Then the high priest asked (Stephen) , vvv “ Are these (charges) true ? ”
And - (Stephen) declared : vvv “ 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 ,
and told ... him , ‘ Leave ... your - country and - your - kindred and go to the land - - I will show you.’
(So) (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 vvv where you {are} now living.
- He gave him no inheritance vvv (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.
- - God told (him) - that his - descendants would be foreigners in a strange land , and (that) they would be enslaved ... and mistreated four hundred years.
‘ (But) I will punish the nation (that) vvv enslaves them , ’ - God said , ‘ and afterward ... they will come forth and worship Me in this - place.’
Then (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.
(Because) the patriarchs were jealous - of Joseph , they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But - God was with him
and 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.
Then famine and great suffering swept vvv across - Egypt and Canaan , and our - fathers vvv could not find food.
(When) Jacob heard that (there) was grain in Egypt , he sent our - fathers (on their) first (visit).
- On (their) second (visit) , Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers , and - (his) - family became known - to Pharaoh.
Then Joseph sent for ... his - father Jacob and all (his) relatives , seventy-five ... ... in all.
(So) Jacob went down to Egypt , (where) he and our - fathers died.
(Their 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.
- As the time drew near for - God - (to fulfill) His promise ... - to Abraham , (our) people in Egypt increased - greatly in number.
Then ... another king , who knew nothing - of Joseph , arose over Egypt.
He exploited our - people (and) oppressed our - fathers - , forcing (them) to abandon their - infants so ... vvv they would die.
At 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.
(When) he was set outside , Pharaoh’s - daughter took him ... and brought him up ... as her own son.
So Moses was educated in all (the) wisdom of (the) Egyptians and was powerful in - speech and action.
- When (Moses) (was) forty years (old) , he decided ... ... ... ... to visit his - brothers , the children of Israel.
And when he saw one (of them) being mistreated , (Moses) went to his defense and vvv avenged (him) by striking down the Egyptian - who was oppressing (him).
- He assumed - his brothers would understand that - God vvv vvv was using him vvv vvv to deliver them , but - vvv (they did not).
- The next day he came upon (two Israelites who) were fighting , - and he tried to reconcile them ... ... ... , saying , ‘ Men , you are brothers. vvv Why are you mistreating each other ? ’
But the (man who) was abusing (his) neighbor pushed (Moses) aside ... (and) said , ‘ Who made you ruler and judge over us ?
{Do} you vvv want to kill me ... as ... you killed the Egyptian yesterday ?’
- At this - reMark - , Moses fled to (the) land of Midian , where - he lived as a foreigner (and) had two sons.
(After) forty years had passed , an angel appeared to (Moses) in (the) flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
(When) - Moses saw (it) , he marveled at the sight. - (As) he approached to look (more closely) , (the) voice of (the) Lord came (to him) :
‘ I (am) the God of your - fathers , the God of Abraham , - Isaac , and Jacob.’ - Moses vvv trembled with fear vvv (and) did not dare to look.
Then the Lord said to him , ‘ Take off ... ... ... (your) sandals , for the place vvv where you are standing is holy ground.
I 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.’
This - 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.
(He) led them out ... (and) performed wonders and signs in (the) land of Egypt , - at (the) Red Sea , and (for) forty years in the wilderness.
This is the (same) Moses who told the vvv Israelites , - ‘ God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your - brothers.’
(He) - - 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.
(But) our - fathers refused ... to obey (him). Instead , they rejected (him) and in their - hearts turned back to Egypt.
They said - to Aaron , ‘ Make us gods who will go before us ! As for this - Moses who led us ... out of (the) land of Egypt , vvv we do not know what has happened to him.’
At that - time - they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol , - rejoicing in the works of their hands.
But - 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 : vvv ‘ Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness , O house of Israel ?
- You 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.’
Our 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.
And our - fathers who received it brought (it in) with Joshua - (when) - they dispossessed the nations - - God drove out before ... ... vvv (them). (It remained) until the time of David ,
who found favor in the sight - of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
But (it was) Solomon (who) built (the) house for Him.
However , the Most High {does} not dwell in (houses) made by human hands. As the prophet says :
‘ - Heaven (is) My throne and the earth vvv vvv (is) My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me , says (the) Lord , or where (will) - My place of repose (be) ?
{Has} not My - hand made all these things ?’
(You) stiff-necked (people) (with) uncircumcised hearts and - ears ! You always resist the - Holy Spirit , - just as your - fathers (did).
Which of the prophets {did} your - fathers fail to persecute ? vvv They even killed those who foretold ... the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are (His) betrayers and murderers —
(you) who received the law ordained by angels , yet vvv have not kept (it). ”
- On hearing this , (the members of the Sanhedrin) were enraged ... ... ... , and they gnashed (their) teeth at him.
But (Stephen) , full vvv of (the) Holy Spirit , looked intently into - heaven (and) saw (the) glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand - of God.
“ Look , ” - he said , “ I see - heaven open and the Son - of Man standing at the right (hand) - of God. ”
At this they covered their - ears , cried out vvv in a loud voice , and rushed together at him.
- They 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.
(While) they were stoning (him) - , Stephen appealed ... ... , “ Lord Jesus , receive my - spirit. ”
- Falling 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.