Acts 7
7
Stephen’s Defense
1Now the #7:1 Probably Caiaphas. See 4:6.high priest asked [Stephen], “Are these charges true?”
2And he answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory [the Shekinah, the radiance of God] appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, [Gen 11:31; 15:7; Ps 29:3] 3and He said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.’ [Gen 12:1] 4Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God sent him to this country in which you now live. [Gen 11:31; 12:5; 15:7] 5But He did not give him inheritable property, not even enough ground to take a step on, yet He promised that He would give it to Him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. [Gen 12:7; 17:8; Deut 2:5] 6And this is, in effect, what God spoke [to him]: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7‘And I will judge any nation to whom they will be in bondage,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me [in worship] in this place.’ [Gen 15:13, 14; Ex 3:12] 8And God gave Abraham a covenant [a formal agreement to be strictly observed] of [which] circumcision [was the sign]; and so [under these circumstances] Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac [became the father] of #7:8 Jacob’s name was changed to Israel (Gen 32:28).Jacob, and Jacob [became the father] of the #7:8 Ancestral fathers of the twelve tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.twelve patriarchs. [Gen 17:10-14; 21:2-4; 25:26; 29:31-35; 30:1-24; 35:16-26]
9“The [ten elder] patriarchs, overwhelmed with jealousy, sold [their younger brother] Joseph into [slavery in] Egypt; but God was with him, [Gen 37:11, 28; 45:4] 10and He rescued him from all his suffering, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made Joseph governor over Egypt and over his entire household. [Gen 39:2, 3, 21; 41:40-46; Ps 105:21]
11“Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great distress and our fathers could not find food [for their households and livestock]. [Gen 41:54, 55; 42:5] 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. [Gen 42:2] 13And on the second visit Joseph identified himself to his brothers, and Joseph’s family and background were revealed to Pharaoh. [Gen 45:1-4] 14Then Joseph sent and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. [Gen 45:9, 10] 15And Jacob (Israel) went down into Egypt, and #7:15 Jacob was buried in Abraham’s tomb at Machpelah in Canaan.there he died, as did our fathers; [Gen 49:33] 16and [from Egypt] #7:16 Lit they, i.e. the bodies of Joseph and his brothers.their bodies were taken back to Shechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. [Gen 50:13; Josh 24:32]
17“But as the time [for the fulfillment] of the promise which God had made to Abraham was approaching, the [Hebrew] people increased and multiplied in Egypt, [Deut 10:22] 18until [the time when] there arose another king over egypt who did not know joseph [nor his history and the merit of his service to Egypt]. [Ex 1:7, 8] 19He shrewdly exploited our race and mistreated our fathers, forcing them to expose their [male] babies so that they would die. [Ex 1:7-11, 15-22] 20It was at this [critical] time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and for three months he was nourished in his father’s house. [Ex 2:2] 21Then when he was set outside [to die], Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him and claimed him for herself, and cared for him as her own son. [Ex 2:5, 6, 10] 22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom and culture of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23But when he reached the age of forty, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24And when he saw one [of them] being treated unfairly, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking and killing the Egyptian. 25He expected his countrymen to understand that God was granting them freedom through him [assuming that they would accept him], but they did not understand. 26Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?’ 27But the man who was injuring his neighbor pushed Moses away, saying, ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge over us? 28Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29At this remark Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons. [Ex 2:11-15, 22; 18:3, 4]
30“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount #7:30 Horeb is the range of mountains of which Sinai is a peak (Ex 3:1).Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. 31When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; but as he went near to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came [to him, saying]: 32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground [worthy of reverence and respect]. 34I have most certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, and I will send you to Egypt [as My messenger].’ [Ex 3:1-10]
35“This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the very one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer, with the [protecting and helping] hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. [Ex 2:14] 36This man led them out [of Egypt] after performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. [Ex 7:3; 14:21; Num 14:33] 37This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet #7:37 Or as He raised up me.like me from your countrymen.’ [Deut 18:15, 18] 38This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles [divine words that still live] to be handed down to you. [Ex 19] 39Our fathers were unwilling to be subject to him [and refused to listen to him]. They rejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. [Num 14:3, 4] 40They said 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 has happened to him.’ [Ex 32:1, 23] 41In those days they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced and celebrated over the works of their hands. [Ex 32:4, 6] 42But God turned away [from them] and handed them over to serve the #7:42 A mythological group of gods represented by the heavenly bodies and constellations.host of heaven. As it is written and forever remains written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not [really] to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? [Jer 19:13] 43You also took along the tabernacle (portable temple) of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon [carrying you away into exile].’ [Amos 5:25-27]
44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God directed Moses to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. [Ex 25:9-40] 45Our fathers also brought it in [with them into the land] with Joshua when they dispossessed the #7:45 Or Gentiles.nations whom God drove out before our fathers, [and so it remained here] until the time of David, [Deut 32:49; Josh 3:14-17] 46who found favor (grace, spiritual blessing) in the sight of God and asked that he might [be allowed to] find a dwelling place for the #7:46 The earliest mss read house instead of “God”; the Septuagint reads God.God of Jacob. [2 Sam 7:8-16; Ps 132:1-5] 47But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. [1 Kin 6] 48However, the Most High [the One infinitely exalted above humanity] does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet [Isaiah] says, [1 Kin 8:27]
49‘Heaven is My throne,
And the earth is the footstool for My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,
‘Or what place is there for My rest?
