Acts 7:1-22 ▼

1 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2 And he began to speak: “Men, brothers and fathers, listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia before his dwelling in Haran,

3 and He said to him, ‘Go out of your country and from your kindred, and come into the land that I will show to you.’

4 Then, having gone out from the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran. And from there, after his father died, He transferred him into this land in which you? now dwell.

5 And He did not give to him an inheritance in it, not even the length of a foot; but He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him—there being to him no child.

6 And God spoke thus, that his seed will be a sojourner in a strange land, and they will enslave it and will mistreat it four hundred years.

7 ‘And the nation to which they will be in bondage, I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out and will serve Me in this place.’

8 And He gave to him the covenant of circumcision; and thus he begat Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.

9 And the patriarchs, having envied Joseph, sold him into Egypt. And God was with him,

10 and He rescued him out of all his tribulations, and He gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his house.

11 And there was a famine upon all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers were not finding sustenance.

12 Now Jacob, having heard there is grain in Egypt, sent forth our fathers first.

13 And on the second time, Joseph was made known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh.

14 And Joseph, having sent, called for his father Jacob and all his kindred, seventy-five souls in all.

15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died—he and our fathers,

16 and they were carried over into Shechem and were placed in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 Now as the time of the promise that God swore to Abraham was drawing near, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

18 until there arose another king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

19 Having dealt treacherously with our kindred, this one mistreated our fathers, making them expose their infants, that they would not live.

20 In that time Moses was born (and he was beautiful to God), who was brought up three months in the house of his father.

21 And on his having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and brought him up for herself for a son.

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