mirent à vociférer et à se boucher les oreilles. D’un même élan, ils se ruèrent sur lui, 58 le traînèrent hors de la ville et le lapidèrent. Les témoins avaient déposé leurs vêtements aux pieds d’un jeune homme nommé Saul.

59 Pendant qu’ils jetaient des pierres sur lui, Etienne priait ainsi : Seigneur Jésus, reçois mon esprit !

60 Puis il tomba à genoux et, de toutes ses forces, lança un dernier cri : Seigneur, ne leur demande pas compte de ce péché !

Après avoir dit ces mots, il expira.

Footnotes

  1. 7.3 Gn 12.1.
  2. 7.5 Gn 17.8.
  3. 7.7 Gn 15.13-14.
  4. 7.8 Voir note 2.29.
  5. 7.18 Ex 1.8.
  6. 7.20 Autre traduction : qui était extrêmement beau.
  7. 7.28 Ex 2.14.
  8. 7.30 Ex 3.2.
  9. 7.32 Ex 3.6.
  10. 7.33 Ex 3.5.
  11. 7.34 Ex 3.7, 8, 10.
  12. 7.35 Ex 2.14.
  13. 7.36 Expression traduite du grec, désignant la mer des Roseaux.
  14. 7.37 Dt 18.15.
  15. 7.40 Ex 32.1, 23.
  16. 7.43 Molok: divinité adorée par les Ammonites. Rompha: ancienne divinité païenne représentant la planète Saturne.
  17. 7.43 Am 5.25-27 cité selon l’ancienne version grecque.
  18. 7.50 Es 66.1-2.
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Acts 7
New King James Version

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

7 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2 And he said, (A)“Brethren and fathers, listen: The (B)God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in (C)Haran, 3 and said to him, (D)‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ 4 Then (E)he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was (F)dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, (G)He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: (H)that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into (I)bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 (J)‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will (K)judge,’ said God, (L)‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ 8 (M)Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; (N)and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; (O)and Isaac begot Jacob, and (P)Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.

The Patriarchs in Egypt

9 (Q)“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, (R)sold Joseph into Egypt. (S)But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, (T)and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 (U)Now a famine and great [a]trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 (V)But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the (W)second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. 14 (X)Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and (Y)all his relatives to him, [b]seventy-five people. 15 (Z)So Jacob went down to Egypt; (AA)and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And (AB)they were carried back to Shechem and laid in (AC)the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

God Delivers Israel by Moses

17 “But when (AD)the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, (AE)the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king (AF)arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, (AG)making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 (AH)At this time Moses was born, and (AI)was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But (AJ)when he was set out, (AK)Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was (AL)mighty in words and deeds.

23 (AM)“Now when he was 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 and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, (AN)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 (AO)Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he (AP)had two sons.

30 (AQ)“And when forty years had passed, an Angel [c]of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, 32 saying, (AR)‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 (AS)‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have surely (AT)seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will (AU)send you to Egypt.” ’

35 “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, (AV)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer (AW)by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 (AX)He brought them out, after he had (AY)shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, (AZ)and in the Red Sea, (BA)and in the wilderness forty years.

Israel Rebels Against God

37 “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, (BB)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. (BC)Him[d] you shall hear.’

38 (BD)“This is he who was in the [e]congregation in the wilderness with (BE)the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, (BF)the one who received the living (BG)oracles[f] to give to us, 39 whom our fathers (BH)would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 (BI)saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 (BJ)And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and (BK)rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then (BL)God turned and gave them up to worship (BM)the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:

(BN)‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And (BO)I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’

God’s True Tabernacle

44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses (BP)to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 (BQ)which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, (BR)whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the (BS)days of David, 46 (BT)who found favor before God and (BU)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 (BV)But Solomon built Him a house.

48 “However, (BW)the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49 ‘Heaven(BX) is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not (BY)made all these things?’

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

51 “You (BZ)stiff-necked[g] and (CA)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 (CB)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of (CC)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 (CD)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

54 (CE)When they heard these things they were [h]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, (CF)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the (CG)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! (CH)I see the heavens opened and the (CI)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And (CJ)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, (CK)receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, (CL)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:11 affliction
  2. Acts 7:14 Or seventy, Ex. 1:5
  3. Acts 7:30 NU omits of the Lord
  4. Acts 7:37 NU, M omit Him you shall hear
  5. Acts 7:38 Gr. ekklesia, assembly or church
  6. Acts 7:38 sayings
  7. Acts 7:51 stubborn
  8. Acts 7:54 furious
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Acts 7
New International Version

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

7 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers,(A) listen to me! The God of glory(B) appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.(C) 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’[a](D)

4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.(E) 5 He gave him no inheritance here,(F) not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land,(G) even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.(H) 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’[b](I) 8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.(J) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.(K) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,(L) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.(M)

9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,(N) they sold him as a slave into Egypt.(O) But God was with him(P) 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.(Q)

11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.(R) 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.(S) 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was,(T) and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.(U) 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family,(V) seventy-five in all.(W) 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.(X) 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.(Y)

17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.(Z) 18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’[c](AA) 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.(AB)

20 “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.[d] For three months he was cared for by his family.(AC) 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.(AD) 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians(AE) and was powerful in speech and action.

23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?(AF) 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’[e] 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.(AG)

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:(AH) 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers,(AI) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’[f] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.(AJ)

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.(AK) 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’[g](AL)

35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’(AM) He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out of Egypt(AN) and performed wonders and signs(AO) in Egypt, at the Red Sea(AP) and for forty years in the wilderness.(AQ)

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’[h](AR) 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel(AS) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;(AT) and he received living words(AU) to pass on to us.(AV)

39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(AW) 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’[i](AX) 41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.(AY) 42 But God turned away from them(AZ) and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.(BA) This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile’[j](BB) beyond Babylon.

44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law(BC) with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.(BD) 45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them.(BE) It remained in the land until the time of David,(BF) 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[k](BG) 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.(BH)

48 “However, the Most High(BI) does not live in houses made by human hands.(BJ) As the prophet says:

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.(BK)
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
    Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?’[l](BL)

51 “You stiff-necked people!(BM) Your hearts(BN) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(BO) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(BP)— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(BQ) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(BR) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(BS) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(BT) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(BU) and the Son of Man(BV) standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(BW) and began to stone him.(BX) Meanwhile, the witnesses(BY) laid their coats(BZ) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(CA)

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(CB) 60 Then he fell on his knees(CC) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(CD) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(CE)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:3 Gen. 12:1
  2. Acts 7:7 Gen. 15:13,14
  3. Acts 7:18 Exodus 1:8
  4. Acts 7:20 Or was fair in the sight of God
  5. Acts 7:28 Exodus 2:14
  6. Acts 7:32 Exodus 3:6
  7. Acts 7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10
  8. Acts 7:37 Deut. 18:15
  9. Acts 7:40 Exodus 32:1
  10. Acts 7:43 Amos 5:25-27 (see Septuagint)
  11. Acts 7:46 Some early manuscripts the house of Jacob
  12. Acts 7:50 Isaiah 66:1,2
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