Beginning
7 1 And the high priest said, “Do these things hold so?”
Stephen Defends Himself Before The Sanhedrin:
2 And the one said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen—
God Promised Abraham’s Descendants Would Inherit The Land
“The God of [a] glory appeared to our father Abraham while being in Mesopotamia, before he dwelled in Haran, 3 and said to him [in Gen 12:1], ‘Go out from your land and from your relatives, and come to the land which I will show you’. 4 Then having gone out from the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, He removed[b] him to this land in which you are now dwelling. 5 And He did not give him an inheritance in it, not even the step of a foot. And He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him— there not being a child for him! 6 But God spoke as follows [in Gen 15:13-14]: that his seed ‘will be a foreigner in a land belonging-to-another. And they will enslave it[c] and mistreat it for four-hundred years. 7 And I will judge the nation in whichever they will serve-as-slaves’, said God. ‘And after these things, they will come out and worship Me’ in this place. 8 And He gave him the covenant of circumcision.
Abraham’s Children Moved To Egypt During a Famine
“And so he fathered Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac, Jacob; and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, having become-jealous-of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. And God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And he appointed him to be ruling over Egypt, and over his whole house. 11 And a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and a great affliction. And our fathers were not finding food. 12 But Jacob, having heard-of grain being in Egypt, sent-forth our fathers first. 13 And during the second visit, Joseph was made-known-again to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. 14 And having sent-forth his brothers, Joseph summoned Jacob his father and all his relatives, amounting-to seventy five[d] souls. 15 And Jacob went down to Egypt. And he came-to-an-end[e], and our fathers. 16 And they were transferred to Shechem, and placed in the tomb which Abraham bought for a price of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
When The Time Came, God Raised Up Moses, Whom The People Rejected
17 “Now as the time of the promise which God declared to Abraham was drawing-near, our people grew and were multiplied in Egypt, 18 until which time another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. 19 This one, having dealt-shrewdly-with our nation[f], mistreated our fathers, so that he[g] caused their babies to be exposed[h] that they might not be kept-alive; 20 at which time Moses was born— and he was beautiful to God— who was brought-up for three months in the house of his father. 21 And he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and brought him up for herself for a son. 22 And Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. And he was powerful in his words and deeds. 23 And as a forty-year period was being fulfilled for him, it came-up[i] on his heart to visit[j] his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And having seen someone being wronged[k], he defended him, and executed vengeance for the one being oppressed, having struck the Egyptian. 25 Now he was thinking that his brothers were understanding that God was granting them deliverance by his hand. But the ones did not understand. 26 And on the following day, he appeared to them while they were fighting. And he was reconciling[l] them to peace, having said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you wronging one another?’ [Ex 2:13]. 27 But the one wronging his neighbor rejected him, having said, ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge over us? 28 You do not intend to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ [Ex 2:14]. 29 And Moses fled at this word. And he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons. 30 And forty years having been fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of fire of a bush. 31 And having seen it, Moses was marveling-at the sight. And while he was approaching to look-closely, the voice of the Lord came: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob’. And having become trembling, Moses was not daring to look-closely. 33 And the Lord said to him, ‘Untie the sandal from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground. 34 Having seen, I saw[m] the mistreatment of My people in Egypt, and I heard their groaning, and I came down to rescue them. And now, come, I will[n] send you forth to Egypt’.
This Moses Whom Israel Denied, God Sent To Be Both Ruler And Deliverer
35 “This Moses whom they denied, having said, ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge?’ [Ex 2:14]— this one God has sent-forth to be both ruler and deliverer[o], with[p] the hand of the angel having appeared to him in the bush. 36 This one led them out, having done wonders and signs in Egypt land, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
This Moses Said That God Would Raise Up a Prophet Like Him
37 “This one is the Moses having said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise-up a prophet like me for you from your brothers’ [Deut 18:15].
This Moses Brought Israel God’s Word, Which They Rejected
38 “This one is the one having been in the congregation in the wilderness, with the angel speaking to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living oracles[q] to give to us— 39 to whom our fathers were not willing to become obedient, but they rejected him and turned-away in their hearts to Egypt, 40 having said to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us. For this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what happened to him’ [Ex 32:1]. 41 And they made-a-calf in those days, and brought-up a sacrifice to the idol. And they were celebrating in the works of their hands.
So God Turned Away From Them And Handed Them Over To Idolatry
42 “And God turned-away, and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, just as it has been written in the book of the prophets [in Amos 5:25-27]: ‘House of Israel, you did not offer victims[r] and sacrifices to Me for forty years in the wilderness, did you? 43 Indeed you took-up the tabernacle of Moloch[s] and the star of your god Rephan[t]— the images which you made to give-worship to them. Indeed I will remove[u] you beyond Babylon!’
The Fathers Had The Tabernacle And The Temple. But God Does Not Dwell In Either
44 “The tabernacle of testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, just as the One speaking to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen; 45 which our fathers, having received-it-in-succession, also brought in with Joshua during the taking-possession of the nations whom God drove-out from the presence of our fathers— until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God. And he asked that he might find a dwelling-place[v] for the house of Jacob, 47 but Solomon built a house for Him. 48 But the Most-High does not dwell in things made-by-human-hands, just as the prophet says [in Isa 66:1-2]: 49 ‘The heaven is a throne for Me, and the earth is a footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘or what will be the place of My rest? 50 Did not My hand make all these things?’
