Stephen makes answer to his accusation, rebukes the hard-necked Jews, and is stoned to death.
7 Then the chief priest said, Is it really so?
2 And Stephen said, Men, brethren and fathers, hearken to: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was yet in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, Come out of the country and away from your kindred, and come into the land that I will show you.
4 Then he came out of the land of Chaldea, and dwelt in Haran. And after that, as soon as his father was dead, God brought him into this land, in which you now dwell. 5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, no not the breadth of a foot, but promised that he would give it to him to possess, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
6 God spoke in this way: that his seed would be a dweller in a strange land, and that they would keep them in bondage and ill-treat them for four hundred years. 7 But the nation to whom they will be in bondage, I will judge, said God. And after that, they will come forth and serve me in this place. 8 And he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. And Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, having indignation, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him, 10 and delivered him out of all his adversities, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household.
11 Then there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was wheat in Egypt, he sent our fathers a first time, 13 and then a second time, when Joseph made himself known to his brethren, and Joseph’s kindred was made known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and caused his father to be brought, and all his kin: seventy-five souls. 15 And Jacob descended into Egypt. And he died, both he and our fathers, 16 and were carried back into Shechem, and were put in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for money from the sons of Hamor at Shechem.
17 When the time of the promise drew near (which God had sworn to Abraham), the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 till another king arose who did not know of Joseph. 19 This king dealt treacherously with our kindred, and ill-treated our fathers, and compelled them to cast out their young children so that they would not remain alive. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was loved by God. He was nursed in his father’s house for three months. 21 When he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and reared him as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was strong in deeds and in words.
23 And when he was fully forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged the quarrel of him who had the harm done to him, and killed the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed his brethren would understand that God by his hands would save them. But they did not understand.
26 And the next day, he appeared to them as they were fighting, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, you are brethren; why do you hurt one another? 27 But the man who was doing his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge among us? 28 What, will you kill me like you did the Egyptian yesterday?
29 Then at those words, Moses fled, and was a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.
30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came to him: 32 I am the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have well seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and have come down to deliver them. And now, come, and I will send you into Egypt.
35 This Moses – whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? – is the one God sent both a ruler and deliverer by the hands of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 And this Moses brought them out, showing wonders and signs in Egypt and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you must hear.
38 This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel, who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers. This man received the word of life to give to us – 39 to whom our fathers could not pay heed, but cast it from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, Make us gods to go before us! As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.
41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then God turned himself, and gave them up to worship the stars of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets: O ye of the house of Israel, did you give to me sacrifices and offerings during forty years in the desert? 43 And you took to yourself the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures that you made, to worship them. And I will send you away beyond Babylon.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed them, telling Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Which tabernacle our fathers received and brought with Joshua into the lands held by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the time of David. 46 David found favour before God, and desired to make a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house.
48 However, he that is highest of all does not dwell in temples made with hands, as says the prophet: 49 Heaven is my seat, and earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord? Or what place is it that I should rest in? 50 Has not my hand made all these things?
51 You stiff-necked people, and of uncircumcised hearts and ears! You have always resisted the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who told before of the coming of the Just One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered. 53 And you also have received a law by the ordinance of angels, and have not kept it.
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly with his eyes into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. 56 And he said, Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they gave a shout with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him all at once, 58 and cast him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, who was calling on the Lord and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! 60 And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge! And when he had thus spoken, he fell asleep.
