Now the ¹high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2 And he answered, “^aBrothers and fathers, listen to me! ^bThe God of glory the Shekinah, the radiance of God ^cappeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, Gen 11:31; 15:7; Ps 29:3 3 and He said to him, ‘^aLEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’ Gen 12:1 4 ^aThen he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And ^bfrom there, after his father died, God sent him to this country in which you now live. Gen 11:31; 12:5; 15:7 5 But He did not give him inheritable property, not even enough ground to take a step on, yet ^aHe 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 6 And ^athis 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 ^aAFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME in worship IN THIS PLACE.’ Gen 15:13, 14; Ex 3:12 8 And God ^agave Abraham a covenant a formal agreement to be strictly observed of which circumcision was the sign; and so under these circumstances ^bAbraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^cIsaac became the father of ¹Jacob, and ^dJacob became the father of the ²twelve ^epatriarchs. 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 ^ajealousy, sold their younger brother Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him, Gen 37:11, 28; 45:4 10 and He rescued him from all his suffering, and ^agave 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 ^aa 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 12 But ^awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. Gen 42:2 13 And on the second visit ^aJoseph identified himself to his brothers, and ^bJoseph’s family and background were revealed to Pharaoh. Gen 45:1-4 14 Then ^aJoseph sent and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, ^bseventy-five ^cpersons in all. Gen 45:9, 10 15 And ^aJacob (Israel) went down into Egypt, and ¹there he died, as did our fathers; Gen 49:33 16 and from Egypt ¹their bodies were taken back to ^aShechem 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 ^atime for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham was approaching, ^bthe Hebrew people increased and multiplied in Egypt, Deut 10:22 18 until the time when ^aTHERE 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 19 He ^ashrewdly exploited our race and mistreated our fathers, forcing them to ^bexpose their male babies so that they would die. Ex 1:7-11, 15-22 20 It was at this critical time that ^aMoses 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 21 Then when he was set outside to die, ^aPharaoh’s daughter rescued him and claimed him for herself, and cared for him as her own son. Ex 2:5, 6, 10 22 So Moses was educated in all ^athe wisdom and culture of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23 But when he reached the age of forty, ^ait came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being treated unfairly, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking and killing the Egyptian. 25 He expected his countrymen to understand that God was granting them freedom through him assuming that they would accept him, but they did not understand. 26 ^aThen 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?’ 27 But the man who was injuring his neighbor pushed Moses away, saying, ‘^aWHO APPOINTED YOU RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? 28 ^aDO YOU INTEND TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY?’ 29 At this remark ^aMOSES FLED AND BECAME AN EXILE IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he ^bfathered two sons. Ex 2:11-15, 22; 18:3, 4

30 “After forty years had passed, ^aAN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT ¹Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. 31 When 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 ‘^aI 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. 33 ^aTHEN THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘^bREMOVE THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE WHERE YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND worthy of reverence and respect. 34 ^aI HAVE MOST CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANING, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM. ^bNOW COME, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT as My messenger.’ Ex 3:1-10

35 “This Moses whom they ^arejected, 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 36 ^aThis man led them out of Egypt after performing ^bwonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the ^cwilderness for forty years. Ex 7:3; 14:21; Num 14:33 37 This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘^aGOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET ¹LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN.’ Deut 18:15, 18 38 This is the one who was in ^athe congregation in the wilderness together with ^bthe Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^cliving ^doracles divine words that still live to be handed down to you. Ex 19 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be subject to him and refused to listen to him. They ^arejected him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. Num 14:3, 4 40 ^aTHEY 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 41 In those days ^athey made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced and celebrated over ^bthe works of their hands. Ex 32:4, 6 42 But God ^aturned away from them and handed them over to serve the ¹host of heaven. As it is written and forever remains written in the book of the prophets, ‘^bIT WAS NOT really TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FOR ^cFORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? Jer 19:13 43 ^aYOU 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 ^athe tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God directed Moses to make it ^baccording to the pattern which he had seen. Ex 25:9-40 45 Our fathers also ^abrought it in with them into the land with Joshua when they dispossessed the ¹nations whom God drove out before our fathers, and so it remained here until the time of David, Deut 32:49; Josh 3:14-17 46 ^awho found favor (grace, spiritual blessing) in the sight of God and ^basked that he might be allowed to find a dwelling place for the ¹God of Jacob. 2+@Sam 7:8-16; Ps 132:1-5 47 But it was ^aSolomon who built a house for Him. 1+@Kin 6 48 However, ^athe 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