50‘Was it not My hand that made all these things?’ [Is 66:1, 2]
51“You stiff-necked and stubborn people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did. [Ex 33:3, 5; Num 27:14; Is 63:10; Jer 6:10; 9:26] 52Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53you who received the law as ordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”
Stephen Put to Death
54Now when #7:54 This would include the members of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) and those witnessing the proceedings.they heard this [accusation and understood its implication], they were cut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth [in rage] at him. 55But he, being full of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory [the great splendor and majesty] of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and #7:56 The vision acknowledged Stephen’s right standing with God.the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him [considering him guilty of blasphemy]. 58Then they drove him out of the city and began stoning him; and the witnesses placed their outer robes at the feet of a young man named #7:58 At this time Saul (later known as the apostle Paul) was an active and devoted Pharisee.Saul. [Acts 22:20] 59They continued stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!” 60Then falling on his knees [in worship], he cried out loudly, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them [do not charge them]!” When he had said this, he fell asleep [in death].
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Acts 7
7
Stephen’s Speech
1And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2And Stephen said:
# ch. 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, hear me. #[Gen. 15:7; Josh. 24:3; Neh. 9:7] The God #Ps. 29:3; [1 Cor. 2:8; James 2:1] of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, #Gen. 11:31before he lived in Haran, 3and said to him, #Cited from Gen. 12:1‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4#[See ver. 2 above] Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And #Gen. 11:32 after his father died, #Gen. 12:4, 5God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised #Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 48:4; Heb. 11:8, 9 to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, #Gen. 15:3; 18:10though he had no child. 6And God spoke to this effect—that #Cited from Gen. 15:13, 14 his offspring would #[Ex. 2:22; Heb. 11:9] be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them #ver. 17; See Ex. 12:40four hundred years. 7‘But #[Jer. 25:12; 30:20] I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out #[Ex. 3:12]and worship me in this place.’ 8And #Gen. 17:9-12 he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And #Gen. 21:2-4 so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and #See Luke 1:59 circumcised him on the eighth day, and #Gen. 25:26 Isaac became the father of Jacob, and #Gen. 29:31-35; 30:5-24; 35:18, 23-26Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
9“And the patriarchs, #Gen. 37:11 jealous of Joseph, #Gen. 37:28; 45:4; Ps. 105:17 sold him into Egypt; but #Gen. 39:2, 21, 23God was with him 10and rescued him out of all his afflictions and #Gen. 41:37-40 gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, #Gen. 41:41, 43, 46; 42:6; Ps. 105:21who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11Now #Gen. 41:54, 55; 42:5; Ps. 105:16there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12#Gen. 42:1-3But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13And #Gen. 43:2-15 on the second visit #Gen. 45:1-4 Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and #Gen. 45:16Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14And #Gen. 45:9, 10, 27 Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, #[Gen. 46:26, 27; Ex. 1:5; Deut. 10:22]seventy-five persons in all. 15And #Gen. 46:5, 28; Ps. 105:23 Jacob went down into Egypt, and #Gen. 49:33 he died, he #Ex. 1:6and our fathers, 16and #Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32 they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that #[Gen. 23:16 with Gen. 33:19; Josh. 24:32]Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17“But #ver. 5-7 as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, #ch. 13:17; Ex. 1:7, 12; Ps. 105:24the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18until there arose over Egypt another king #Cited from Ex. 1:8who did not know Joseph. 19#Ex. 1:9, 10; Ps. 105:25 He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, #Ex. 1:16-18, 22so that they would not be kept alive. 20#Ex. 2:2; Heb. 11:23At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, 21and #Ex. 2:3-10when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22And Moses #[Dan. 1:4, 17] was instructed in #1 Kgs. 4:30; [Isa. 19:11] all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was #[Luke 24:19]mighty in his words and deeds.
23“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart #Ex. 2:11, 12to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 26#Ex. 2:13, 14And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, #ver. 35; [Luke 12:14]‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29At this retort #Ex. 2:15 Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, #Ex. 2:22; 18:3, 4where he became the father of two sons.
