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Acts 7
Lexham English Bible

Stephen’s Defense

7 And the high priest said, “Is it so concerning these things?” 2 So he said, “Men—brothers and fathers—listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he[a] was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your relatives and come to the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and[b] settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, he caused him to move to this land in which you now live. 5 And he did not give him an inheritance in it—not even a footstep[c]—and he promised to give it[d] to him for his possession, and to his descendants after him, although he did not have[e][f] a child. 6 But God spoke like this: ‘His descendants will be foreigners in a foreign land, and they will enslave them and mistreat them[g] four hundred years, 7 and the nation that[h] they will serve as slaves, I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out[i] and will worship me in this place.’[j] 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac did so with[k] Jacob, and Jacob did so with[l] the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, because they[m] were jealous of Joseph, sold him[n] into Egypt. And God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he appointed him ruler over Egypt and all[o] his household. 11 And a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan and great affliction, and our fathers could not find food. 12 So when[p] Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And on the second visit[q] Joseph was made known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. 14 So Joseph sent and[r] summoned his father Jacob and all his[s] relatives, seventy-five persons in all. 15 And Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our fathers. 16 And they were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 “But as the time of the promise that God had made to Abraham was drawing near, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. 19 This man deceitfully took advantage of our[t] people and[u] mistreated our ancestors, causing them to abandon their infants[v] so that they would not be kept alive. 20 At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. He[w] was brought up for three months in his[x] father’s house, 21 and when[y] he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and brought him up as her own son.[z] 22 And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was powerful in his words and deeds.

23 “But when he was forty years old,[aa] it entered in his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he[ab] saw one of them being unjustly harmed, he defended him[ac] and avenged[ad] the one who had been oppressed by[ae] striking down the Egyptian. 25 And he thought his[af] brothers would understand that God was granting deliverance to them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And on the following day, he made an appearance to them while they[ag] were fighting and was attempting to reconcile[ah] them in peace, saying, ‘Men and brothers, why are you doing wrong to one another?’ 27 But the one who was doing wrong to his[ai] neighbor pushed him aside, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 You do not want to do away with me the same way[aj] you did away with the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’[ak] 29 And at this statement, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 “And when[al] forty years had been completed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush. 31 And when[am] Moses saw it,[an] he was astonished at the sight, and when[ao] he approached to look at it,[ap] the voice of the Lord came: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob!’[aq] So Moses began trembling and[ar] did not dare to look at it.[as] 33 And the Lord said to him, ‘Untie the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen[at] the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’[au] 35 This Moses whom they had repudiated, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?’[av]—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer with the help[aw] of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This 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.

37 “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’[ax] 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and who with our fathers received living oracles to give to us, 39 to whom our fathers were not willing to become obedient, but rejected him[ay] and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go on before us! For this Moses, who led us out from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him!’[az] 41 And they manufactured a calf in those days, and offered up a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing[ba] in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets:

‘You did not bring offerings and sacrifices to me
    for forty years in the wilderness, did you,[bb] house of Israel?
43 And you took along the tabernacle[bc] of Moloch
    and the star of the god[bd] Rephan,
the images that you made, to worship them,
    and I will deport you beyond Babylon!’[be]

44 The tabernacle of the testimony belonged[bf] to our fathers in the wilderness, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him[bg] to make it according to the design that he had seen, 45 and which, after[bh] receiving it[bi] in turn, our fathers brought in with Joshua when they dispossessed the[bj] nations that God drove out from the presence of our fathers, until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.[bk] 47 But Solomon built a house for him. 48 But the Most High does not live in houses[bl] made by human hands, just as the prophet says,

49 ‘Heaven is my throne
    and earth is the footstool for my feet.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
    or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’[bm]

51 “You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your[bn] ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so also do you! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, 53 you who received the law by directions of angels and have not observed it!”

Stephen’s Martyrdom

54 Now when they[bo] heard these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and gnashed their[bp] teeth at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and[bq] saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and rushed at him with one purpose. 58 And after they[br] had driven him[bs] out of the city, they began to stone[bt] him,[bu] and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they kept on stoning Stephen as he[bv] was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 And falling to his[bw] knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after he[bx] said this, he fell asleep.[by]

