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

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

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.

He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

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.’

and said to him, ‘Get out of your land, and from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.’

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.

Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living.

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.

He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.

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.

God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

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.’

‘I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,’ said God, ‘and after that will they come out, and serve me in this place.’

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.

He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

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.

“The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him,

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.

and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

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.

Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.

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

But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.

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.

On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s race was revealed to Pharaoh.

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

Joseph sent, and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.

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

Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, himself and our fathers,

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

and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.

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.

“But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

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

until there arose a different king, who didn’t know Joseph.

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.

The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.

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.

At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father’s house.

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

When he was thrown out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and reared him as her own son.

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.

Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.

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

But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

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

Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian.

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.

He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn’t understand.

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?’

“The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’

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?

But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

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

Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

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.

Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

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.

“When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

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.

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came to him,

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.

‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Moses trembled, and dared not look.

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

The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

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.’

I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you into Egypt.’

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.

“This Moses, whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

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.

This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

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

This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like 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.

This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us,

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.

to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

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.’

saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’

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.

They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.

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?

But God turned, and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

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

You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship. I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’

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.

“Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen;

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.

which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, to the days of David,

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

who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.

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

But Solomon built him a house.

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

However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,

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?

‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord; ‘or what is the place of my rest?

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

Didn’t my hand make all these things?’

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.

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.

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.

Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.

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

You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”

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

Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

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.

But 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,

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

and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

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

But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed at him with one accord.

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.

They threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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

They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

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.

He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.