51 “You ^astiff-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 52 ^aWhich one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of ^bthe Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^cyou have now become; 53 you who received the law as ^aordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”

54 Now when ¹they heard this accusation and understood its implication, they were ^acut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth in rage at him. 55 But he, being ^afull of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, ^bgazed into heaven and saw the glory the great splendor and majesty of God, and Jesus standing ^cat the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Look! I see the ^aheavens opened up in welcome and ^1bthe Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him considering him guilty of blasphemy. 58 Then they ^adrove him out of the city and began stoning him; and ^bthe witnesses ^cplaced their outer robes at the feet of ^da young man named ¹Saul. Acts 22:20 59 They continued stoning Stephen as he ^acalled on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!” 60 Then ^afalling on his knees in worship, he cried out loudly, “Lord, ^bdo not hold this sin against them do not charge them!” When he had said this, he ^cfell asleep in death.

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2 And he said, “Hear me, ^abrothers and fathers! ^bThe God of glory ^cappeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ¹Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘^aLEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’ 4 ^aThen he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ¹Haran. ^bFrom there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and ^aHe promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS SEED AFTER HIM, even when he had no child. 6 But ^aGod spoke in this way, that his SEED WOULD BE SOJOURNERS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD ¹BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. 7 ‘AND I MYSELF WILL JUDGE THE NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE ENSLAVED,’ said God, ‘AND ^aAFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND ¹SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.’ 8 And He ^agave him ¹the covenant of circumcision; and so ^bAbraham was the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^cIsaac was the father of Jacob, and ^dJacob of the twelve ^epatriarchs.

9 “And the patriarchs, ^abecoming jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^agranted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household.

11 “Now ^aa famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ¹could find no food. 12 But ^awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 And on the second visit ^aJoseph ¹made himself known to his brothers, and ^bJoseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14 Then ^aJoseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, ^bseventy-five ^1cpersons in all. 15 And ^aJacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16 And from there they were removed to ^1aShechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ²Hamor in ³Shechem.

17 “But as the ^atime of the promise was drawing near which God had assured to Abraham, ^bthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until ^aANOTHER KING AROSE OVER EGYPT WHO DID NOT KNOW ABOUT JOSEPH. 19 It was he who ^adeceitfully took advantage of our family and mistreated our fathers to ^1bset their infants outside so that they would not survive. 20 It was at this time that ^aMoses was born, and he was lovely ¹in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21 And after he had been set outside, ^aPharaoh’s daughter ¹took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22 And Moses was educated in all ^athe wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and deeds. 23 But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^ait entered his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took justice for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25 And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them salvation ¹through him, but they did not understand. 26 ^aOn the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you treating one another unjustly?’ 27 But the one who was treating his neighbor unjustly pushed him away, saying, ‘^aWHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? 28 ^aDO YOU INTEND TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY?’ 29 At this remark, ^aMOSES FLED AND BECAME A SOJOURNER IN THE LAND OF ¹MIDIAN, where he ^bwas the father of two sons.

30 “And after forty years had passed, ^aAN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING BUSH. 31 When Moses saw it, he was marveling at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the ¹Lord: 32 ‘^aI AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.’ Moses trembled with fear and would not dare to look. 33 ^aBUT THE ¹LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘^bREMOVE THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. 34 ^aI HAVE SURELY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM; ^1bCOME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.’

35 “This Moses whom they ^adisowned, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom God ¹sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ²help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 ^aThis man led them out, doing ^bwonders and ¹signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the ^cwilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^aGOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET ¹LIKE ME FROM YOUR BROTHERS.’ 38 This is the one who, in ^athe ¹congregation in the wilderness, was with ^bthe angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers; the one who received ^cliving ^doracles to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but ^arejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 40 ^aSAYING 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 BECOME OF HIM.’ 41 ¹At that time ^athey made a ²calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^bthe works of their hands. 42 But God ^aturned away and delivered them up to ¹serve the ²host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘^bDID YOU PRESENT ME WITH SLAIN BEASTS AND SACRIFICES ^cFORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? 43 ^aYOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ¹ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.’

