1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was
multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,
because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
2Then
the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It
is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report,
full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business. 4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the
ministry of the word.
5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and
Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte
of Antioch: 6Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had
prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples
multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith.
8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
9Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the
synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of
them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10And they were not
able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
11Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak
blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12And they stirred up
the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and
caught him, and brought him to the council, 13And set up false
witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words
against this holy place, and the law: 14For we have heard him say, that
this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the
customs which Moses delivered us.
15And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Acts 7
1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
2And
he (Stephen) 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, 3And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
4Then 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. 5And 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.
6And
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. 7And 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.
8And 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.
9And the patriarchs, moved
with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10And 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.
11Now there came a dearth
over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our
fathers found no sustenance. 12But when Jacob heard that there was corn
in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13And at the second time Joseph
was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known
unto Pharaoh. 14Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him,
and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
15So Jacob went down
into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16And 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.
17But
when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham,
the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18Till another king arose,
which knew not Joseph. 19The 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. 20In which time Moses was born, and was
exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:
21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and
nourished him for her own son.
22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23And
when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his
brethren the children of Israel. 24And seeing one of them suffer wrong,
he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the
Egyptian: 25For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that
God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
26And
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? 27But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away,
saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28Wilt thou kill me,
as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
29Then fled Moses at this
saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two
sons.
30And 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. 31When Moses saw it, he
wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of
the Lord came unto him, 32Saying, 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.
33Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy
shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
34 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.
35This 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.
36He (God) 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.
37This 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. 38This 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:
39To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him
from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40Saying
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.
41And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the
idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
42Then
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? 43Yea, 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.
44Our 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.
45Which 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; 46Who found favour before God, and
desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47But Solomon built
him an house.
48Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with
hands; as saith the prophet, 49Heaven 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? 50Hath not my hand made all these things?
51Ye
stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist
the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
52Which 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: 53Who have received the law by the disposition
of angels, and have not kept it.
54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55But
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,
56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.
57Then
they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon
him with one accord, 58And 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.
59And they stoned Stephen,
calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60And 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.