30“Now when forty years had passed, #Ex. 3:2 an angel appeared to him #[Ex. 3:1]in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32#Cited from Ex. 3:6‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33Then the Lord said to him, #Ex. 3:5; Josh. 5:15‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34#Ex. 3:7 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and #Ex. 2:24 have heard their groaning, and #Ex. 3:8 I have come down to deliver them. #Ex. 3:10And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’
35“This Moses, whom they rejected, #ver. 27 saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer #[Ex. 3:2; 14:19; 23:20; Num. 20:16]by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36#Ex. 12:41; 33:1; Heb. 8:9 This man led them out, performing #Ex. 7:3 wonders and signs #Ex. 7-12; Ps. 78:43-51; 105:27-36 in Egypt and #Ex. 14:21, 27-31; Ps. 78:53; 106:9 at the Red Sea and #Ex. 16:1, 35; 17:1-6; Ps. 78:15 in the wilderness for #ver. 42; ch. 13:18; Ex. 16:35; Num. 14:33, 34; Ps. 95:10; Heb. 3:9, 17forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you #ch. 3:22; Cited from Deut. 18:15a prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38This is the one #Ex. 19:3, 17, 18 who was in the congregation in the wilderness with #[ver. 53; Isa. 63:9] the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. #Deut. 5:27, 31; 33:4; See John 1:17 He received #[Deut. 32:47] living #Rom. 3:2; Heb. 5:12; 1 Pet. 4:11oracles to give to us. 39Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and #Ex. 16:3; Num. 11:4, 5; 14:3, 4; Ezek. 20:8, 24in their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40saying to Aaron, #Cited from Ex. 32:1, 23‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41And #Ex. 32:4-6, 35; Deut. 9:16; Ps. 106:19 they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and #Amos 6:13 were rejoicing in #Isa. 2:8; Jer. 1:16; 25:6, 7the works of their hands. 42But #[Josh. 24:20; Isa. 63:10] God turned away and #Ps. 81:12; Ezek. 20:39; Rom. 1:28 gave them over to worship #Deut. 4:19; 2 Kgs. 17:16; 21:3; 23:5; Jer. 19:13; Zeph. 1:5 the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
# Cited from Amos 5:25-27 “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
# See ver. 36 during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43You took up the tent of #See 1 Kgs. 11:7Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44“Our fathers had #Rev. 15:5; See Ex. 38:21 the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses #See Ex. 25:40directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45Our fathers in turn #Josh. 3:14-17 brought it in with Joshua when they #Num. 32:5; Deut. 32:49 dispossessed the nations #ch. 13:19; Josh. 3:10; 23:9; 24:18; 2 Chr. 20:7 that God drove out before our fathers. So it was #2 Sam. 7:1until the days of David, 46#ch. 13:22; 1 Sam. 16:1; Ps. 89:19 who found favor in the sight of God and #1 Kgs. 8:17; 1 Chr. 22:7; Ps. 132:5 asked to find a dwelling place for #[Gen. 49:24; Isa. 49:26]the God of Jacob.#7:46 Some manuscripts for the house of Jacob 47But it was #2 Sam. 7:13; 1 Kgs. 6:1, 2; 8:20; 2 Chr. 3:1Solomon who built a house for him. 48#[1 Kgs. 8:27; 2 Chr. 2:6] Yet the Most High does not dwell #ch. 17:24in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 # [Ps. 11:4] “‘Heaven is my throne,
#
Matt. 5:34, 35; Cited from Isa. 66:1, 2 and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 #
Deut. 10:16; See Ex. 32:9 “You stiff-necked people, #Lev. 26:41; Jer. 6:10; 9:26; Ezek. 44:7, 9 uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. #Mal. 3:7As your fathers did, so do you. 52#1 Kgs. 19:10; 2 Chr. 36:16; Jer. 2:30; Matt. 23:31, 37; See Matt. 5:12; 21:35 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of #See ch. 3:14 the Righteous One, #See ch. 5:28whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53you who received the law #Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2; [ver. 38; Deut. 33:2] as delivered by angels and #John 7:19did not keep it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54Now when they heard these things #ch. 5:33; [ch. 2:37] they were enraged, and they #Job 16:9; Ps. 35:16; 37:12ground their teeth at him. 55But he, #ch. 6:5 full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw #Ex. 24:16; Luke 2:9; John 12:41 the glory of God, and Jesus standing #Ps. 110:1; See Mark 16:19at the right hand of God. 56And he said, “Behold, I see #See John 1:51 the heavens opened, and #See Dan. 7:13 the Son of Man standing #[See ver. 55 above]at the right hand of God.” 57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together#7:57 Or rushed with one mind at him. 58Then #Lev. 24:14-16; Num. 15:35; 1 Kgs. 21:13; [Luke 4:29; Heb. 13:12] they cast him out of the city and #Matt. 21:35; 23:37; Heb. 11:37 stoned him. And #ch. 6:13; [Deut. 13:9, 10; 17:7] the witnesses laid down their garments #ch. 8:1; 22:20; [ch. 22:4]at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And as they were stoning Stephen, #ch. 9:14 he called out, “Lord Jesus, #Ps. 31:5; Luke 23:46receive my spirit.” 60And #ch. 9:40; 20:36; 21:5; Luke 22:41; Eph. 3:14 falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, #See Matt. 5:44 “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, #See Matt. 27:52he fell asleep.
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