1 A nd the chief priest said, `Are then these things so?'

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

2 a nd he said, `Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken: The God of the glory did appear to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia, before his dwelling in Haran,

And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

3 a nd He said to him, Go forth out of thy land, and out of thy kindred, and come to a land that I shall shew thee.

and said to him, ‘ Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’

4 ` Then having come forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran, and from thence, after the death of his father, He did remove him to this land wherein ye now dwell,

Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

5 a nd He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a footstep, and did promise to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him -- he having no child.

But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.

6 ` And God spake thus, That his seed shall be sojourning in a strange land, and they shall cause it to serve, and shall do it evil four hundred years,

But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

7 a nd the nation whom they shall serve I will judge, said God; and after these things they shall come forth and shall do Me service in this place.

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

8 ` And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begat Isaac, and did circumcise him on the eighth day, and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob -- the twelve patriarchs;

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

9 a nd the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,

10 a nd did deliver him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he did set him -- governor over Egypt and all his house.

and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

11 ` And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,

“Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food.

12 a nd Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time;

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

13 a nd at the second time was Joseph made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred became manifest to Pharaoh,

On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh.

14 a nd Joseph having sent, did call for his father Jacob, and all his kindred -- with seventy and five souls --

Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all.

15 a nd Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers,

And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.

16 a nd they were carried over into Sychem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Sychem.

From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 ` And according as the time of the promise was drawing nigh, which God did swear to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

“But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

18 t ill another king rose, who had not known Joseph;

until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

19 t his one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live;

It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive.

20 i n which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;

It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home.

21 a nd he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;

And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son.

22 a nd Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.

Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

23 ` And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel;

But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

24 a nd having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian;

And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

25 a nd he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand.

And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

26 ` On the succeeding day, also, he shewed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, brethren are ye, wherefore do ye injustice to one another?

On 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?’

27 a nd he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us?

But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘ Who made you a ruler and judge over us ?

28 t o kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?

You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you ?’

29 ` And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,

At this remark, Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 a nd forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush,

“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

31 a nd Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him,

When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord:

32 I the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold,

‘ I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look.

33 a nd the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground;

But the Lord said to him, ‘ Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

34 s eeing I have seen the affliction of My people that in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee to Egypt.

I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

35 ` This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush;

“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘ Who made you a ruler and a judge ?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

36 t his one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years;

This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

37 t his is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear.

This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘ God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’

38 ` This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us;

This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.

39 t o whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but did thrust away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

40 s aying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him.

saying 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.’

41 ` And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands,

At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

42 a nd God did turn, and did give them up to do service to the host of the heaven, according as it hath been written in the scroll of the prophets: Slain beasts and sacrifices did ye offer to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘ It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel ?

43 a nd ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan -- the figures that ye made to bow before them, and I will remove your dwelling beyond Babylon.

You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

44 ` The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He did direct, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen;

“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.

45 w hich also our fathers having in succession received, did bring in with Joshua, into the possession of the nations whom God did drive out from the presence of our fathers, till the days of David,

And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David.

46 w ho found favour before God, and requested to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob;

David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

47 a nd Solomon built Him an house.

But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.

48 ` But the Most High in sanctuaries made with hands doth not dwell, according as the prophet saith:

However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

49 T he heaven My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what the place of My rest?

‘ Heaven 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 ?

50 h ath not My hand made all these things?

‘ Was it not My hand which made all these things ?’

51 ` Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears! ye do always the Holy Spirit resist; as your fathers -- also ye;

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

52 w hich of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed those who declared before about the coming of the Righteous One, of whom now ye betrayers and murderers have become,

Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;

53 w ho received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep.'

you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” Stephen Put to Death

54 A nd hearing these things, they were cut to the hearts, and did gnash the teeth at him;

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

55 a nd being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked stedfastly to the heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;

56 a nd he said, `Lo, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.'

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

57 A nd they, having cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and did rush with one accord upon him,

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

58 a nd having cast him forth outside of the city, they were stoning -- and the witnesses did put down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul --

When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 a nd they were stoning Stephen, calling and saying, `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;'

They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

60 a nd having bowed the knees, he cried with a loud voice, `Lord, mayest thou not lay to them this sin;' and this having said, he fell asleep.

Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.