^{1 Ref} Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

^{2 Ref} And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

^{3 Ref} And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

^{4 Ref} Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

^{5 Ref} And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

^{6 Ref} And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

^{7 Ref} And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

^{8 Ref} And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

^{9 Ref} And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

^{10 Ref} And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

^{11 Ref} Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

^{12 Ref} But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

^{13 Ref} And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

^{14 Ref} Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

^{15 Ref} So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

^{16 Ref} And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

^{17 Ref} But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

^{18 Ref} Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

^{19 Ref} The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

^{20 Ref} In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

^{21 Ref} And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

^{22 Ref} And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

^{23 Ref} And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

^{24 Ref} And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

^{25 Ref} For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

^{26 Ref} And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

^{27 Ref} But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸ Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

^{29 Ref} Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

^{30 Ref} And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

^{31 Ref} When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him,

^{32 Ref} Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

^{33 Ref} Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

^{34 Ref} I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

^{35 Ref} This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

^{36 Ref} He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

^{37 Ref} This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

^{38 Ref} This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

^{39 Ref} To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

^{40 Ref} Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

^{41 Ref} And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

^{42 Ref} Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

^{43 Ref} Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

^{44 Ref} Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

^{45 Ref} Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

^{46 Ref} Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

^{47 Ref} But Solomon built him an house.

^{48 Ref} Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

^{49 Ref} Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

^{50 Ref} Hath not my hand made all these things?

^{51 Ref} Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

^{52 Ref} Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

^{53 Ref} Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

^{54 Ref} When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

^{55 Ref} But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

^{56 Ref} And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

^{57 Ref} Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

^{58 Ref} And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

^{59 Ref} And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

^{60 Ref} And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

^{1 Ref} And the high priest said, Are these things so?

^{2 Ref} And he said, Brethren and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

^{3 Ref} and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.

^{4 Ref} Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, `God' removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell:

^{5 Ref} and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when `as yet' he had no child.

^{6 Ref} And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years.

^{7 Ref} And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

^{8 Ref} And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so `Abraham' begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac `begat' Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.

^{9 Ref} And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him,

^{10 Ref} and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

^{11 Ref} Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

^{12 Ref} But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time.

^{13 Ref} And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's race became manifest unto Pharaoh.

^{14 Ref} And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

^{15 Ref} And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers;

^{16 Ref} and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

^{17 Ref} But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

^{18 Ref} till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

^{19 Ref} The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live.

^{20 Ref} At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house.

^{21 Ref} and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

^{22 Ref} And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works.

^{23 Ref} But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

^{24 Ref} And seeing one `of them' suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian:

^{25 Ref} and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not.

^{26 Ref} And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

^{27 Ref} But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸ Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?

^{29 Ref} And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

^{30 Ref} And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

^{31 Ref} And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord,

^{32 Ref} I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

^{33 Ref} And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

^{34 Ref} I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

^{35 Ref} This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent `to be' both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.

^{36 Ref} This man led them forth, having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

^{37 Ref} This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me.

^{38 Ref} This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:

^{39 Ref} to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt,

^{40 Ref} saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

^{41 Ref} And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.

^{42 Ref} But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

^{43 Ref} And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of the god Rephan, The figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

^{44 Ref} Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen.

^{45 Ref} Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession of the nations, that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

^{46 Ref} who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.

^{47 Ref} But Solomon built him a house.

^{48 Ref} Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in `houses' made with hands; as saith the prophet,

^{49 Ref} The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet: What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord: Or what is the place of my rest?

^{50 Ref} Did not my hand make all these things?

^{51 Ref} Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.

^{52 Ref} Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers;

^{53 Ref} ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.

^{54 Ref} Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

^{55 Ref} But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

^{56 Ref} and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

^{57 Ref} But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;

^{58 Ref} and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

^{59 Ref} And they stoned Stephen, calling upon `the Lord', and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

^{60 Ref} And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

^{1 Ref} Then the high priest said, Are these things true?

^{2 Ref} And he said, My brothers and fathers, give hearing. The God of glory came to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was living in Haran,

^{3 Ref} And said to him, Go out of your land, and away from your family, and come into the land to which I will be your guide.

^{4 Ref} Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and went into Haran; and from there, when his father was dead, he was guided by God into this land, where you are living now:

^{5 Ref} And God gave him no heritage in it, not even enough to put his foot on: but he gave him an undertaking that he would give it to him and to his children after him, though he had no child at that time.

^{6 Ref} And God said that his seed would be living in a strange land, and that they would make them servants, and be cruel to them for four hundred years.

^{7 Ref} And I will be the judge, said God, of that nation which made them servants: and after that, they will come out and give me worship in this place.

^{8 Ref} And he made with him the agreement of which circumcision was the sign. And so Abraham had a son, Isaac, and gave him circumcision on the eighth day; and Isaac had a son, Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve heads of the families of Israel.

^{9 Ref} And the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him,

^{10 Ref} And made him free from all his troubles, and gave him wisdom and the approval of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and all his house.

^{11 Ref} Now there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.

^{12 Ref} But Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, sent out our fathers the first time.

^{13 Ref} And the second time his brothers had a meeting with Joseph, and Pharaoh had knowledge of Joseph's family.

^{14 Ref} Then Joseph sent for Jacob his father and all his family, seventy-five persons.

^{15 Ref} And Jacob went down to Egypt, and came to his end there, and so did our fathers;

^{16 Ref} And they were taken over to Shechem, and put to rest in the place which Abraham got for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

^{17 Ref} But when the time was near for putting into effect the undertaking which God had given to Abraham, the people were increasing in Egypt,

^{18 Ref} Till another king came to power, who had no knowledge of Joseph.

^{19 Ref} He, having evil designs against our nation, was cruel to our fathers, and they were forced to put out their young children, so that they might not go on living.

^{20 Ref} At which time Moses came to birth, and he was very beautiful; and he was kept for three months in his father's house:

^{21 Ref} And when he was put out, Pharaoh's daughter took him and kept him as her son.

^{22 Ref} And Moses was trained in all the wisdom of Egypt, and was great in his words and works.

^{23 Ref} But when he was almost forty years old, it came into his heart to go and see his brothers, the children of Israel.

^{24 Ref} And seeing one of them being attacked, he went to his help and gave the Egyptian a death-blow:

^{25 Ref} And he was hoping that his brothers would see that God had sent him to be their saviour; but they did not see.

^{26 Ref} And the day after, he came to them, while they were having a fight, and would have made peace between them, saying, Sirs, you are brothers; why do you do wrong to one another?

^{27 Ref} But the man who was doing wrong to his neighbour, pushing him away, said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸ Will you put me to death as you did the Egyptian yesterday?

^{29 Ref} And at these words, Moses went in flight to the land of Midian, and was living there for a time, and had two sons.

^{30 Ref} At the end of forty years, an angel came to him in the waste land of Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn-tree.

^{31 Ref} And Moses, seeing it, was full of wonder, and when he came up to have a nearer view of it, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying,

^{32 Ref} I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses, shaking with fear, kept his eyes from looking at it.

^{33 Ref} And the Lord said, Take off the shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is holy.

^{34 Ref} Truly, I have seen the sorrows of my people in Egypt, and their cries have come to my ears, and I have come down to make them free: and now, come, I will send you to Egypt.

^{35 Ref} This Moses, whom they would not have, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? him God sent to be a ruler and a saviour, by the hand of the angel whom he saw in the thorn-tree.

^{36 Ref} This man took them out, having done wonders and signs in Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the waste land, for forty years.

^{37 Ref} This is the same Moses, who said to the children of Israel, God will give you a prophet from among your brothers, like me.

^{38 Ref} This is the man who was in the church in the waste land with the angel who was talking to him in Sinai, and with our fathers; and to him were given the living words of God, so that he might give them to you.

^{39 Ref} By whom our fathers would not be controlled; but they put him on one side, turning back in their hearts to Egypt,

^{40 Ref} And saying to Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: as for this Moses, who took us out of the land of Egypt, we have no idea what has become of him.

^{41 Ref} And they made the image of a young ox in those days, and made an offering to it, and had joy in the work of their hands.

^{42 Ref} But God was turned from them and let them give worship to the stars of heaven, as it says in the book of the prophets, Did you make offerings to me of sheep and oxen for forty years in the waste land, O house of Israel?

^{43 Ref} And you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, images which you made to give worship to them: and I will take you away, farther than Babylon.

^{44 Ref} Our fathers had the Tent of witness in the waste land, as God gave orders to Moses to make it after the design which he had seen.

^{45 Ref} Which our fathers, in their turn, took with them when, with Joshua, they came into the heritage of the nations whom God was driving out before the face of our fathers, till the time of David,

^{46 Ref} Who was pleasing to God; and he had a desire to make a holy tent for the God of Jacob.

^{47 Ref} But Solomon was the builder of his house.

^{48 Ref} But still, the Most High has not his resting-place in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,

^{49 Ref} Heaven is the seat of my power, and earth is a resting-place for my feet: what sort of house will you make for me, says the Lord, or what is my place of rest?

^{50 Ref} Did not my hand make all these things?

^{51 Ref} You whose hearts are hard and whose ears are shut to me; you are ever working against the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

^{52 Ref} Which of the prophets was not cruelly attacked by your fathers? and they put to death those who gave them the news of the coming of the Upright One; whom you have now given up and put to death;

^{53 Ref} You, to whom the law was given as it was ordered by angels, and who have not kept it.

^{54 Ref} Hearing these things, they were cut to the heart and moved with wrath against him.

^{55 Ref} But he was full of the Holy Spirit, and looking up to heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of God.

^{56 Ref} And he said, Now I see heaven open, and the Son of man at the right hand of God.

^{57 Ref} But with loud cries, and stopping their ears, they made an attack on him all together,

^{58 Ref} Driving him out of the town and stoning him: and the witnesses put their clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul.

^{59 Ref} And Stephen, while he was being stoned, made prayer to God, saying, Lord Jesus, take my spirit.

^{60 Ref} And going down on his knees, he said in a loud voice, Lord, do not make them responsible for this sin. And when he had said this, he went to his rest.