Stephen's Speech to the Council

7 Then the high priest said, “Are these accusations true?” 2 Stephen said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Leave yoʋr land and yoʋr relatives, and go to [fn]a land I will show yoʋ.’ 4 Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. After his father died, God relocated him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 He gave him no inheritance in it, not even the length of a footstep, but promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. 6 God told him that his descendants would be sojourners in a foreign land, and that the people of that land would enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation whom they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and serve me in this place.’ 8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9 “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions. He gave Joseph favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so Pharaoh appointed him as ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Then a famine came upon all [fn]the land of Egypt and Canaan, along with great suffering, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers out the first time. 13 On their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers [fn]again, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and called for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five people in all. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, and there he died, he and our fathers. 16 Later their bodies were moved to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of [fn]Hamor, the father of Shechem.

17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had [fn]sworn to Abraham, our people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until there arose another [fn]king who did not know Joseph. 19 This king dealt shrewdly with our people and mistreated our fathers, making them abandon their newborn babies so that they would not survive. 20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God's sight. For three months he was brought up in his father's house, 21 and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter took him in and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in [fn]words and deeds.

23 “When Moses reached forty years of age, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 When he saw one of them being wronged, he came to the aid of the man who was being oppressed and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. 25 Moses assumed that his brothers would understand that God was granting them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting and [fn]urged them to make peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting each other?’ 27 But the one who was hurting his neighbor thrust Moses aside and said, ‘Who appointed yoʋ to be a ruler and judge over us? 28 Do yoʋ want to kill me as yoʋ killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this remark Moses fled and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30 “After forty years had passed, an angel [fn]of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he drew near to look at it, the voice of the Lord came [fn]to him: 32 ‘I am the God of yoʋr fathers, the God of [fn]Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from yoʋr feet, for the place where yoʋ are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send yoʋ to Egypt.’

35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who appointed yoʋ to be a ruler and judge?’ He is the one God sent as [fn]a ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He is the one who led them out, performing wonders and signs in [fn]the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the same Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘[fn]The Lord our God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your [fn]brothers.’ 38 This is the man who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received [fn]a living word to give to [fn]us. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us, for we do not know what has happened to this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt.’ 41 In those days they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced at the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away from them and gave them up to serve the host of heaven, just as it is written in the book of the prophets:

‘Was it to me that you offered slain beasts and sacrifices

for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

43 You took up the tabernacle of Molech

and the star of [fn]your god [fn]Remphan,

the images you made so that you could worship them,

so I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 “[fn]Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as God had directed when he spoke to Moses and told him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Receiving it in turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations whom God drove out from their presence. It remained there until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God and asked if he could provide a dwelling place for the [fn]God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in [fn]temples made by hands, just as the prophet says,

49 ‘Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

What house will you build for me, says the Lord,

or what place is there for my rest?

50 Has not my hand made all these things?’

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in [fn]heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, 53 you who received the law as ordained by angels yet have not kept it.”