Acts 7

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Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

¹Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεύς Εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει

¹Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

²Ὁ δὲ ἔφη Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες ἀκούσατε Ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ὤφθη τῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ ὄντι ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ πρὶν ἢ κατοικῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐν Χαρράν

²And Stephen declared: “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,

³καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ δεῦρο εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω

³and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’^a

⁴τότε ἐξελθὼν ἐκ γῆς Χαλδαίων κατῴκησεν ἐν Χαρράν κἀκεῖθεν μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ μετῴκισεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην εἰς ἣν ὑμεῖς νῦν κατοικεῖτε

⁴So 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 where you are now living.

⁵Καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ κληρονομίαν ἐν αὐτῇ οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδός καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο δοῦναι αὐτῷ εἰς κατάσχεσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτόν οὐκ ὄντος αὐτῷ τέκνου

⁵He gave him no inheritance 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.

⁶ἐλάλησεν δὲ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ πάροικον ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ κακώσουσιν ἔτη τετρακόσια

⁶God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

⁷Καὶ τὸ ἔθνος ᾧ ἐὰν δουλεύσουσιν κρινῶ ἐγώ ὁ Θεὸς εἶπεν Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται καὶ λατρεύσουσίν μοι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ

⁷‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’^a

⁸Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ διαθήκην περιτομῆς καὶ οὕτως ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ περιέτεμεν αὐτὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακώβ καὶ Ἰακὼβ τοὺς δώδεκα πατριάρχας

⁸Then 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.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

⁹Καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαι ζηλώσαντες τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἀπέδοντο εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἦν ὁ Θεὸς μετ’ αὐτοῦ

⁹Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

¹⁰καὶ ἐξείλατο αὐτὸν ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ χάριν καὶ σοφίαν ἐναντίον Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἡγούμενον ἐπ’ Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐφ’ ὅλον τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ

¹⁰and 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.

¹¹Ἦλθεν δὲ λιμὸς ἐφ’ ὅλην τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Χανάαν καὶ θλῖψις μεγάλη καὶ οὐχ ηὕρισκον χορτάσματα οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν

¹¹Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

¹²ἀκούσας δὲ Ἰακὼβ ὄντα σιτία εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐξαπέστειλεν τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν πρῶτον

¹²When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.

¹³καὶ ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἀνεγνωρίσθη Ἰωσὴφ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ φανερὸν ἐγένετο τῷ Φαραὼ τὸ γένος τοῦ Ἰωσήφ

¹³On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to^a his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

¹⁴ἀποστείλας δὲ Ἰωσὴφ μετεκαλέσατο Ἰακὼβ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν ἐν ψυχαῖς ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε

¹⁴Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

¹⁵Καὶ κατέβη Ἰακὼβ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν

¹⁵So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.

¹⁶καὶ μετετέθησαν εἰς Συχὲμ καὶ ἐτέθησαν ἐν τῷ μνήματι ᾧ ὠνήσατο Ἀβραὰμ τιμῆς ἀργυρίου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἑμμὼρ ἐν Συχέμ

¹⁶Their bones were carried back^a 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.

¹⁷Καθὼς δὲ ἤγγιζεν ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἧς ὡμολόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ ηὔξησεν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ

¹⁷As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

¹⁸ἄχρι οὗ ἀνέστη βασιλεὺς ἕτερος ἐπ’ Αἴγυπτον ὃς οὐκ ᾔδει τὸν Ἰωσήφ

¹⁸Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.

¹⁹οὗτος κατασοφισάμενος τὸ γένος ἡμῶν ἐκάκωσεν τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰ βρέφη ἔκθετα αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ζωογονεῖσθαι

¹⁹He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

²⁰Ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ ἐγεννήθη Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἦν ἀστεῖος τῷ Θεῷ ὃς ἀνετράφη μῆνας τρεῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός

²⁰At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God.^a For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.