You Always Resist God! Your Fathers Killed The Prophets, And You The Messiah
51 “Stiff-necked ones, and uncircumcised in your hearts and ears— you are always resisting[w] the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, you also[x] are doing. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed the ones having announced-beforehand about the coming of the righteous One, of Whom you now became[y] betrayers[z] and murderers— 53 you who received the Law by the directions[aa] of [ab] angels and did not keep it!”
Stephen Reports Seeing Jesus At The Right Hand of God. The Jews Stone Him To Death
54 And hearing these things, they were infuriated in their hearts, and were grinding their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked-intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right side of God. 56 And he said, “Behold— I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right side of God!” 57 And having cried-out with a loud voice, they held-shut their ears, and rushed against him with-one-accord. 58 And having driven him outside of the city, they were stoning him. And the witnesses laid-aside their garments at the feet of a young-man being called Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen while he was calling-upon Jesus and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. 60 And having put down his knees, he cried-out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not set this sin against them”. And having said this, he fell-asleep. 8 1 And Saul was giving-approval to his killing.
The Church Is Persecuted And Driven Out of Jerusalem
And a great persecution came about on that day against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed[ac] throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And reverent men carried-in Stephen [for burial], and made a loud lamentation over him. 3 And Saul was destroying[ad] the church. Entering from house to house, dragging-away both men and women, he was handing them over to prison. 4 So indeed, the ones having been dispersed went about announcing the word as good news.
Philip Proclaims Christ And Does Miracles In Samaria. Many Are Baptized, Including Simon
5 Now Philip, having gone down to the city[ae] of Samaria, was proclaiming the Christ to them. 6 And the crowds were with-one-accord paying-attention-to[af] the things being said by Philip, during their hearing and seeing the signs which he was doing. 7 For many of the ones having unclean spirits— they were coming out while shouting with a loud voice. And many paralyzed ones and lame ones were cured. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 9 Now a certain man, Simon by name, was-previously in the city practicing-magic and astonishing the nation of Samaria, saying that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all, from the small up to the great, were paying attention, saying, “This one is the Power[ag] of God being called ‘Great’”. 11 And they were paying attention to him because he had astonished them for a considerable time with the magic-arts. 12 And when they believed Philip announcing-the-good-news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized— both men and women. 13 Now Simon himself also believed. And having been baptized, he was attaching-himself to Philip. He was astonished, seeing both signs and great miracles taking place.
Peter and John Come So The Samaritans Might Receive The Holy Spirit
14 And the apostles in Jerusalem, having heard that “Samaria has accepted the word of God”, sent-forth Peter and John to them— 15 who, having come down, prayed for them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they were laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. 18 Now Simon, having seen that the Spirit was given through the laying-on of the hands of the apostles, offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me also, so-that on whomever I lay on my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit”. 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver be with you for destruction, because you thought to acquire the gift of God with money. 21 There is no part nor share for you in this matter. For your heart is not straight before God. 22 Therefore repent from this evilness of yours, and pray to the Lord, if perhaps[ah] the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. 23 For I see you being in the gall[ai] of [aj] bitterness and the bond[ak] of [al] unrighteousness”. 24 And having responded, Simon said, “You[am] two pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing of the things which you have spoken may come upon me”. 25 So indeed the ones— having solemnly-testified, and having spoken the word of the Lord— were returning to Jerusalem and announcing-the-good-news-to many villages of the Samaritans.
An Angel Sends Philip Down The Road To an Ethiopian Eunuch Reading Isaiah
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Arise and go toward the south[an] on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza”. This[ao] is a wilderness [road]. 27 And having arisen, he proceeded. And behold— there was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch[ap], a court-official of Candace[aq] (queen of the Ethiopians), who was over all her treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and was returning, and sitting on his chariot[ar]. And he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot”. 30 And having run up, Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you indeed understand the things which you are reading?” 31 And the one said, “How indeed might I be able, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip to sit with him, having come up.
Philip Explains That Isaiah 53 Refers To Jesus
32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughter. And as a lamb before the one having sheared it is silent, so He does not open His mouth. 33 In His humiliation, His justice[as] was taken-away. Who will describe[at] His generation[au]? Because His life is taken-away from the earth” [Isa 53:7-8]. 34 And having responded, the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, about whom is the prophet saying this— about himself or about some other?” 35 And Philip— having opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture— announced Jesus as good news to him.
The Man Believes And Is Baptized, And Continues Home Rejoicing
36 And as they were proceeding along the road, they came upon some water. And the eunuch says, “Behold— water. What is preventing me from being baptized?” 37 [av] 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop. And they both went down into[aw] the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out-of [ax] the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. And the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he was going his way rejoicing.
Philip Continues Announcing The Good News In Other Cities
40 And Philip was found at Azotus. And while going through, he was announcing-the-good-news-to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing