| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these charges true?" | 1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?” |
| 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. | 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. |
| 3Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.' | 3God told him, ‘Leave your native land 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 6God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 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 punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here 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“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. |
| 9"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him | 9“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in 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 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. |
| 11"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. | 11“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food. |
| 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. | 12Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some. |
| 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. | 13The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh. |
| 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. | 14Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. |
| 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. | 15So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors. |
| 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. | 16Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons 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“As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. |
| 18Then 'a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.' | 18But then a new king came to the throne of 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. | 19This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die. |
| 20"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. | 20“At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. |
| 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. | 21When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. |
| 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. | 22Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action. |
| 23"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. | 23“One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people 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. | 24He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. |
| 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. | 25Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t. |
| 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“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?’ |
| 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 man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. |
| 28Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' | 28‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ |
| 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. | 29When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born. |
| 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“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning 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. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the LORD called out to him, |
| 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 ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror 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. | 33“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on 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 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.’ |
| 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“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. |
| 36He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. | 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. |
| 37"This is the Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.' | 37“Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’ |
| 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. | 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. |
| 39"But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. | 39“But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return 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!' | 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.’ |
| 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. | 41So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. |
| 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? | 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? |
| 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. | 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.’ |
| 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 ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses. |
| 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, | 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. |
| 46who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. | 46“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. |
| 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him. | 47But it was Solomon who actually built it. |
| 48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: | 48However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples 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 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? |
| 50Has not my hand made all these things?' | 50Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’ |
| 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 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! |
| 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-- | 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. |
| 53you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it." | 53You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” |
| 54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. | 54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. |
| 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 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. |
| 56"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man 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!” |
| 57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, | 57Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed 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. | 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. |
| 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." | 59As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “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. | 60He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. |
| 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. | 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. |
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