Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Stephen makes answer to his accusation, rebukes the hard-necked Jews, and is stoned to death.

7 Then the chief priest said, Is it really so?

² And Stephen said, Men, brethren and fathers, hearken to: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was yet in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, ³ and said to him, Come out of the country and away from your kindred, and come into the land that I will show you.

⁴ Then he came out of the land of Chaldea, and dwelt in Haran. And after that, as soon as his father was dead, God brought him into this land, in which you now dwell. ⁵ And he gave him no inheritance in it, no not the breadth of a foot, but promised that he would give it to him to possess, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

⁶ God spoke in this way: that his seed would be a dweller in a strange land, and that they would keep them in bondage and ill-treat them for four hundred years. ⁷ But the nation to whom they will be in bondage, I will judge, said God. And after that, they will come forth and serve me in this place. ⁸ And he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. And Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ And the patriarchs, having indignation, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him, ¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his adversities, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household.

¹¹ Then there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers found no sustenance. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was wheat in Egypt, he sent our fathers a first time, ¹³ and then a second time, when Joseph made himself known to his brethren, and Joseph’s kindred was made known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then Joseph sent and caused his father to be brought, and all his kin: seventy-five souls. ¹⁵ And Jacob descended into Egypt. And he died, both he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and were carried back into Shechem, and were put in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for money from the sons of Hamor at Shechem.