Acts 7

¹Then the high priest said: Are these things so?

²Who said: Ye men, brethren and fathers, hear. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charan.

³And said to him: Go forth out of thy country and from thy kindred: and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

⁴Then he went out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charan. And from thence, after his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein you now dwell.

⁵And he gave him no inheritance in it: no, not the pace of a foot. But he promised to give it him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

⁶And God said to him: That his seed should sojourn in a strange country, and that they should bring them under bondage and treat them evil four hundred years.

⁷And the nation which they shall serve will I judge (said the Lord): and after these things they shall go out and shall serve me in this place.

⁸And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so he begot Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day: and Isaac begot Jacob: and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.

⁹And the patriarchs, through envy, sold Joseph into Egypt. And God was with him,

¹⁰And delivered him out of all his tribulations: and he gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharao, the king of Egypt. And he appointed him governor over Egypt and over all his house.

¹¹Now there came a famine upon all Egypt and Chanaan, and great tribulation: and our fathers found no food.

¹²But when Jacob had heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers first.

¹³And at the second time, Joseph was known by his brethren: and his kindred was made known to Pharao.

¹⁴And Joseph sending, called thither Jacob, his father, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls.

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

¹⁶And they were translated into Sichem and were laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Hemor, the son of Sichem.

¹⁷And when the time of the promise drew near, which God had promised to Abraham, the people increased and were multiplied in Egypt.

¹⁸Till another king arose in Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

¹⁹This same, dealing craftily with our race, afflicted our fathers, that they should expose their children, to the end they might not be kept alive.

²⁰At the same time was Moses born: and he was acceptable to God. Who was nourished three months in his father's house.

²¹And when he was exposed, Pharao's daughter took him up and nourished him for her own son.

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

²³And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.

²⁴And when he had seen one of them suffer wrong, he defended him: and striking the Egyptian, he avenged him who suffered the injury.

²⁵And he thought that his brethren understood that God by his hand would save them. But they understood it not.

²⁶And the day following, he shewed himself to them when they were at strife and would have reconciled them in peace, saying: Men, ye are brethren. Why hurt you one another?

²⁷But he that did the injury to his neighbour thrust him away, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge over us:

²⁸What! Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian?

²⁹And Moses fled upon this word: and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begot two sons.

³⁰And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him, in the desert of mount Sina, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.

³¹And Moses seeing it wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to view it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

³²I am the God of thy fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses being terrified durst not behold.

³³And the Lord said to him: Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place wherein thou standest is holy ground.

³⁴Seeing, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt: and I have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them. And now come: and I will send thee into Egypt.

³⁵This Moses, whom they refused, saying: Who hath appointed thee prince and judge? Him God sent to be prince and redeemer, by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush.

³⁶He brought them out, doing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the desert, forty years.

³⁷This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel: A prophet shall God raise up to you of your own brethren, as myself. Him shall you hear.

³⁸This is he that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sina and with our fathers. Who received the words of life to give unto us.

³⁹Whom our fathers would not obey: but thrust him away and in their hearts turned back into Egypt,

⁴⁰Saying to Aaron: Make us gods to go before us. For as for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

⁴¹And they made a calf in those days and offered sacrifices to the idol and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

⁴²And God turned and gave them up to serve the host of heaven, as it is written in the books of the prophets: Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me for forty years, in the desert, O house of Israel?

⁴³And you took unto you the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rempham, figures which you made to adore them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

⁴⁴The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the desert, as God ordained for them, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the form which he had seen.

⁴⁵Which also our fathers receiving, brought in with Jesus, into the possession of the Gentiles: whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David,

⁴⁶Who found grace before God and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

⁴⁷But Solomon built him a house,

⁴⁸Yet the most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands, as the prophet saith:

⁴⁹Heaven is my throne and the earth my footstool. What house will you build me (saith the Lord)? Or what is the place of my resting?

⁵⁰Hath not my hand made all these things?

⁵¹You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost. As your fathers did, so do you also.

⁵²Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One: of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers.

⁵³Who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.

⁵⁴Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart: and they gnashed with their teeth at him.

⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

⁵⁶And they, crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and with one accord ran violently upon him.

⁵⁷And casting him forth without the city. they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul.

⁵⁸And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

⁵⁹And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not his sin to their charge: And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.

Acts 7

¹Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

²And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

³And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

⁴Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

⁵And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

⁶And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

⁷And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

⁸And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

⁹And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

¹⁰And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

¹¹Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

¹²But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

¹³And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

¹⁴Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

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

¹⁶And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

¹⁷But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

¹⁸Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

¹⁹The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

²⁰In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:

²¹And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

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

²³And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

²⁴And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

²⁵For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

²⁶And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

²⁷But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

²⁹Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

³⁰And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

³¹When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

³²Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

³³Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

³⁴I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

³⁵This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

³⁶He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

³⁷This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

³⁸This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

³⁹To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

⁴⁰Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

⁴¹And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

⁴²Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

⁴³Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

⁴⁴Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

⁴⁵Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

⁴⁶Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

⁴⁷But Solomon built him an house.

⁴⁸Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

⁴⁹Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

⁵⁰Hath not my hand made all these things?

⁵¹Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

⁵²Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

⁵³Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

⁵⁴When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly 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 on the right hand of God.

⁵⁷Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

⁵⁸And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.

⁵⁹And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

⁶⁰And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.