| New International Version | English Standard Version |
| 1Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these charges true?" | 1And the 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 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, |
| 3Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land 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.’ |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship 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. | 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"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into 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. 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 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"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. | 11Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. |
| 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. | 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. |
| 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. | 13And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. |
| 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. | 14And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. |
| 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. | 15And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, |
| 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. | 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 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 drew near, which God had granted 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 over Egypt another king who did not know 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. | 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, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. | 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 he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. | 21and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. |
| 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. | 22And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds. |
| 23"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. | 23“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children 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. | 24And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him 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. | 25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, 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?' | 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 who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? | 27But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? |
| 28Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' | 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ |
| 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. | 29At this retort Moses fled and became an exile 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“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 he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: | 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, 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 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 the place where you are standing is 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 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.' | 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"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 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. |
| 36He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. | 36This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at 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.' | 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ |
| 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. | 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 obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back 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 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. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of 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. | 41And they made a calf in those days, and offered 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? | 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? |
| 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. | 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 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 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. |
| 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, | 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, |
| 46who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place 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 built a house for him. | 47But 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: | 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. 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 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? |
| 50Has not my hand made all these things?' | 50Did not my hand make 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 stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. |
| 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-- | 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 who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it." | 53you who received the law as delivered by angels and 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 these things they were enraged, and they ground 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 he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed 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, 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 stopped their ears and rushed together at him. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." | 59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
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