1 ¶ Then the prince of the priests said, Are these things so?

The head religious leader asked Stephen, “Are these things true?”

2 A nd he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

Stephen said, “My brothers and fathers, listen to me. The great God showed Himself to our early father Abraham while he lived in the country of Mesopotamia. This was before he moved to the country of Haran.

3 a nd said unto him, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and come into the land which I shall show thee.

God said to him, ‘Leave your family and this land where you were born. Go to a land that I will show you.’

4 T hen he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans and dwelt in Haran; and from there, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, in which ye now dwell.

He went from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father died, he came to this country where you now live.

5 A nd he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

God did not give him any land to own, not even enough to put his feet on. But He promised that the land would be his and his children’s after him. At that time he had no children.

6 A nd God spoke thus, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into slavery and mistreat them four hundred years.

This is what God said, ‘Your children’s children will be living in a strange land. They will live there 400 years. They will be made to work without pay and will suffer many hard things.

7 A nd the Gentiles unto whom they shall be in slavery I will judge, said God; and after that they shall come forth and serve me in this place.

I will say to that nation that it is guilty for holding them and making them work without pay. After that they will go free. They will leave that country and worship Me in this place.’

8 A nd he gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begat Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

“He made a promise with Abraham. It was kept by a religious act of becoming a Jew. Abraham had a son, Isaac. On the eighth day Abraham took Isaac and had this religious act done to him. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of our twelve early fathers.

9 A nd the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him

“The sons of Jacob sold Joseph to people from the country of Egypt because they were jealous of him. But God was with Joseph.

10 a nd delivered him out of all his afflictions and gave him grace and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

He helped him in all his troubles. He gave him wisdom and favor with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. This king made Joseph leader over Egypt and over all the king’s house.

11 N ow there came a famine over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers found no sustenance.

“The time came when there was no food to eat in all the land of Egypt and Canaan. The people suffered much. Our early fathers were not able to get food.

12 B ut when Jacob heard that there was wheat in Egypt, he sent our fathers the first time.

Then Jacob heard there was food in Egypt. He sent our early fathers there the first time.

13 A nd in the second Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s lineage was made known unto Pharaoh.

“The second time they went to the country of Egypt, Joseph made himself known to his brothers. The family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh.

14 T hen Joseph sent and called his father Jacob unto him and all his kindred, seventy-five souls.

Joseph asked his father Jacob and all his family to come. There were seventy-five people in the family.

15 S o Jacob went down into Egypt and died, he and our fathers,

Jacob moved down to Egypt and died there. Our early fathers died there also.

16 w ho were carried over into Shechem and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor of Shechem.

They were brought back to the city of Shechem where they were buried. Abraham paid money for the grave from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. Stephen Speaks about the God of Moses

17 ¶ But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

“The promise God had given Abraham was about to happen. At this time many more of our people were in the country of Egypt.

18 u ntil another king arose, who did not know Joseph.

Then another man became king in Egypt. He was a king who did not know Joseph.

19 T he same dealt subtly with our kindred and mistreated our fathers so that they exposed their babies to death, to the end that the generation would cease.

He was hard on our people and nation. He worked against our early fathers. He made them put their babies outside so they would die.

20 I n which time Moses was born and was beautiful to God and was nourished in his father’s house three months;

“At that time Moses was born. He was beautiful in God’s sight. He was fed in his father’s house for three months.

21 a nd when he was put in danger, Pharaoh’s daughter took him in and nourished him as her own son.

Then he was put outside. Pharaoh’s daughter took him and cared for him as her own son.

22 A nd Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in his words and deeds.

Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He became a powerful man in words and in the things he did.

23 A nd when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the sons of Israel.

When he was forty years old, he thought he should visit his brothers, the Jews.

24 A nd seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and smote the Egyptian, avenging the oppressed;

He saw one of the Jews being hurt. Moses helped the Jew and killed the man from Egypt.

25 f or he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God was to give them saving health by his hand, but they had not understood.

He thought his people would understand. He thought they knew God would let them go free by his help. But the people did not understand.

26 A nd the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove and urged them to peace, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

“The next day Moses came to some Jews who were fighting. He tried to get them to stop. Moses said to the Jews, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you hurt each other?’

27 B ut he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?

One was beating his neighbor. He pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you could say who is guilty?

28 W ilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?

Do you want to kill me as you killed the man from Egypt yesterday?’

29 T hen Moses fled at this word and became a sojourner in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

When Moses heard that, he went as fast as he could to the country of Midian where he was a stranger. While he was there, he became the father of two sons.

