Acts 7
7
1“Are these allegations true?” the high priest asked.
2“Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Stephen replied. “God in his glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia, before he moved to Haran.
3God told him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the country that I'm going to show you.’#7:3. Quoting Genesis 12:1. 4So he left the country of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father's death, God sent him here to this country where you now live. 5God didn't give Abraham an inheritance here, not even one square foot. But God did promise Abraham that he would give him and his descendants possession of the land, even though he had no children. 6God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign country, and that they would be enslaved there, and would be mistreated for four hundred years. 7God said, ‘I will punish the nation that enslaves them. Eventually they will leave and come here to worship me.’#7:7. Quoting Genesis 15:13-14; Exodus 3:12. 8God also gave Abraham the agreement regarding circumcision,#7:8. Or “circumcision covenant.” and so when Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac was the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.
9The patriarchs, who were jealous of Joseph, sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave him wisdom and helped him gain the favor of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and the royal household.
11Now a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan. It caused terrible misery, and our forefathers had no food. 12When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt he sent our forefathers down on their first visit. 13During their second visit, Joseph revealed to his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh discovered Joseph's family background. 14Joseph sent for his father and all his relatives—seventy-five in total. 15Jacob traveled to Egypt, and died there—as did our forefathers. 16Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought with silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17As the time approached regarding the promise that God had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt increased. 18A new king came to the throne in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 19He took advantage of our people and treated our ancestors badly, forcing them to abandon their babies so they would die. 20It was at this time that Moses was born. He was a handsome child, and for three months he was looked after in his father's home. 21When he had to be abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter rescued him and took care of him as her own son.
22Moses received instruction in all areas of Egyptian knowledge, and he became a powerful speaker and leader. 23However, when he was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the Israelites. 24He saw one of them being mistreated, so he intervened to defend him. On behalf of the man he took revenge and killed the Egyptian. 25Moses thought his fellow Israelites would see that God was rescuing them through him, but they didn't. 26The next day when he arrived, two Israelites were fighting one another. He tried to reconcile them and stop the fight. ‘Men! You are brothers!’ he told them. ‘Why are you attacking each other?’
27But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses away. ‘Who put you in charge over us? Are you our judge now?’ he asked. 28‘Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’#7:28. Quoting Exodus 2:13-14. 29When he heard this, Moses ran away. He went and lived in exile in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him.
30Forty years later, in the desert of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush. 31When Moses saw this, he was amazed at the sight, and went over to take a closer look. The voice of the Lord spoke to him: 32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’#7:32. Quoting Exodus 3:6. Moses shook with fear and didn't dare look up. 33The Lord told him, ‘Take off your sandals, because where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have closely observed the suffering of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groans. I have come down to rescue them. Now come over here, for I'm sending you to Egypt.’#7:34. Quoting Exodus 3:5-10.
35This was the same Moses that the people had rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’#7:35. Quoting Exodus 2:14. God sent him to be both a ruler and a liberator, by means of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36Moses led them out after performing miraculous signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and continued to do so in the desert for forty years. 37This is the same Moses who promised the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet like me from among your people.’#7:37. Quoting Deuteronomy 18:15. 38Moses was with God's assembled people in the desert when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and there with our forefathers he received God's living word to give to us. 39He was the one our fathers wouldn't listen to. They rejected him and decided to return to Egypt. 40They told Aaron, ‘Make gods for us to lead us, because we don't know what's happened to this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt.’#7:40. Quoting Exodus 32:1. 41Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf, sacrificed to it, and celebrated what they themselves had made!
42So God gave up on them. He left them to their worship of the stars in the sky. This is what the prophets wrote, ‘Were you giving offerings or making sacrifices to me during the forty years in the desert, you Israelites? 43No, you carried the Tabernacle of the god Moloch and the image of the god Rephan's star, images that you made so you could worship them. So I will banish you in exile beyond Babylon.’#7:43. Quoting Amos 5:25-27.
44Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Testimony#7:44. Meaning that it gave God's message, and provided evidence of his presence. in the desert. God had told Moses how he should make it following the blueprint he had seen. 45Later on, our forefathers carried it with them when they went in with Joshua to occupy the land taken from the nations the Lord drove out before them. It stayed there until the time of David. 46David found favor with God and asked to make a more permanent home for the God of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built a Temple#7:47. Literally, “house.” for him. 48Of course the Almighty doesn't live in temples we make. As the prophet said, 49‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth the place I put my feet. What kind of dwelling could you build for me?’ the Lord asks. ‘What bed could you make for me to rest in? 50Didn't I make everything?’#7:50. Quoting Isaiah 66:1-2.
51You arrogant, hard-hearted people! You never listen!#7:51. Literally, “uncircumcised in heart and ears.” You always fight against the Holy Spirit! You act just like your fathers did! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers didn't persecute? They killed those who prophesied about the coming of the one who is truly good and right. He is the one you betrayed and murdered— 53you who received the law by means of the angels, but refused to keep it.”
54When they heard this, the council members became mad with rage, and snarled at him, grinding their teeth. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed up into heaven and saw God's glory, with Jesus standing at God's right hand. 56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand.”
