Acts 7

Stephen’s Defense

1The high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2And he said, “Hear me, 1brethren and fathers! 2The God of glory 3appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in 4Haran, 3and said to him, ‘5Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 46Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in 7Haran. 8From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, 9He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6But 10God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would 11be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7‘And whatever nation to which they will be in bondage I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and 12after that they will come out and 13serve Me in this place.’ 8And He 14gave him 15the covenant of circumcision; and so 16Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and 17Isaac became the father of Jacob, and 18Jacob of the twelve 19patriarchs.

9“The patriarchs 20became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his afflictions, and 21granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

11“Now 22a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers 23could find no food. 12But 24when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13On the second visit 25Joseph 26made himself known to his brothers, and 27Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14Then 28Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, 29seventy-five 3031persons in all. 15And 32Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16From there they were removed to 3334Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of 35Hamor in 36Shechem.

17“But as the 37time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, 38the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18until 39there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 19It was he who took 40shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would 4142expose their infants and they would not survive. 20It was at this time that 43Moses was born; and he was lovely 44in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21And after he had been set outside, 45Pharaoh’s daughter 46took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22Moses was educated in all 47the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23But when he was approaching the age of forty, 48it entered his 49mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them 50deliverance 51through him, but they did not understand. 2652On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ 27But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘53Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 2854You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 29At this remark, 55Moses fled and became an alien in the land of 56Midian, where he 57became the father of two sons.

30“After forty years had passed, 58an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. 31When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 32‘59I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. 3360But the Lord said to him, ‘61Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 3462I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; 6364come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

35“This Moses whom they 65disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God 66sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the 67help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 3668This man led them out, performing 69wonders and 70signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the 71wilderness for forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘72God will raise up for you a prophet 73like me from your brethren.’ 38This is the one who was in 74the 75congregation in the wilderness together with 76the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received 77living 78oracles to pass on to you. 39Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but 79repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 4080saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods 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.’ 4181At that time 82they made a 83calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in 84the works of their hands. 42But God 85turned away and delivered them up to 86serve the 87host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘88It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices 89forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? 4390You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god 91Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

44“Our fathers had 92the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it 93according to the pattern which he had seen. 45And having received it in their turn, our fathers 94brought it in with 95Joshua upon dispossessing the 96nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 4697David found favor in God’s sight, and 98asked that he might find a dwelling place for the 99God of Jacob. 47But it was 100Solomon who built a house for Him. 48However, 101the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:49‘102Heaven is My throne, And earth is the footstool of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for My repose?50103Was it not My hand which made all these things?’

51“You men who are 104stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52105Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of 106the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers 107you have now become; 53you who received the law as 108ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Stephen Put to Death

54Now when they heard this, they were 109cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55But being 110full of the Holy Spirit, he 111gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing 112at the right hand of God; 56and he said, “Behold, I see the 113heavens opened up and 114the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58When they had 115driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and 116the witnesses 117laid aside their robes at the feet of 118a young man named Saul. 59They went on stoning Stephen as he 119called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60Then 120falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, 121do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he 122123fell asleep.