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:2 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Acts 7:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb
  3. Acts 7:5 Literally “a step of a foot”
  4. Acts 7:5 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  5. Acts 7:5 Literally “not being to him”
  6. Acts 7:5 Here “although” is supplied in the translation as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as concessive
  7. Acts 7:6 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Acts 7:7 Literally “to which”
  9. Acts 7:7 Verses 6–7 are a quotation from Gen 15:13–14
  10. Acts 7:7 The final phrase is an allusion to Exod 3:12
  11. Acts 7:8 Here the words “did so with” are not in the Greek text but are implied; in view of the “covenant of circumcision” mentioned earlier in the verse, it is probable that circumcision and not just fatherhood is involved
  12. Acts 7:8 Here the words “did so with” are not in the Greek text but are implied; see the note on the same phrase earlier in this verse
  13. Acts 7:9 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were jealous of”) which is understood as causal
  14. Acts 7:9 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  15. Acts 7:10 Some manuscripts have “over all”
  16. Acts 7:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  17. Acts 7:13 The word “visit” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  18. Acts 7:14 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
  19. Acts 7:14 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  20. Acts 7:19 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  21. Acts 7:19 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“deceitfully took advantage of”) has been translated as a finite verb
  22. Acts 7:19 Literally “making their infants be abandoned”
  23. Acts 7:20 Literally “who”
  24. Acts 7:20 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  25. Acts 7:21 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was abandoned”)
  26. Acts 7:21 Literally “for a son to herself”
  27. Acts 7:23 Literally “a period of time of forty years was fulfilled for him”
  28. Acts 7:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  29. Acts 7:24 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  30. Acts 7:24 Literally “produced vengeance for”
  31. Acts 7:24 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“striking down”) which is understood as means
  32. Acts 7:25 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  33. Acts 7:26 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were fighting”) which is understood as temporal
  34. Acts 7:26 Here the imperfect verb has been translated as conative (“was attempting to reconcile”)
  35. Acts 7:27 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  36. Acts 7:28 Literally “in the manner in which”
  37. Acts 7:28 A quotation from Exod 2:14; the negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated by “do you”
  38. Acts 7:30 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had been completed”)
  39. Acts 7:31 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  40. Acts 7:31 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  41. Acts 7:31 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“approached”)
  42. Acts 7:31 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  43. Acts 7:32 A quotation from Exod 3:6
  44. Acts 7:32 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“began”) has been translated as a finite verb
  45. Acts 7:32 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  46. Acts 7:34 Literally “seeing I have seen”
  47. Acts 7:34 A quotation from Exod 3:5, 7–8, 10
  48. Acts 7:35 A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see v. 27 above)
  49. Acts 7:35 Literally “hand”
  50. Acts 7:37 A quotation from Deut 18:15
  51. Acts 7:39 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  52. Acts 7:40 A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23
  53. Acts 7:41 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began rejoicing”)
  54. Acts 7:42 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated by “did you”
  55. Acts 7:43 Or “tent”
  56. Acts 7:43 Some manuscripts have “of your god”
  57. Acts 7:43 A quotation from Amos 5:25–27
  58. Acts 7:44 Literally “was”
  59. Acts 7:44 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  60. Acts 7:45 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“receiving”) which is understood as temporal
  61. Acts 7:45 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  62. Acts 7:45 Literally “in the possession of the”
  63. Acts 7:46 Some manuscripts have “for the house of Jacob”
  64. Acts 7:48 Or “temples made by human hands”; either word (“houses” or “temples”) is understood here
  65. Acts 7:50 A quotation from Isa 66:1–2
  66. Acts 7:51 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  67. Acts 7:54 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  68. Acts 7:54 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  69. Acts 7:55 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“looked intently”) has been translated as a finite verb
  70. Acts 7:58 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had driven”) which is understood as temporal
  71. Acts 7:58 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  72. Acts 7:58 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began stoning”)
  73. Acts 7:58 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  74. Acts 7:59 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was calling out”) which is understood as temporal
  75. Acts 7:60 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  76. Acts 7:60 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“said”) which is understood as temporal
  77. Acts 7:60 Or “he passed away”
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Acts 7
New International Version

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

7 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers,(A) listen to me! The God of glory(B) appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.(C) 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’[a](D)

4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.(E) 5 He gave him no inheritance here,(F) not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land,(G) even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.(H) 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’[b](I) 8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.(J) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.(K) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,(L) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.(M)

9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,(N) they sold him as a slave into Egypt.(O) But God was with him(P) 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.(Q)

11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.(R) 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.(S) 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was,(T) and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.(U) 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family,(V) seventy-five in all.(W) 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.(X) 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.(Y)

17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.(Z) 18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’[c](AA) 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.(AB)

20 “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.[d] For three months he was cared for by his family.(AC) 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.(AD) 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians(AE) and was powerful in speech and action.

23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?(AF) 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’[e] 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.(AG)

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:(AH) 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers,(AI) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’[f] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.(AJ)

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.(AK) 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’[g](AL)

35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’(AM) He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out of Egypt(AN) and performed wonders and signs(AO) in Egypt, at the Red Sea(AP) and for forty years in the wilderness.(AQ)

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’[h](AR) 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel(AS) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;(AT) and he received living words(AU) to pass on to us.(AV)

39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(AW) 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’[i](AX) 41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.(AY) 42 But God turned away from them(AZ) and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.(BA) This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile’[j](BB) beyond Babylon.

44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law(BC) with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.(BD) 45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them.(BE) It remained in the land until the time of David,(BF) 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[k](BG) 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.(BH)

48 “However, the Most High(BI) does not live in houses made by human hands.(BJ) As the prophet says:

49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.(BK)
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
    Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?’[l](BL)

51 “You stiff-necked people!(BM) Your hearts(BN) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(BO) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(BP)— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(BQ) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious(BR) and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,(BS) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.(BT) 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open(BU) and the Son of Man(BV) standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city(BW) and began to stone him.(BX) Meanwhile, the witnesses(BY) laid their coats(BZ) at the feet of a young man named Saul.(CA)

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”(CB) 60 Then he fell on his knees(CC) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”(CD) When he had said this, he fell asleep.(CE)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:3 Gen. 12:1
  2. Acts 7:7 Gen. 15:13,14
  3. Acts 7:18 Exodus 1:8
  4. Acts 7:20 Or was fair in the sight of God
  5. Acts 7:28 Exodus 2:14
  6. Acts 7:32 Exodus 3:6
  7. Acts 7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10
  8. Acts 7:37 Deut. 18:15
  9. Acts 7:40 Exodus 32:1
  10. Acts 7:43 Amos 5:25-27 (see Septuagint)
  11. Acts 7:46 Some early manuscripts the house of Jacob
  12. Acts 7:50 Isaiah 66:1,2
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