Acts 7
1The high priest said, “Are these things so?”
2He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
3and said to him, ‘Get out of your land and away from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.’
9“The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him, 10and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food. 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time. 13On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s race was revealed to Pharaoh. 14Joseph sent and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls. 15Jacob went down into Egypt and he died, himself and our fathers, 16and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
17“But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
18until there arose a different king, who didn’t know Joseph.
19The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.
20At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father’s house.
21When he was thrown out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and reared him as her own son.
22Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.
23But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers,
26“The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’
27But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
30“When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
31When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came to him,
32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
35“This Moses, whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
37This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’
forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
the star of your god Rephan,
the figures which you made to worship.
I will carry you away
44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen;
45which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, to the days of David,
46who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
47But Solomon built him a house.
48However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,
and the earth a footstool for my feet.
What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord.
‘Or what is the place of my rest?
51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. 52Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. 53You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”
54Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord. 58They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60He kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.