| NET Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then the high priest said, "Are these things true?" | 1"Are these things true?" the high priest asked. |
| 2So he replied, "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, | 2"Brothers and fathers," he replied, "listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, |
| 3and said to him, 'Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.' | 3and said to him: Leave your country and relatives, and come to the land that I will show you. |
| 4Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God made him move to this country where you now live. | 4"Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living. |
| 5He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child. | 5He didn't give him an inheritance in it--not even a foot of ground--but he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless. |
| 6But God spoke as follows: 'Your descendants will be foreigners in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. | 6God spoke in this way: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and they would enslave and oppress them for four hundred years. |
| 7But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' said God, 'and after these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.' | 7I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, God said. After this, they will come out and worship me in this place. |
| 8Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. | 8And so he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. After this, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. |
| 9The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him, | 9"The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him |
| 10and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. | 10and rescued him out of all his troubles. He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole household. |
| 11Then a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. | 11Now a famine and great suffering came over all of Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find no food. |
| 12So when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time. | 12When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time. |
| 13On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. | 13The second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. |
| 14So Joseph sent a message and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people in all. | 14Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five people in all, |
| 15So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, along with our ancestors, | 15and Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there, |
| 16and their bones were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. | 16were carried back to Shechem, and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. |
| 17"But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, the people increased greatly in number in Egypt, | 17"As the time was approaching to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt |
| 18until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt. | 18until a different king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt. |
| 19This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. | 19He dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them abandon their infants outside so that they wouldn't survive. |
| 20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house, | 20At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God's sight. He was cared for in his father's home for three months. |
| 21and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. | 21When he was put outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted and raised him as her own son. |
| 22So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds. | 22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions. |
| 23But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites. | 23"When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. |
| 24When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. | 24When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. |
| 25He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand. | 25He assumed his people would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. |
| 26The next day Moses saw two men fighting, and tried to make peace between them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?' | 26The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?' |
| 27But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and judge over us? | 27"But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying: Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? |
| 28You don't want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' | 28Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday? |
| 29When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. | 29"When he heard this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. |
| 30"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. | 30After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. |
| 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, | 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came: |
| 32I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. | 32I am the God of your ancestors--the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. |
| 33But the Lord said to him, 'Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. | 33"The Lord said to him: Take off the sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. |
| 34I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.' | 34I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt. |
| 35This same Moses they had rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and judge?' God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. | 35"This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge? --this one God sent as a ruler and a deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. |
| 36This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. | 36This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. |
| 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.' | 37"This is the Moses who said to the Israelites: God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers and sisters. |
| 38This is the man who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to you. | 38He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us. |
| 39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, | 39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. |
| 40saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt--we do not know what has happened to him!' | 40They told Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what's happened to him. |
| 41At that time they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing in the works of their hands. | 41They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made. |
| 42But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel? | 42God turned away and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness? |
| 43But you took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon.' | 43You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. |
| 44Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen. | 44"Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. |
| 45Our ancestors received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, until the time of David. | 45Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David. |
| 46He found favor with God and asked that he could find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. | 46He found favor in God's sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. |
| 47But Solomon built a house for him. | 47It was Solomon, rather, who built him a house, |
| 48Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says, | 48but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: |
| 49Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is my resting place? | 49Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what will be my resting place? |
| 50Did my hand not make all these things?' | 50Did not my hand make all these things? |
| 51"You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did! | 51"You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. |
| 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! | 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. |
| 53You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it." | 53You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it." |
| 54When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him. | 54When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. |
| 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. | 55Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. |
| 56"Look!" he said. "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" | 56He said, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" |
| 57But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. | 57They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. |
| 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. | 58They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. |
| 59They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" | 59While they were stoning Stephen, he called out: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" |
| 60Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" When he had said this, he died. | 60He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And after saying this, he died. |
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