Acts:7

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* THE High Priest said , "Are these things true ?" * Stephen said : "Brethren and Fathers , listen . The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia , before he lived in Haran , * and said to him , 'Leave your land and your kindred and go into whatever land I shall show you .' * Then he came out from the land of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran . From there , after the death of his father , God removed him into this land in which you now live , * but he did not give him any inheritance in it , not even a foot of it . Still he promised to give it as a possession to him and to his descendants after him , though at that time he had no child . * God spoke thus , 'His descendants will sojourn in a land not their own , and they will be enslaved and maltreated four hundred years .' * And God said , 'That nation by which they are enslaved I will judge , and after that they shall come out and serve me in this place .' * God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision . So Abraham circumcised his son Isaac on the eighth day , and Isaac circumcised his son Jacob , and Jacob circumcised his sons , the twelve patriarchs . * "The patriarchs becoming jealous of Joseph sold him into Egypt . But God was with him * and delivered him out of all his trials , and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh , king of Egypt , who made him governor over the land of Egypt and all his own house . * Then there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan , and great distress , and our fathers found no food . * When Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt he sent our fathers the first time . * On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers , and Joseph 's family was made known to Pharaoh . * Then Joseph sent and invited down Jacob his father and all his relatives , seventy-five persons , * and Jacob went down into Egypt and died there \'97 he and our fathers . * They were brought to Shechem and buried in the tomb which Abraham bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem . * "As the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham , the people grew and multiplied in Egypt * until there arose to rule over Egypt a different king , who did not know Joseph . * He adopted a crafty policy toward our race and oppressed our fathers , forcing them to expose their babes so that they should not be kept alive . * "At that time Moses was born , and was beautiful in God 's sight . For three months he was cared for in his father 's house . * When he had been exposed , Pharaoh 's daughter took him up and reared him as her own son . * Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was strong in words and in deeds . * When he reached the age of forty years it came into his heart to look after his brethren , the children of Israel . * Seeing one of them being wronged , he defended him and did justice for the injured man by striking down the Egyptian . * He thought that his brethren knew that God would give them freedom through his hand . But they did not understand it . * On the next day Moses appeared when two of them were fighting , and tried to make peace between them , saying , 'Men , you are brethren . Why are you injuring each other ?' * But he who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away , saying , 'Who appointed you a ruler and judge over us ? * Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday ?' * At that word Moses fled and became a sojourner in the land of Midian , and there he had two sons . * "When forty years had passed , an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flames of a burning bush . * When Moses saw the sight he was astonished , but as he was approaching to look closely , the voice of the Lord was heard , * 'I am the God of your fathers , the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob .' Then Moses trembled and did not dare to look closely . * The Lord said to him , 'Loose your sandals from your feet , for the place on which you are standing is holy ground . * I have plainly seen the distress of my people in Egypt and I have heard their groans and have come down to deliver them . Come now and I will send you to Egypt .' * "This Moses whom they disowned , saying , 'Who made you a ruler and judge ?' \'97 this man God sent as ruler and deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush . * This man led them out , doing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years . * This is the Moses who said , 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brethren .' * This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness , with the angel who spoke to him in Mount Sinai and with our fathers , and he received the living words to give to us . * Our fathers would not obey him , but thrust him away and turned back in their hearts toward Egypt , * saying to Aaron , 'Make us gods to lead us ; for this Moses , who led us out of the land of Egypt \'97 we do not know what has become of him .' * And they made the image of a calf in those days and brought sacrifices to the idol and rejoiced in the work of their own hands . * So God turned and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven , as it is written in the book of the prophets , 'Did you offer to me slaughtered animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness , O house of Israel ? * No , you carried the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan , the images that you made for worship . Therefore I will remove you beyond Babylon .' * "In the wilderness our fathers had the Tent of the Testimony made as he who spoke to Moses directed , according to the model which he had seen . * This Tent our fathers who were with Joshua received in their turn and brought into the land of the nations whom God drove out from before our fathers , and it remained until the days of David . * He found favor with God and prayed that he might provide a temple for the house of Israel . * But Solomon built for him a house . * Yet the Most High does not dwell in buildings made by hands ; as the prophet says , * 'Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool . What sort of house will you build for me , says the Lord , or what is my place of rest ? * Did not my hand make all these things ?' * "You stiff-necked men , uncircumcised in hearts and ears , you always resist the Holy Spirit ! As your fathers did , so do you . * Which one of the prophets did not your fathers persecute ? Yes , they killed those who announced in advance the coming of the righteous one of whom now you have become the betrayers and murderers \'97 * you who received the law as it was transmitted by angels and have not kept it ." * As they listened to these things they were cut to the heart and ground their teeth at him . * But he being full of the Holy Spirit looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God , and Jesus standing at God 's right hand , * and he said , "I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at God 's right hand !" * With a great shout they stopped their ears and rushed upon him with one purpose , * and hurried him out of the city and stoned him . The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul . * They stoned Stephen as he was praying and saying , "Lord Jesus , receive my spirit ." * Kneeling he cried aloud , "Lord , do not lay up this sin against them !" After saying this he fell asleep .

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