MLV(i)
1 Now the high-priest said, Do these things then hold so?
2 Now he said, Brethren 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, Come out of your land and from your relatives and come-here into the land whatever I will be showing you. 4 Then when he came out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran and after his father died, God exiled him from there into this land in which you are now dwelling. 5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a step of his foot, and he promised to give it to him and to his seed after him for his territory, even when there was no child yet to him. 6 Now God spoke thus: That his seed will be a foreigner in an alien land, and they will enslave and will be mistreating them four hundred years. 7 And God said, I will be judging the nation to which they would be enslaved, and they will be coming forth and will be giving-divine service to me in this place after this thing. 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision and so he fathered Isaac and he circumcised him on the eighth day, and to Isaac was born Jacob and to Jacob the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, having been jealous of Joseph, gave him into Egypt. And God was with him, 10 and liberated him from all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom in front of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who designated him leader over Egypt and his whole house. 11 Now there came a famine and great affliction upon the whole of Egypt and Canaan and our fathers were finding no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard of grain being in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. 13 And by the second-time, Joseph was recognized by his brethren, and Joseph’s race became apparent to the Pharaoh. 14 But Joseph himself, having sent them, called Jacob, his father, and all the relatives, seventy five souls. 15 Now Jacob went down into Egypt and is dead, he himself and our fathers; 16 and were transferred to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham purchased for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 17 Now just-as the time of the promise was drawing near, which God swore to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 till there rose up a different king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 19 This one dealt craftily with our race and mistreated our fathers, making them place their babies outside in the elements, that they might not live. 20 In which season, Moses was born and was handsome to God, and he was nourished three months in his father’s house. 21 Now when he had been placed outside in the elements, Pharaoh’s daughter took him for herself and reared him for her own son.
22 Now Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in his words and works. 23 Now as the time of forty years was being fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 And seeing a certain one of them being hurt, he retaliated and did the avenging for the one who was subjugated, and struck the Egyptian; 25 and he was supposing that his brethren understood that God is giving them salvation through his hand. But they did not understand. 26 And he appeared the next day to those who were quarreling and drove them to make peace, having said, Men, you are brethren! Why are you wronging one another? 27 But he who hurt his neighbor thrust him away and said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice over us? 28 You do not wish to assassinate me in the manner you assassinated the Egyptian yesterday, do you?
29 But at this speech, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him. 30 Now when forty years were fulfilled, a messenger of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire from a bush. 31 But when Moses saw it, he was marveling at the vision of it, and when he came near to consider what it was, there came a voice of the Lord to him, 32 I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And the trembling Moses came, and was not daring to consider what it was. 33 Now the Lord said to him, Loose the shoes from your feet; for the place in which you are standing is holy land. 34 Having seen, I saw the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning and I have come down to liberate them. And now come-here, I will be sending you into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they deny, having said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice? God sent this one as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand of the messenger who was seen by him in the bush. 36 This one led them out, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is that Moses, who said to the sons of Israel, The Lord our God will raise up to you a prophet out of your brethren, like me. 38 This is he who came to be in the congregation in the wilderness with the messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and from our fathers. This is he who accepted the living word to give to us; 39 to whom our fathers willed not to become obedient, but thrust him from themselves and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40 saying to Aaron, Make us gods that will travel before us. For this Moses, who led us forth 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 led a sacrifice to the idol and were being joyous in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned and gave them up to give-divine service to the army of heaven; just-as it has been written in the book of the prophets, ‘You did not offer slaughtered beasts and sacrifices to me for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel, did you? 43 And you took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Remphan, the patterns which you made to worship and I will be exiling you past Babylon.’ 44 The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, just-as he, who spoke to Moses, commanded him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers, having accepted in succession, brought in with Joshua, in the territory of the nations, that God thrust out away from the face of our fathers, until the days of David. 46 David, who found favor in God’s sight, asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house. 48 But the Highest is not dwelling in temples made with hands; just-as the prophet says, 49 ‘The heaven is my throne and the earth the footstool of my feet. What sort of house will you be building me? says the Lord. Or what is the place of my rest? 50 Did my hand not make all these things?’
51 You are stiff-necked and non-circumcised in heart and ears. You are habitually defying the Holy Spirit, like your fathers, like you also! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who proclaimed beforehand God’s message concerning the coming of the Righteous One; of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. 53 You who received the law at the commandment from God’s messengers and did not observe it.
54 Now hearing these things, they were being infuriated in their hearts and they were gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But possessing the full ness of the Holy Spirit, he stared into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, Behold, I am viewing the heavens that have been opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. 57 But having cried out with a loud voice, they held their ears, and united, rushed upon him; 58 and they cast him outside the city and were stoning him. And the witnesses placed their garments beside the feet of a young-man called Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen, who was calling upon the Lord, saying, Lord Jesus, accept my spirit. 60 Now having placed his knees down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not weigh this, their sin, to them. And having said this, he fell-asleep.