²¹ἐκτεθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀνείλατο αὐτὸν ἡ θυγάτηρ Φαραὼ καὶ ἀνεθρέψατο αὐτὸν ἑαυτῇ εἰς υἱόν

²¹When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.

²²καὶ ἐπαιδεύθη Μωϋσῆς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων ἦν δὲ δυνατὸς ἐν λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις αὐτοῦ

²²So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

²³Ὡς δὲ ἐπληροῦτο αὐτῷ τεσσερακονταέτης χρόνος ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ

²³When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

²⁴καὶ ἰδών τινα ἀδικούμενον ἠμύνατο καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐκδίκησιν τῷ καταπονουμένῳ πατάξας τὸν Αἰγύπτιον

²⁴And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.

²⁵ἐνόμιζεν δὲ συνιέναι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς διὰ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ δίδωσιν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖς οἱ δὲ οὐ συνῆκαν

²⁵He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

²⁶Τῇ τε ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς μαχομένοις καὶ συνήλλασσεν αὐτοὺς εἰς εἰρήνην εἰπών Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί ἐστε ἱνα‿ τί ἀδικεῖτε ἀλλήλους

²⁶The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’

²⁷Ὁ δὲ ἀδικῶν τὸν πλησίον ἀπώσατο αὐτὸν εἰπών Τίς σε κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστὴν ἐφ’ ἡμῶν

²⁷But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?

²⁸μὴ ἀνελεῖν με σὺ θέλεις ὃν τρόπον ἀνεῖλες ἐχθὲς τὸν Αἰγύπτιον

²⁸Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’^a

²⁹ἔφυγεν δὲ Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ καὶ ἐγένετο πάροικος ἐν γῇ Μαδιάμ οὗ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς δύο

²⁹At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.

The Call of Moses

³⁰Καὶ πληρωθέντων ἐτῶν τεσσεράκοντα ὤφθη αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοῦ ὄρους Σινᾶ ἄγγελος ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς βάτου

³⁰After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

³¹ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς ἰδὼν ἐθαύμαζεν τὸ ὅραμα προσερχομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ κατανοῆσαι ἐγένετο φωνὴ Κυρίου

³¹When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:

³²Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων σου ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ ἔντρομος δὲ γενόμενος Μωϋσῆς οὐκ ἐτόλμα κατανοῆσαι

³²‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’^a Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

³³Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος Λῦσον τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν σου ὁ γὰρ τόπος ἐφ’ ᾧ ἕστηκας γῆ ἁγία ἐστίν

³³Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

³⁴ἰδὼν εἶδον τὴν κάκωσιν τοῦ λαοῦ μου τοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἤκουσα καὶ κατέβην ἐξελέσθαι αὐτούς καὶ νῦν δεῦρο ἀποστείλω σε εἰς Αἴγυπτον

³⁴I 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.’^a

³⁵Τοῦτον τὸν Μωϋσῆν ὃν ἠρνήσαντο εἰπόντες Τίς σε κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστήν τοῦτον ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἄρχοντα καὶ λυτρωτὴν ἀπέσταλκεν σὺν χειρὶ ἀγγέλου τοῦ ὀφθέντος αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ βάτῳ

³⁵This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’^a is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel^b who appeared to him in the bush.

³⁶οὗτος ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ποιήσας τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ἐν Ἐρυθρᾷ Θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα

³⁶He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

³⁷Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ὁ εἴπας τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ

³⁷This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’^a

³⁸οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ γενόμενος ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μετὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου τοῦ λαλοῦντος αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σινᾶ καὶ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ὃς ἐδέξατο λόγια ζῶντα δοῦναι ἡμῖν

³⁸He 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.^a

The Rebellion of Israel

³⁹ᾧ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ὑπήκοοι γενέσθαι οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ ἀπώσαντο καὶ ἐστράφησαν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον

³⁹But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

⁴⁰εἰπόντες τῷ Ἀαρών Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ Μωϋσῆς οὗτος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί ἐγένετο αὐτῷ

