1 T he head religious leader asked Stephen, “Are these things true?”

Il sommo sacerdote disse: «Le cose stanno proprio così?»

2 S tephen 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.

Egli rispose: «Fratelli e padri, ascoltate. Il Dio della gloria apparve ad Abraamo, nostro padre, mentre egli era in Mesopotamia, prima che si stabilisse in Caran,

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

e gli disse: “Esci dal tuo paese e dal tuo parentado, e va’ nel paese che io ti mostrerò”.

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

Allora egli lasciò il paese dei Caldei e andò ad abitare in Caran; e di là, dopo che suo padre morì, Dio lo fece venire in questo paese che ora voi abitate.

5 G od 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.

In esso però non gli diede in proprietà neppure un palmo di terra, ma gli promise di darla in possesso a lui e alla sua discendenza dopo di lui, quando egli non aveva ancora nessun figlio.

6 T his 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.

Dio parlò così: “La sua discendenza soggiornerà in terra straniera, e sarà ridotta in schiavitù e maltrattata per quattrocento anni.

7 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.’

Ma io giudicherò la nazione che avranno servita”, disse Dio; “e dopo questo essi partiranno e mi renderanno il loro culto in questo luogo”.

8 “ 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.

Poi gli diede il patto della circoncisione; così Abraamo, dopo aver generato Isacco, lo circoncise l’ottavo giorno; e Isacco generò Giacobbe, e Giacobbe i dodici patriarchi.

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

I patriarchi, portando invidia a Giuseppe, lo vendettero, perché fosse condotto in Egitto; ma Dio era con lui

10 H e 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.

e lo liberò da ogni sua tribolazione, e gli diede sapienza e grazia davanti al faraone, re d’Egitto, che lo costituì governatore dell’Egitto e di tutta la sua casa.

11 “ 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.

Sopraggiunse poi una carestia in tutto l’Egitto e in Canaan; l’angoscia era grande e i nostri padri non trovavano viveri.

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

Giacobbe, saputo che in Egitto c’era grano, vi mandò una prima volta i nostri padri.

13 “ 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.

La seconda volta Giuseppe si fece riconoscere dai suoi fratelli, e così il faraone venne a sapere di che stirpe fosse Giuseppe.

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

Poi Giuseppe mandò a chiamare suo padre Giacobbe e tutta la sua parentela, composta di settantacinque persone.

15 J acob moved down to Egypt and died there. Our early fathers died there also.

Giacobbe discese in Egitto, dove morirono lui e i nostri padri;

16 T hey 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

poi furono trasportati a Sichem e deposti nel sepolcro che Abraamo aveva comprato con una somma di denaro dai figli di Emmor in Sichem.

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

Mentre si avvicinava il tempo del compimento della promessa che Dio aveva fatto ad Abraamo, il popolo crebbe e si moltiplicò in Egitto,

18 T hen another man became king in Egypt. He was a king who did not know Joseph.

finché sorse sull’Egitto un altro re, che non sapeva nulla di Giuseppe.

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

Costui, procedendo con astuzia contro il nostro popolo, maltrattò i {nostri} padri fino a costringerli ad abbandonare i loro bambini, perché non fossero lasciati in vita.

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

«In quel tempo nacque Mosè, che era bello agli occhi di Dio; egli fu nutrito per tre mesi in casa di suo padre;

21 T hen he was put outside. Pharaoh’s daughter took him and cared for him as her own son.

e, quando fu abbandonato, la figlia del faraone lo raccolse e lo allevò come figlio.

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

Mosè fu istruito in tutta la sapienza degli Egiziani e divenne potente in parole e opere.

23 W hen he was forty years old, he thought he should visit his brothers, the Jews.

Ma quando raggiunse l’età di quarant’anni, gli venne in animo di andare a visitare i suoi fratelli, i figli d’Israele.

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

Vedendo che uno di loro era maltrattato, ne prese le difese e vendicò l’oppresso, colpendo a morte l’Egiziano.

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

Ora egli pensava che i {suoi} fratelli avrebbero capito che Dio voleva salvarli per mano di lui; ma essi non compresero.

26 “ 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?’

Il giorno seguente si presentò a loro mentre litigavano, e cercava di riconciliarli, dicendo: “Uomini, voi siete fratelli; perché vi fate torto a vicenda?”

27 O ne 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?

Ma quello che faceva torto al suo prossimo lo respinse, dicendo: “Chi ti ha costituito capo e giudice su di noi?

28 D o you want to kill me as you killed the man from Egypt yesterday?’

Vuoi uccidere me come ieri uccidesti l’Egiziano?”

29 W hen 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.

A queste parole Mosè fuggì e andò a vivere come straniero nel paese di Madian, dove ebbe due figli.

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

Trascorsi quarant’anni, un angelo gli apparve nel deserto del monte Sinai, nella fiamma di un pruno ardente.

