| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these charges true?" | 1The high priest said, "Are these things so?" |
| 2To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. | 2And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, |
| 3Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' | 3and said to him, 'LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.' |
| 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. | 4"Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. |
| 5He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. | 5"But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. |
| 6God 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. | 6"But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. |
| 7But 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.' | 7"'AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.' |
| 8Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. | 8"And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. |
| 9"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him | 9"The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, |
| 10and 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. | 10and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. |
| 11"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. | 11"Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. |
| 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. | 12"But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. |
| 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. | 13"On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh. |
| 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. | 14"Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. |
| 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. | 15"And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. |
| 16Their 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. | 16"From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. |
| 17"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. | 17"But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, |
| 18Then 'a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.' | 18until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. |
| 19He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die. | 19"It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. |
| 20"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. | 20"It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home. |
| 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. | 21"And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. |
| 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. | 22"Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. |
| 23"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. | 23"But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. |
| 24He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. | 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. |
| 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. | 25"And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. |
| 26The 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?' | 26"On 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 man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? | 27"But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? |
| 28Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' | 28'YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?' |
| 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. | 29"At this remark, MOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the father of two sons. |
| 30"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. | 30"After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. |
| 31When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: | 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: |
| 32I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. | 32'I 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"Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. | 33"BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, 'TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. |
| 34I 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.' | 34'I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.' |
| 35"This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. | 35"This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. |
| 36He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. | 36"This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. |
| 37"This is the Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.' | 37"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.' |
| 38He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us. | 38"This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. |
| 39"But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. | 39"Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, |
| 40They 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!' | 40SAYING 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.' |
| 41That 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. | 41"At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. |
| 42But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. 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? | 42"But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? |
| 43You 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' beyond Babylon. | 43'YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.' |
| 44"Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. | 44"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. |
| 45After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, | 45"And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. |
| 46who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. | 46"David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. |
| 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him. | 47"But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. |
| 48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: | 48"However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: |
| 49"'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? | 49'HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE? |
| 50Has not my hand made all these things?' | 50'WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?' |
| 51"You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! | 51"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. |
| 52Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-- | 52"Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; |
| 53you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it." | 53you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it." |
| 54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. | 54Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. |
| 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. | 55But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; |
| 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." | 56and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." |
| 57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, | 57But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. |
| 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. | 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. |
| 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." | 59They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" |
| 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. | 60Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
|