44 “Our fathers had ^athe tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He, who spoke to Moses, directed him to make it ^baccording to the pattern which he had seen. 45 And having received it in their turn, our fathers ^abrought it in with ¹Joshua when they dispossessed the ²nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 46 ^aDavid found favor in the sight of God, and ^basked that he might find a dwelling place for the ¹God of Jacob. 47 But ^aSolomon built a house for Him. 48 However, ^athe Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says:

51 “You men—^astiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears—are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 ^aAnd which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^bthe Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^cyou have now become; 53 you who received the Law as ^aordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.”

54 Now when they heard this, they became ^afurious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being ^afull of the Holy Spirit, he ^bgazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^cat the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the ^aheavens opened up and ^bthe Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. 58 And when they had ^adriven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^bthe witnesses ^claid aside their garments at the feet of ^da young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he ^awas calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then ^afalling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^bdo not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he ^1cfell asleep.

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

2 And he said, “Hear me, ^abrethren and fathers! ^bThe God of glory ^cappeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ¹Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘^aLEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’ 4 ^aThen he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ¹Haran. ^bFrom there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, ^aHe promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. 6 But ^aGod spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD ¹BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. 7 ‘AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,’ said God, ‘AND ^aAFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND ¹SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.’ 8 And He ^agave him ¹the covenant of circumcision; and so ^bAbraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^cIsaac became the father of Jacob, and ^dJacob of the twelve ^epatriarchs.

9 “The patriarchs ^abecame jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^agranted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

11 “Now ^aa famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ¹could find no food. 12 But ^awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 On the second visit ^aJoseph ¹made himself known to his brothers, and ^bJoseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14 Then ^aJoseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, ^bseventy-five ^1cpersons in all. 15 And ^aJacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16 From there they were removed to ^1aShechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ²Hamor in ³Shechem.

17 “But as the ^atime of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, ^bthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until ^aTHERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. 19 It was he who took ^ashrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would ^1bexpose their infants and they would not survive. 20 It was at this time that ^aMoses was born; and he was lovely ¹in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21 And after he had been set outside, ^aPharaoh’s daughter ¹took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all ^athe learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23 But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^ait entered his ¹mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 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 And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them ¹deliverance ²through him, but they did not understand. 26 ^aOn 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 But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘^aWHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? 28 ^aYOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?’ 29 At this remark, ^aMOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF ¹MIDIAN, where he ^bbecame the father of two sons.

30 “After forty years had passed, ^aAN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. 31 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 ‘^aI 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 ^aBUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘^bTAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. 34 ^aI HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; ^1bCOME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.’

35 “This Moses whom they ^adisowned, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom God ¹sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ²help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36 ^aThis man led them out, performing ^bwonders and ¹signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the ^cwilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^aGOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET ¹LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.’ 38 This is the one who was in ^athe ¹congregation in the wilderness together with ^bthe angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^cliving ^doracles to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but ^arepudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 40 ^aSAYING 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 ¹At that time ^athey made a ²calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^bthe works of their hands. 42 But God ^aturned away and delivered them up to ¹serve the ²host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘^bIT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES ^cFORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? 43 ^aYOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ¹ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.’

44 “Our fathers had ^athe tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it ^baccording to the pattern which he had seen. 45 And having received it in their turn, our fathers ^abrought it in with ¹Joshua upon dispossessing the ²nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 46 ^aDavid found favor in God’s sight, and ^basked that he might find a dwelling place for the ¹God of Jacob. 47 But it was ^aSolomon who built a house for Him. 48 However, ^athe Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

51 “You men who are ^astiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 ^aWhich one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^bthe Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers ^cyou have now become; 53 you who received the law as ^aordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

54 Now when they heard this, they were ^acut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being ^afull of the Holy Spirit, he ^bgazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^cat the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the ^aheavens opened up and ^bthe Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58 When they had ^adriven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^bthe witnesses ^claid aside their robes at the feet of ^da young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he ^acalled on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then ^afalling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^bdo not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^1cfell asleep.

