New Living Translation

King James Bible

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

1Then said the high priest, 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 he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

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

3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

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 came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

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.

5And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet 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 spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil 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.’

7And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve 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 begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat 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

9And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph 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 delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

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

11Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

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 corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

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

13And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

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

14Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

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

15So Jacob went down into Egypt, and 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 were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

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

17But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

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

18Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

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

19The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

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

20In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

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

21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

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

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

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

23And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren 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 suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

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

25For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

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 the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

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

27But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

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

28Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest 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.

29Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

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

30And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord 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 wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

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.

32Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

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

33Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest 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 seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into 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.

35This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which 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.

36He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness 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 that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

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 he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

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

39To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into 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 unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is 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 sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own 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?

42Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

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.’

43Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away 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.

44Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion 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.

45Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto 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 favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

47But it was Solomon who actually built it.

47But Solomon built him an house.

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

48Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

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?

49Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

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

50Hath not my hand made 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!

51Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

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 have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

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

53Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

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

54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

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, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on 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 said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

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

57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

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.

58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

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

59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, 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 he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. 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.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.