New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”

1And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.

2And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

3God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’

3and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’

4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

4Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.

5“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet.

5Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.

6God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.

6And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.

7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’

7‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’

8“God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

8And 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“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him

9“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him

10and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.

10and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

11“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food.

11Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.

12Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some.

12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit.

13The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.

13And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.

14Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all.

14And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.

15So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors.

15And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers,

16Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.

16and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17“As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

17“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt

18But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

18until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.

19This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.

19He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive.

20“At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months.

20At 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,

21When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son.

21and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

22Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.

22And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.

23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel.

23“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian.

24And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.

25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.

25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

26“The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’

26And 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?’

27“But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked.

27But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’

28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.

29At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.

30“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the LORD called out to him,

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‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.

32‘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.

33“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

34I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’

34I have surely seen the affliction 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.’

35“So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.

35“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

36And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.

36This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

37“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’

37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’

38Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.

38This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.

39“But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.

39Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt,

40They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’

40saying to Aaron, ‘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.’

41So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.

41And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

42Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written, ‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?

42But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

43No, you carried your pagan gods— the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’

43You took up the tent of Moloch 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 ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses.

44“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.

45Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.

45Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David,

46“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.

46who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

47But it was Solomon who actually built it.

47But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

48However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,

48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the LORD. ‘Could you build me such a resting place?

49“‘Heaven is my throne, 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?

50Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’

50Did not my hand make all these things?’

51“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!

51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

52Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.

52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,

53You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

53you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.

54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.

55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

56And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him

57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.

58and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.