⁴⁰They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’^a

⁴¹Καὶ ἐμοσχοποίησαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ ἀνήγαγον θυσίαν τῷ εἰδώλῳ καὶ εὐφραίνοντο ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν

⁴¹At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

⁴²ἔστρεψεν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς λατρεύειν τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν προφητῶν Μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ οἶκος Ἰσραήλ

⁴²But 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:

‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings

forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

⁴³καὶ ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Μολὸχ καὶ τὸ ἄστρον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν Ῥαιφάν τοὺς τύπους οὓς ἐποιήσατε προσκυνεῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ μετοικιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐπέκεινα Βαβυλῶνος

⁴³You 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.’^a

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

⁴⁴Ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἦν τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καθὼς διετάξατο ὁ λαλῶν τῷ Μωϋσῇ ποιῆσαι αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸν τύπον ὃν ἑωράκει

⁴⁴Our 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.

⁴⁵ἣν καὶ εἰσήγαγον διαδεξάμενοι οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν μετὰ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῇ κατασχέσει τῶν ἐθνῶν ὧν ἐξῶσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἕως τῶν ἡμερῶν Δαυίδ

⁴⁵And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

⁴⁶ὃς εὗρεν χάριν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ᾐτήσατο εὑρεῖν σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ

⁴⁶who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.^a

⁴⁷Σολομῶν δὲ οἰκοδόμησεν αὐτῷ οἶκον

⁴⁷But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

⁴⁸Ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὁ Ὕψιστος ἐν χειροποιήτοις κατοικεῖ καθὼς ὁ προφήτης λέγει

⁴⁸However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

⁴⁹Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι λέγει Κύριος ἢ τίς τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου

⁴⁹‘Heaven is My throne

and the earth is My footstool.

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

or where will My place of repose be?

⁵⁰οὐχὶ ἡ χείρ μου ἐποίησεν ταῦτα πάντα

⁵⁰Has not My hand made all these things?’^a

⁵¹Σκληροτράχηλοι καὶ ἀπερίτμητοι καρδίαις καὶ τοῖς ὠσίν ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ Ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε ὡς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ ὑμεῖς

⁵¹You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

⁵²τίνα τῶν προφητῶν οὐκ ἐδίωξαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ ἀπέκτειναν τοὺς προκαταγγείλαντας περὶ τῆς ἐλεύσεως τοῦ Δικαίου οὗ νῦν ὑμεῖς προδόται καὶ φονεῖς ἐγένεσθε

⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

⁵³οἵτινες ἐλάβετε τὸν νόμον εἰς διαταγὰς ἀγγέλων καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξατε

⁵³you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴Ἀκούοντες δὲ ταῦτα διεπρίοντο ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν καὶ ἔβρυχον τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐπ’ αὐτόν

⁵⁴On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged,^a and they gnashed their teeth at him.

⁵⁵ὑπάρχων δὲ πλήρης Πνεύματος Ἁγίου ἀτενίσας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶδεν δόξαν Θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦν ἑστῶτα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ

⁵⁵But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

⁵⁶καὶ εἶπεν Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διηνοιγμένους καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ Θεοῦ

⁵⁶“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷Κράξαντες δὲ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ συνέσχον τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν καὶ ὥρμησαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπ’ αὐτόν

⁵⁷At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.

⁵⁸καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐλιθοβόλουν καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἀπέθεντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας νεανίου καλουμένου Σαύλου

⁵⁸They 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.

⁵⁹Καὶ ἐλιθοβόλουν τὸν Στέφανον ἐπικαλούμενον καὶ λέγοντα Κύριε Ἰησοῦ δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου

⁵⁹While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

⁶⁰θεὶς δὲ τὰ γόνατα ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Κύριε μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς ταύτην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐκοιμήθη

⁶⁰Falling 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.