31 H e 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.

Mosè guardò e rimase stupito di questa visione; e, come si avvicinava per osservare meglio, si udì la voce del Signore:

32 ‘ 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.

“Io sono il Dio dei tuoi padri, il Dio di Abraamo, di Isacco e di Giacobbe”. Mosè, tutto tremante, non osava guardare.

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

Il Signore gli disse: “Togliti i calzari dai piedi; perché il luogo dove stai è suolo sacro.

34 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.’

Certo, ho visto l’afflizione del mio popolo in Egitto, ho udito i loro gemiti e sono disceso per liberarli; e ora, vieni, ti manderò in Egitto”.

35 “ 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.

Questo Mosè che avevano rinnegato dicendo: “Chi ti ha costituito capo e giudice?”, proprio lui Dio mandò loro come capo e liberatore con l’aiuto dell’angelo che gli era apparso nel pruno.

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

Egli li fece uscire, compiendo prodigi e segni nel paese d’Egitto, nel mar Rosso e nel deserto per quarant’anni.

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

Questi è il Mosè che disse ai figli d’Israele: “Dio vi susciterà, tra i vostri fratelli, un profeta come me”.

38 T his 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.

Questi è colui che nell’assemblea del deserto fu con l’angelo che gli parlava sul monte Sinai e con i nostri padri, e che ricevette parole di vita da trasmettere a noi.

39 “ 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.

Ma i nostri padri non vollero dargli ascolto, lo respinsero e si volsero in cuor loro verso l’Egitto,

40 T hey 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.’

dicendo ad Aaronne: “Facci degli dèi che vadano davanti a noi, perché di questo Mosè, che ci ha condotti fuori dall’Egitto, non sappiamo che cosa sia avvenuto”.

41 “ 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.

E in quei giorni fabbricarono un vitello, offrirono sacrifici all’idolo e si rallegrarono per l’opera delle loro mani.

42 B ut 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?

Ma Dio si ritrasse da loro e li abbandonò al culto dell’esercito del cielo, come sta scritto nel libro dei profeti: “Mi avete forse offerto vittime e sacrifici per quarant’anni nel deserto, o casa d’Israele?

43 N o, 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

Anzi, vi portaste appresso la tenda di Moloc e la stella del {vostro} dio Refàn; immagini che voi faceste per adorarle. Perciò io vi deporterò al di là di Babilonia”.

44 “ 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.

I vostri padri avevano nel deserto la tenda della testimonianza, come aveva ordinato colui che aveva detto a Mosè di farla secondo il modello da lui veduto.

45 T his 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.

I nostri padri, guidati da Giosuè, dopo averla ricevuta la trasportarono nel paese posseduto dai popoli che Dio scacciò davanti a loro. Là rimase fino ai tempi di Davide,

46 D avid pleased God and wanted to build a house for worship for the God of Jacob.

il quale trovò grazia davanti a Dio e chiese di poter preparare lui una dimora al Dio di Giacobbe.

47 B ut Solomon was the one who built the house of God for Him.

Fu invece Salomone che gli costruì una casa.

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

L’Altissimo però non abita in edifici fatti da mano d’uomo, come dice il profeta:

49 ’ 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?

“Il cielo è il mio trono, e la terra lo sgabello dei miei piedi. Quale casa mi costruirete”, dice il Signore, “o quale sarà il luogo del mio riposo?

50 D id not My hands make all these things?’ The Jews Are Hurt

Non ha la mia mano creato tutte queste cose?”

51 “ 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.

«Gente di collo duro e incirconcisa di cuore e d’orecchi, voi opponete sempre resistenza allo Spirito Santo; come fecero i vostri padri, così fate anche voi.

52 W hich 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.

Quale dei profeti non perseguitarono i vostri padri? Essi uccisero quelli che preannunciavano la venuta del Giusto, del quale voi ora siete divenuti i traditori e gli uccisori;

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

voi, che avete ricevuto la legge promulgata dagli angeli e non l’avete osservata». Stefano, primo martire della fede

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

Essi, udendo queste cose, fremevano di rabbia in cuor loro e digrignavano i denti contro di lui.

55 H e 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.

Ma Stefano, pieno di Spirito Santo, fissati gli occhi al cielo, vide la gloria di Dio e Gesù che stava alla destra di Dio,

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

e disse: «Ecco, io vedo i cieli aperti e il Figlio dell’uomo in piedi alla destra di Dio».

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

Ma essi, gettando grida altissime, si turarono gli orecchi e si avventarono tutti insieme sopra di lui;

58 T hen 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.

e, cacciatolo fuori dalla città, cominciarono a lapidarlo. I testimoni deposero i loro mantelli ai piedi di un giovane, chiamato Saulo.

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

E continuarono a lapidare Stefano mentre pregava e diceva: «Signore Gesù, accogli il mio spirito».

60 A fter 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.

Poi, messosi in ginocchio, gridò ad alta voce: «Signore, non imputare loro questo peccato». E detto questo si addormentò.