ULT ACTs Chapter 7

7 Then the high priest said, “Are these things thus?” 2 Then he said,

“Men, brothers and fathers, listen to me: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, even before he lived in Haran; 3 and he said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then going out from the land of the Chaldeans, he lived in Haran. And from there, after the death of his father, he brought him into this land, in which you live now. 5 But he did not give him an inheritance in it—not even a footstep. But he promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him—although he did not have a child. 6 But God spoke to him like this, that his seed would be a stranger in a foreign land, and that they would enslave him and treat him badly for 400 years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that will enslave him,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve me in this place.’ 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac, Jacob; and Jacob, the 12 patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, envying Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and he rescued him from all his afflictions, and he gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household. 11 Then came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers did not find food. 12 But having heard there was grain in Egypt, Jacob sent our fathers first. 13 And during the second time, Joseph was made known to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then, sending them back, Joseph summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, in souls 75. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, and he and our fathers died. 16 And they were carried over to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 17 And as the time of the promise that God had sworn to Abraham approached, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. 19 He, exploiting our people, mistreated our fathers, to make their babies exposed, in order not to keep them alive. 20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. He was raised for three months in the house of his father. 21 But when he was exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and raised him for herself as a son. 22 And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and works. 23 But when a 40-year time was filled to him, it came up on his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And seeing a certain one being mistreated, he defended him and made vengeance for the one being oppressed, striking the Egyptian: 25 and he was thinking his brothers would understand that God was giving salvation to them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And on the next day he appeared to them as they were quarreling, and he urged them to peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why is it that you are hurting each other?’ 27 But the one injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 You do not want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 29 Then Moses ran away at this word, and he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons. 30 And 40 years having been filled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 And Moses, seeing it, admired the sight; and as he approached to look, the voice of the Lord came: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.’ And Moses, becoming terrified, did not dare to look. 33 And the Lord said to him, ‘Untie the sandal of your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have certainly seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. And now come, let me send you to Egypt.’ 35 This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?’—this one God sent as both a ruler and a redeemer with the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This one led them out, doing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness during 40 years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up a prophet like me for you from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one having been in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living words to give to us, 39 to whom our fathers were not willing to be obedient; instead, they pushed him away and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go ahead of us. For this Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 41 So they made an image of a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol and rejoiced in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and abandoned them to serve the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets,

‘You did not offer slain beasts and offerings to me

for 40 years in the wilderness, did you, O house of Israel?

43 And you took up the tabernacle of Molech

and the star of your god Rephan—

the images that you made to worship them—

and I will remove you beyond Babylon.’

44 The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, just as the one speaking to Moses had commanded, to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which also our fathers, having received it in turn, brought in with Joshua in the possessing of the nations that God drove out from the face of our fathers, until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God, and he asked to find a dwelling for the house of Jacob.[fn] 47 However, Solomon built the house for him. 48 But the Most High does not live in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,

49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord,

or what is the place for my rest?

50 Did my hand not make all these things?’

51 O stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers, also you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed the ones foretelling about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, 53 who received the law by directions of angels, but did not keep it.”

54 Now hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, looking intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right of God.” 57 But shouting with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him unanimously. 58 And throwing him outside the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid aside their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 But having put down his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And having said this, he fell asleep.

Some ancient manuscripts have the God of Jacob, but the best ancient manuscripts have the house of Jacob.

ACTs C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28