2 Now he said, Brethren 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, Come out of your land and from your relatives and come-here into the land whatever I will be showing you. 4 Then when he came out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran and after his father died, God exiled him from there into this land in which you are now dwelling. 5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a step of his foot, and he promised to give it to him and to his seed after him for his territory, even when there was no child yet to him. 6 Now God spoke thus: That his seed will be a foreigner in an alien land, and they will enslave and will be mistreating them four hundred years. 7 And God said, I will be judging the nation to which they would be enslaved, and they will be coming forth and will be giving-divine service to me in this place after this thing. 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision and so he fathered Isaac and he circumcised him on the eighth day, and to Isaac was born Jacob and to Jacob the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, having been jealous of Joseph, gave him into Egypt. And God was with him, 10 and liberated him from all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom in front of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who designated him leader over Egypt and his whole house. 11 Now there came a famine and great affliction upon the whole of Egypt and Canaan and our fathers were finding no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard of grain being in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. 13 And by the second-time, Joseph was recognized by his brethren, and Joseph’s race became apparent to the Pharaoh. 14 But Joseph himself, having sent them, called Jacob, his father, and all the relatives, seventy five souls. 15 Now Jacob went down into Egypt and is dead, he himself and our fathers; 16 and were transferred to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham purchased for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 17 Now just-as the time of the promise was drawing near, which God swore to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 till there rose up a different king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 19 This one dealt craftily with our race and mistreated our fathers, making them place their babies outside in the elements, that they might not live. 20 In which season, Moses was born and was handsome to God, and he was nourished three months in his father’s house. 21 Now when he had been placed outside in the elements, Pharaoh’s daughter took him for herself and reared him for her own son.
22 Now Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in his words and works. 23 Now as the time of forty years was being fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24 And seeing a certain one of them being hurt, he retaliated and did the avenging for the one who was subjugated, and struck the Egyptian; 25 and he was supposing that his brethren understood that God is giving them salvation through his hand. But they did not understand. 26 And he appeared the next day to those who were quarreling and drove them to make peace, having said, Men, you are brethren! Why are you wronging one another? 27 But he who hurt his neighbor thrust him away and said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice over us? 28 You do not wish to assassinate me in the manner you assassinated the Egyptian yesterday, do you?
29 But at this speech, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him. 30 Now when forty years were fulfilled, a messenger of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire from a bush. 31 But when Moses saw it, he was marveling at the vision of it, and when he came near to consider what it was, there came a voice of the Lord to him, 32 I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And the trembling Moses came, and was not daring to consider what it was. 33 Now the Lord said to him, Loose the shoes from your feet; for the place in which you are standing is holy land. 34 Having seen, I saw the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning and I have come down to liberate them. And now come-here, I will be sending you into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they deny, having said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice? God sent this one as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand of the messenger who was seen by him in the bush. 36 This one led them out, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is that Moses, who said to the sons of Israel, The Lord our God will raise up to you a prophet out of your brethren, like me. 38 This is he who came to be in the congregation in the wilderness with the messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and from our fathers. This is he who accepted the living word to give to us; 39 to whom our fathers willed not to become obedient, but thrust him from themselves and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 40 saying to Aaron, Make us gods that will travel before us. For this Moses, who led us forth 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 led a sacrifice to the idol and were being joyous in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned and gave them up to give-divine service to the army of heaven; just-as it has been written in the book of the prophets, ‘You did not offer slaughtered beasts and sacrifices to me for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel, did you? 43 And you took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Remphan, the patterns which you made to worship and I will be exiling you past Babylon.’ 44 The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, just-as he, who spoke to Moses, commanded him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers, having accepted in succession, brought in with Joshua, in the territory of the nations, that God thrust out away from the face of our fathers, until the days of David. 46 David, who found favor in God’s sight, asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house. 48 But the Highest is not dwelling in temples made with hands; just-as the prophet says, 49 ‘The heaven is my throne and the earth the footstool of my feet. What sort of house will you be building me? says the Lord. Or what is the place of my rest? 50 Did my hand not make all these things?’
51 You are stiff-necked and non-circumcised in heart and ears. You are habitually defying the Holy Spirit, like your fathers, like you also! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who proclaimed beforehand God’s message concerning the coming of the Righteous One; of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. 53 You who received the law at the commandment from God’s messengers and did not observe it.
54 Now hearing these things, they were being infuriated in their hearts and they were gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But possessing the full ness of the Holy Spirit, he stared into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, Behold, I am viewing the heavens that have been opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. 57 But having cried out with a loud voice, they held their ears, and united, rushed upon him; 58 and they cast him outside the city and were stoning him. And the witnesses placed their garments beside the feet of a young-man called Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen, who was calling upon the Lord, saying, Lord Jesus, accept my spirit. 60 Now having placed his knees down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not weigh this, their sin, to them. And having said this, he fell-asleep.