Acts 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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Acts 7: ESV

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