30 ¶ And when forty years were expired, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

Forty years passed and Moses was near Mount Sinai where no people live. There he saw an angel in the fire of a burning bush.

31 W hen Moses saw it, he wondered at the vision; and as he drew near to consider it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

He was surprised and wondered when he saw it. He went up close to see it better. Then he heard the voice of the Lord speak to him.

32 s aying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled and dared not to behold.

‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ Moses shook! He was so afraid he did not look at the bush.

33 T hen the Lord said to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet; for the place where thou dost stand is holy ground.

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take your shoes off your feet! The place where you are standing is holy ground.

34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

I have seen My people suffer in the country of Egypt and I have heard their cries. I have come down to let them go free. So come now, I will send you back to Egypt.’

35 T his Moses, whom they had refused, saying, Who made thee a prince and a judge? the same did God send as prince and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

“The people had put Moses aside. They said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you are the one to say what is right or wrong?’ But God made this man a leader. Moses was the one who brought them out of the country of Egypt. This was done by the help of the angel who was in the burning bush.

36 H e brought them out, showing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

This man led them. He did powerful works in Egypt and at the Red Sea. For forty years he led them in the desert.

37 T his is that Moses, who said unto the sons of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me; him shall ye hear.

“Moses said to the Jews, ‘God will give you one who speaks for Him like me from among your brothers.’

38 T his is he, who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him in the Mount Sinai and with our fathers, who received the oracles of life to give unto us;

This is the man who was with the Jewish nation in the desert. The angel talked to him on Mount Sinai. Moses told it to our early fathers. He also received the living Words of God to give to us.

39 t o whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

“Our early fathers would not listen to him. They did not obey him. In their hearts they wanted to go back to the country of Egypt.

40 s aying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us; for as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us. We do not know what has happened to this Moses who led us out of Egypt.’

41 A nd then they made a calf and offered sacrifice unto the idol and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

“In those days they made a calf of gold. They put gifts down in front of their god in worship. They were happy with what they had made with their hands.

42 ¶ Then God withdrew and gave them up to worship the host of the heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

But God turned from them and let them worship the stars of heaven. This is written in the book of the early preachers, ‘Nation of Jews, was it to Me you gave gifts of sheep and cattle on the altar for forty years in the desert?

43 O n the contrary, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them; and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

No, you set up the tent to worship the god of Molock and the star of your god Rompha. You made gods to worship them. I will carry you away to the other side of the country of Babylon.’ The Place of Worship and the House of God

44 O ur fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen,

“Our early fathers had the tent to worship in. They used it in the desert. God told Moses to make it like the plan which he had seen.

45 w hich also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers unto the days of David,

This was received by our early fathers. They brought it here when they won the wars with the people who were not Jews. It was when Joshua was our leader. God made those people leave as our early fathers took the land. The tent was here until the time of David.

46 w ho found grace before God and asked to provide a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

David pleased God and wanted to build a house for worship for the God of Jacob.

47 B ut Solomon built him a house.

But Solomon was the one who built the house of God for Him.

48 H owbeit the most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as saith the prophet,

But the Most High does not live in buildings made by hands. The early preacher said,

49 H eaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool; what house will ye build me? saith the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

’Heaven is the place where I sit and the earth is the place where I rest My feet. What house will you build Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is My place of rest?

50 H as not my hand made all these things?

Did not My hands make all these things?’ The Jews Are Hurt

51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye.

“You have hard hearts and ears that will not listen to me! You are always working against the Holy Spirit. Your early fathers did. You do too.

52 W ho of the prophets have your fathers not persecuted? and they have slain those who announced before the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have now been the betrayers and murderers,

Which of the early preachers was not beaten and hurt by your early fathers? They killed those who told of the coming of the One Right with God. Now you have handed Him over and killed Him.

53 w ho have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.

You had the Law given to you by angels. Yet you have not kept it.” Stephen Is Killed

54 ¶ When they heard these things, they were divided in their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth.

The Jews and religious leaders listened to Stephen. Then they became angry and began to grind their teeth at him.

55 B ut he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God

He was filled with the Holy Spirit. As he looked up to heaven, he saw the shining-greatness of God and Jesus standing at the right side of God.

56 a nd said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

He said, “See! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”

57 A nd crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord;

They cried out with loud voices. They put their hands over their ears and they all pushed on him.

58 a nd casting him out of the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

Then they took him out of the city and threw stones at him. The men who were throwing the stones laid their coats down in front of a young man named Saul.

59 A nd they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

While they threw stones at Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60 A nd he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.

After that he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.