Now the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2 And ¹Stephen said, “Listen to me, ^2abrothers and fathers! ^bThe God of glory ^cappeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in ³Haran, 3 and He said to him, ‘^aGO FROM YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO THE LAND WHICH I WILL SHOW YOU.’ 4 ^aThen he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in ¹Haran. And ^bfrom there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, ^aHe promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. 6 But ^aGod spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE STRANGERS IN A LAND THAT WAS NOT THEIRS, AND ¹THEY WOULD ENSLAVE AND MISTREAT THEM FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. 7 ‘AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY ARE ENSLAVED I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,’ said God, ‘AND ^aAFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND ¹SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.’ 8 And He ^agave him ¹the covenant of circumcision; and so ^bAbraham fathered Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and ^cIsaac fathered Jacob, and ^dJacob, the twelve ^epatriarchs.

9 “The patriarchs ^abecame jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and ^agranted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and his entire household.

11 “Now ^aa famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers ¹could find no food. 12 But ^awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 And on the second visit, ^aJoseph ¹made himself known to his brothers, and ^bJoseph’s family was revealed to Pharaoh. 14 Then ^aJoseph sent word and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, ^bseventy-five ^1cpeople in all. 15 And ^aJacob went down to Egypt, and he and our fathers died there. 16 And they were brought back from there to ^1aShechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of ²Hamor in ³Shechem.

17 “But as the ^atime of the promise which God had assured to Abraham was approaching, ^bthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until ^aANOTHER KING AROSE OVER EGYPT WHO DID NOT KNOW JOSEPH. 19 It was he who ^ashrewdly took advantage of our nation and mistreated our fathers in order that they would ^babandon their infants in the Nile, so that they would not survive. 20 At this time ^aMoses was born; and he was beautiful to God. He was nurtured for three months in his father’s home. 21 And after he had been put outside, ^aPharaoh’s daughter ¹took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all ^athe wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in ¹speaking and action. 23 But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^ait entered his ¹mind to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended and took vengeance for the oppressed man by fatally striking the Egyptian. 25 And he thought that his brothers understood that God was granting them ¹deliverance ²through him; but they did not understand. 26 ^aAnd on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them to peace, by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you injuring each other?’ 27 But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘^aWHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? 28 ^aYOU DO NOT INTEND TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?’ 29 At this remark, ^aMOSES FLED AND BECAME A STRANGER IN THE LAND OF ¹MIDIAN, where he ^bfathered two sons.

30 “After forty years had passed, ^aan angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came: 32 ‘^aI AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB.’ Moses shook with fear and did not dare to look closely. 33 ^aBut the LORD said to him, ‘^1bREMOVE YOUR SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. 34 ^aI HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANING, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; AND ^bNOW COME, I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.’

35 “This Moses whom they ^adisowned, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom God ¹sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ²help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36 ^aThis man led them out, performing ^bwonders and ¹signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea, and in the ^cwilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘^aGOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET ¹LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN.’ 38 This is the one who was in ^athe ¹assembly in the wilderness together with ^bthe angel who spoke to him at length on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^cliving ^dwords to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him; on the contrary they ^arejected him and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40 ^asaying to Aaron, ‘MAKE US ¹A GOD 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 ¹At that time ^athey made a ²calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^bthe works of their hands. 42 But God ^aturned away and gave them over to ¹serve the heavenly ²lights; as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘^bYOU DID NOT OFFER ME VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES ^cFOR FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, DID YOU, HOUSE OF ISRAEL? 43 ^aYOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF YOUR GOD ¹ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL DEPORT YOU BEYOND BABYLON.’

44 “Our fathers had ^athe tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it ^baccording to the pattern which he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn received it, and they also ^abrought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the ¹nations that God drove out from our fathers, until the time of David. 46 ^1aDavid found favor in God’s sight, and ^basked that he might ²find a dwelling place for the ³house of Jacob. 47 But it was ^aSolomon who built a house for Him. 48 However, ^athe Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

51 “You men who are ^astiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 ^aWhich one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^bthe Righteous One, and ^cyou have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; 53 you who received the Law as ^aordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

54 Now when they heard this, they were ^ainfuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But he, being ^afull of the Holy Spirit, ^blooked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^cat the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the ^aheavens opened and ^bthe Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one ¹mind. 58 When they had ^adriven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and ^bthe witnesses ^claid aside their cloaks at the feet of ^da young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he ^acalled on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he ^afell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, ^bdo not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^1cfell asleep.