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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Acts 7 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/acts/7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/acts/7-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Acts 7</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../acts/6.htm" title="Acts 6">◄</a> Acts 7 <a href="../acts/8.htm" title="Acts 8">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/acts/7.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Stephen’s Speech</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>And Stephen said:</p><p class="regular">“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-41.htm"><b>41</b></a></span>And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-42.htm"><b>42</b></a></span>But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:</p><span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="ln-group">“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,</span><br /><span class="indent">during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-43.htm"><b>43</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">You took up the tent of Moloch</span><br /><span class="indent">and the star of your god Rephan,</span><br /><span class="indent">the images that you made to worship;</span><br /><span class="ln-group">and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’</span></p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-44.htm"><b>44</b></a></span>“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-45.htm"><b>45</b></a></span>Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-46.htm"><b>46</b></a></span>who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Some manuscripts for the house of Jacob">a</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-47.htm"><b>47</b></a></span>But it was Solomon who built a house for him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-48.htm"><b>48</b></a></span>Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,</p> <span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-49.htm"><b>49</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“‘Heaven is my throne,</span><br /><span class="indent">and the earth is my footstool.</span><br /><span class="ln-group">What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,</span><br /><span class="indent">or what is the place of my rest?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-50.htm"><b>50</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Did not my hand make all these things?’</span></p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-51.htm"><b>51</b></a></span>“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-52.htm"><b>52</b></a></span>Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-53.htm"><b>53</b></a></span>you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”</p> <p class="heading">The Stoning of Stephen</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-54.htm"><b>54</b></a></span>Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-55.htm"><b>55</b></a></span>But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-56.htm"><b>56</b></a></span>And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-57.htm"><b>57</b></a></span>But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or rushed with one mind">b</a></sup></span> at him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-58.htm"><b>58</b></a></span>Then 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-59.htm"><b>59</b></a></span>And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-60.htm"><b>60</b></a></span>And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">46</span> Some manuscripts <i>for the house of Jacob</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">57</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">rushed</span> with one mind</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 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