| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” | 1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” |
| 2And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, | 2And Stephen declared: “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 Haran, |
| 3and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ | 3and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ |
| 4Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. | 4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living. |
| 5And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. | 5He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child. |
| 6But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. | 6God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. |
| 7‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ | 7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’ |
| 8Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs. | 8Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and 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“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him | 9Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him |
| 10and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. | 10and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household. |
| 11Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. | 11Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. |
| 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. | 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. |
| 13And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. | 13On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh. |
| 14Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. | 14Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all. |
| 15So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. | 15So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. |
| 16And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. | 16Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver. |
| 17“But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt | 17As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. |
| 18till another king arose who did not know Joseph. | 18Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. |
| 19This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. | 19He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. |
| 20At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. | 20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. |
| 21But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. | 21When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. |
| 22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. | 22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. |
| 23“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. | 23When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. |
| 24And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. | 24And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. |
| 25For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. | 25He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not. |
| 26And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ | 26The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’ |
| 27But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? | 27But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? |
| 28Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ | 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ |
| 29Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons. | 29At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons. |
| 30“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. | 30After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. |
| 31When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, | 31When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: |
| 32saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. | 32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. |
| 33‘Then the LORD said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. | 33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. |
| 34I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” ’ | 34I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’ |
| 35“This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. | 35This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. |
| 36He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. | 36He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. |
| 37“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’ | 37This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ |
| 38“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, | 38He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. |
| 39whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, | 39But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. |
| 40saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ | 40They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ |
| 41And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. | 41At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. |
| 42Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: ‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? | 42But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? |
| 43You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’ | 43You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’ |
| 44“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, | 44Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. |
| 45which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, | 45And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, |
| 46who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. | 46who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. |
| 47But Solomon built Him a house. | 47But it was Solomon who built the house for Him. |
| 48“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: | 48However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: |
| 49‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? | 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 place of repose be? |
| 50Has My hand not made all these things?’ | 50Has not My hand made all these things?’ |
| 51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. | 51You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. |
| 52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, | 52Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— |
| 53who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” | 53you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.” |
| 54When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. | 54On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him. |
| 55But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, | 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. |
| 56and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man 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.” |
| 57Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; | 57At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. |
| 58and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. | 58They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. |
| 59And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” | 59While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” |
| 60Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. | 60Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. |
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