57But they held their hands over their ears and shouted as loudly as they could. They rushed together at him, 58dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. His accusers laid their coats down beside a young man called Saul. 59As they went on stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60He kneeled down, calling out, “Lord, please don't hold this sin against them!” And after he said this, he died.#7:60. Literally, “fell asleep.” Death is often spoken of as a sleep in the New Testament.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Acts 7
7
Stephen Speaks in His Own Defense
1Then the chief priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”
2Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God who reveals his glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia. This happened before Abraham lived in Haran. 3God told him, ‘Leave your land and your relatives. Go to the land that I will show you.’
4“Then Abraham left the country of Chaldea and lived in the city of Haran. After his father died, God made him move from there to this land where we now live.
5“Yet, God didn’t give Abraham anything in this land to call his own, not even a place to rest his feet. But God promised to give this land to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham didn’t have a child. 6God told Abraham that his descendants would be foreigners living in another country and that the people there would make them slaves and mistreat them for 400 years. 7God also told him, ‘I will punish the people whom they will serve. After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’
8“God gave Abraham circumcision to confirm his promise.#7:8 Or “covenant.” So when Abraham’s son Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac did the same to his son Jacob, and Jacob did the same to his twelve sons (the ancestors of our tribes).
9“Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. They sold him into slavery, and he was taken to Egypt. But God was with Joseph 10and rescued him from all his suffering. When Joseph stood in the presence of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt), God gave Joseph divine favor #7:10 Or “grace.” and wisdom so that he became ruler of Egypt and of Pharaoh’s whole palace. 11Then a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan brought a lot of suffering. Our ancestors couldn’t find any food. 12When Jacob heard that Egypt had food, he sent our ancestors there. That was their first trip. 13On the second trip, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his relatives, 75 people in all. 15So Jacob went to Egypt, and he and our ancestors died there. 16They were taken to Shechem for burial in the tomb that Abraham purchased in Shechem from Hamor’s sons.
17“When the time that God had promised to Abraham had almost come, the number of our people in Egypt had grown very large. 18Then a different king, who knew nothing about Joseph, began to rule in Egypt. 19This king was shrewd in the way he took advantage of our people. He mistreated our ancestors. He made them abandon their newborn babies outdoors, where they would die.
20“At that time Moses was born, and he was a very beautiful child. His parents took care of him for three months. 21When Moses was abandoned outdoors, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her son. 22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in what he said and did. 23When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24When he saw an Israelite man being treated unfairly by an Egyptian, he defended the Israelite. He took revenge by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought his own people would understand that God was going to use him to give them freedom. But they didn’t understand. 26The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. He said to them, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you treating each other unfairly?’
27“But one of the men pushed Moses aside. He asked Moses, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29After he said that, Moses quickly left Egypt and lived in Midian as a foreigner. In Midian he fathered two sons.
30“Forty years later, a Messenger appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert of Mount Sinai. 31Moses was surprised when he saw this. As he went closer to look at the bush, the voice of the Lord said to him, 32‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and didn’t dare to look at the bush. 33The Lord told him, ‘Take off your sandals. The place where you’re standing is holy ground. 34I’ve seen how my people are mistreated in Egypt. I’ve heard their groaning and have come to rescue them. So now I’m sending you to Egypt.’
35“This is the Moses whom the Israelites rejected by saying, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ This is the one God sent to free them and to rule them with the help of the Messenger who appeared to him in the bush. 36This is the man who led our ancestors out of Egypt. He is the person who did amazing things and worked miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert for 40 years. 37This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me.’ 38This is the Moses who was in the assembly in the desert. Our ancestors and the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai were there with him. Moses received life-giving messages to give to us, 39but our ancestors were not willing to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. 40They told Aaron, ‘We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. So make gods who will lead us.’ 41That was the time they made a calf. They offered a sacrifice to that false god and delighted in what they had made.
42“So God turned away from them and let them worship the sun, moon, and stars. This is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings in the desert for 40 years, nation of Israel? 43You carried along the shrine of Moloch, the star of the god Rephan, and the statues you made for yourselves to worship. I will send you into exile beyond the city of Babylon.’
44“In the desert our ancestors had the tent of God’s promise. Moses built this tent exactly as God had told him. He used the model he had seen. 45After our ancestors received the tent, they brought it into this land. They did this with Joshua’s help when they took possession of the land from the nations that God forced out of our ancestors’ way. This tent remained here until the time of David, 46who won God’s favor. David asked that he might provide a permanent place for the family of Jacob.#7:46 Some manuscripts and translations read “God of Jacob.” 47But Solomon was the one who built a house for God.
48“However, the Most High doesn’t live in a house built by humans, as the prophet says:
49‘The Lord says,
“Heaven is my throne.
The earth is my footstool.
What kind of house are you going to build for me?
Where will I rest?
50Didn’t I make all these things?” ’
51“How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You’re just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you! 52Was there ever a prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute? They killed those who predicted that a man with God’s approval would come. You have now become the people who betrayed and murdered that man. 53You are the people who received Moses’ Teachings, which were put into effect by angels. But you haven’t obeyed those teachings.”
Stephen Is Executed
54As council members listened to Stephen, they became noticeably furious. 55But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked into heaven, saw God’s glory, and Jesus in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 56So Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the throne!”
57But the council members shouted and refused to listen. Then they rushed at Stephen with one purpose in mind, 58and after they had thrown him out of the city, they began to stone him to death. The witnesses left their coats with a young man named Saul.
59While council members were executing Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, welcome my spirit.” 60Then he knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” After he had said this, he died.
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