| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Then the high priest said, "Are these things true?" | 1Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?" |
| 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, | 2Stephen replied: "Listen, brothers and fathers! "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while 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.' | 3God told him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll 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. | 4So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. |
| 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. | 5God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. |
| 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. | 6"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 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.' | 7But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, 'and afterwards they will leave 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. | 8Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. |
| 9The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But God was with him, | 9"Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, 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 from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. |
| 11Then a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. | 11"But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. |
| 12So when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there the first time. | 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. |
| 13On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. | 13On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. |
| 14So Joseph sent a message and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people in all. | 14Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt —75 persons in all. |
| 15So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, along with our ancestors, | 15So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. |
| 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. | 16They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants 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"Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. |
| 18until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt. | 18Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of 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. | 19By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. |
| 20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father's house, | 20"At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. |
| 21and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. | 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up 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 learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. |
| 23But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites. | 23"When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. |
| 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 defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. |
| 25He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand. | 25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't 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 presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, 'Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' |
| 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 man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us? |
| 28You don't want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' | 28You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' |
| 29When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. | 29Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had 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. | 30"After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. |
| 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, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, |
| 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, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't 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. | 33Then the Lord told him, 'Remove your 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 surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll 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 same Moses—whom they rejected by saying, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' —was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had 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. | 36It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. |
| 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.' | 37It was this Moses who told the Israelis, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' |
| 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. | 38This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, |
| 39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, | 39but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return 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 gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we don't know what 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. | 41"At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. |
| 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? | 42So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: 'O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? |
| 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 even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as 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 Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed 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 brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. |
| 46He found favor with God and asked that he could find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. | 46He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, |
| 47But Solomon built a house for him. | 47but it was Solomon who built a house for him. |
| 48Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says, | 48However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human 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? | 49"'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? |
| 50Did my hand not make all these things?' | 50It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" |
| 51"You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did! | 51"You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. |
| 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 fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. |
| 53You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it." | 53You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" |
| 54When they heard these things, they became furious and ground their teeth at him. | 54While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind 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. | 55But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and 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. | 57But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at 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. | 58ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. |
| 59They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" | 59As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "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. | 60Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" After he had said this, he died. |
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