Acts 7
7
1Then the kohen gadol said, “Are these things so?”
2Stephen declared, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.
3He said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come here to the land that I will show you.’
4Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God moved him to this land where you now live.
5He gave him no inheritance in it—not even a foothold—yet He promised ‘to give it to him as a possession to him and to his descendants after him,’ even though he had no child.
6“But God spoke in this way, that his ‘descendants would be foreigners in a land belonging to others, and they would enslave and mistreat them for four hundred years.
7But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’
8“Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. So he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and so Isaac with Jacob, and Jacob with the twelve patriarchs.
9The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him.
10He rescued him out of all his troubles and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his household.
11“Famine and great suffering came over all Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could find no food.
12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.
13On the second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.
14So Joseph sent and called for Jacob and all his relatives—seventy-five persons.
15Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our fathers.
16They were carried to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17“But as the time drew near for the promise God had sworn to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt—
18until ‘there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.’
19Dealing with our people with cruel cunning, this king mistreated our fathers and forced them to abandon their infants so they would not survive.
20“At this time Moses was born—extraordinary before God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.
21And when he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and raised him as her own son.
22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and deeds.
23“When he was approaching forty years of age, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, Bnei-Yisrael.
24When he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he went to the defense of the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.
25He was assuming that his brothers understood that by his hand God was delivering them, but they did not understand.
26So on the next day he appeared to them as they were fighting. He tried to reconcile them in shalom, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’
27“But the one doing wrong to his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge over us?
28You don’t want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’
29At this remark, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30“When forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush.
31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. But when he came up to look, there came the voice of Adonai:
32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ “Moses trembled in fear and did not dare to look.
33But Adonai said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
34I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. Now come—let Me send you to Egypt.’
35“This Moses—whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who appointed you as ruler and judge?’—is the one whom God sent as both ruler and redeemer, by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
37This is the Moses who said to Bnei-Yisrael, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’
38“This is the one who was in the community in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living words to pass on to us.
39Our fathers did not want to be obedient to him, but shoved him aside. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,
40saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us. For this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we have no idea what has happened to him.’
41“And they made a calf in those days, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.
42But God turned and gave them over to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the Prophets: ‘It was not to Me that you brought sacrifices and offerings for forty years in the wilderness, was it, O House of Israel?
43You also took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images you made to worship. And I will deport you beyond Babylon.’
44“Our fathers had the Tent of Witness in the wilderness—just as the One speaking to Moses had directed him to make it according to the design he had seen.
45Our fathers received it in turn and brought it in with Joshua when they took possession of the land of the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it remained until the days of David,
46who found favor in God’s sight. He asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
47But Solomon built a house for Him.
48However, Elyon does not dwell in man-made houses. As the prophet says,
49‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says Adonai, or what is the place of My rest?
50Did not My Hand make all these things?’
51“O you stiff-necked people! You uncircumcised of heart and ears! You always resist the Ruach ha-Kodesh; just as your fathers did, you do as well.
52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed the ones who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. Now you have become His betrayers and murderers—
53you who received the Torah by direction of angels and did not keep it!”
54When they heard these things, they became enraged and began gnashing their teeth at him.
55But Stephen, full of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God—and Yeshua standing at the right hand of God.
56And he said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57But they covered their ears; and crying out with a loud voice, they rushed at him with one impulse.
58Driving him out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out, “Lord Yeshua, receive my spirit!”
60Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” After he said this, he died.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Acts 7
7
1And the chief priest said, ‘Are then these things so?’
2and 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,
3and 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.
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,
5and 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.
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,
7and 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.
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 [begat] Jacob, and Jacob — the twelve patriarchs;
9and the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,
10and 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.
11‘And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,
12and Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time;
13and at the second time was Joseph made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred became manifest to Pharaoh,
14and Joseph having sent, did call for his father Jacob, and all his kindred — with seventy and five souls —
15and Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers,
16and 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.
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,
18till another king rose, who had not known Joseph;
19this one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live;
20in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;
21and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;
22and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.
23‘And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel;
24and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian;
25and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and 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?
27and he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us?
28to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?
29‘And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,
30and 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,
31and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him,
32I [am] 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,
33and the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground;
34seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that [is] in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee 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;
36this 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;
37this 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.
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;
39to whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but did thrust away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
40saying 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.
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,
42and 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?
43and 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.
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;
45which 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,
46who found favour before God, and requested to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob;
47and Solomon built Him an house.
48‘But the Most High in sanctuaries made with hands doth not dwell, according as the prophet saith:
49The heaven [is] My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what [is] the place of My rest?
50hath not My hand 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;
52which 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,
53who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep [it].’
54And hearing these things, they were cut to the hearts, and did gnash the teeth at him;
55and 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,
56and he said, ‘Lo, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.’
57And they, having cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and did rush with one accord upon him,
58and having cast him forth outside of the city, they were stoning [him] — and the witnesses did put down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul —
59and they were stoning Stephen, calling and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;’
60and 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.
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