Acts

司提反当众申诉

1大祭司就说：「这些事果然有吗？」

2司提反说：「诸位父兄请听！当日我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕在美索不达米亚还未住哈兰的时候，荣耀的 神向他显现，

3对他说：『你要离开本地和亲族，往我所要指示你的地方去。』

4他就离开迦勒底人之地，住在哈兰。他父亲死了以后， 神使他从那里搬到你们现在所住之地。

5在这地方， 神并没有给他产业，连立足之地也没有给他；但应许要将这地赐给他和他的后裔为业；那时他还没有儿子。

6神说：『他的后裔必寄居外邦，那里的人要叫他们作奴仆，苦待他们四百年。』

7神又说：『使他们作奴仆的那国，我要惩罚。以后他们要出来，在这地方事奉我。』

8神又赐他割礼的约。于是亚伯拉罕生了以撒，第八日给他行了割礼。以撒生雅各；雅各生十二位先祖。

9「先祖嫉妒约瑟，把他卖到埃及去； 神却与他同在，

10救他脱离一切苦难，又使他在埃及王法老面前得恩典，有智慧。法老就派他作埃及国的宰相兼管全家。

11后来埃及和迦南全地遭遇饥荒，大受艰难，我们的祖宗就绝了粮。

12雅各听见在埃及有粮，就打发我们的祖宗初次往那里去。

13第二次约瑟与弟兄们相认，他的亲族也被法老知道了。

14约瑟就打发弟兄请父亲雅各和全家七十五个人都来。

15于是雅各下了埃及，后来他和我们的祖宗都死在那里；

16又被带到示剑，葬于亚伯拉罕在示剑用银子从哈抹子孙买来的坟墓里。

17「及至 神应许亚伯拉罕的日期将到，以色列民在埃及兴盛众多，

18直到有不晓得约瑟的新王兴起。

19他用诡计待我们的宗族，苦害我们的祖宗，叫他们丢弃婴孩，使婴孩不能存活。

20那时，摩西生下来，俊美非凡，在他父亲家里抚养了三个月。

21他被丢弃的时候，法老的女儿拾了去，养为自己的儿子。

22摩西学了埃及人一切的学问，说话行事都有才能。

23「他将到四十岁，心中起意去看望他的弟兄以色列人；

24到了那里，见他们一个人受冤屈，就护庇他，为那受欺压的人报仇，打死了那埃及人。

25他以为弟兄必明白 神是借他的手搭救他们；他们却不明白。

26第二天，遇见两个以色列人争斗，就劝他们和睦，说：『你们二位是弟兄，为什么彼此欺负呢？』

27那欺负邻舍的把他推开，说：『谁立你作我们的首领和审判官呢？

28难道你要杀我，像昨天杀那埃及人吗？』

29摩西听见这话就逃走了，寄居于米甸；在那里生了两个儿子。

30「过了四十年，在西奈山的旷野，有一位天使从荆棘火焰中向摩西显现。

31摩西见了那异象，便觉希奇，正进前观看的时候，有主的声音说：

32『我是你列祖的 神，就是亚伯拉罕的 神，以撒的 神，雅各的 神。』摩西战战兢兢，不敢观看。

33主对他说：『把你脚上的鞋脱下来，因为你所站之地是圣地。

34我的百姓在埃及所受的困苦，我实在看见了，他们悲叹的声音，我也听见了。我下来要救他们。你来！我要差你往埃及去。』

35这摩西就是百姓弃绝说『谁立你作我们的首领和审判官』的； 神却借那在荆棘中显现之使者的手差派他作首领、作救赎的。

36这人领百姓出来，在埃及，在红海，在旷野，四十年间行了奇事神迹。

37那曾对以色列人说『 神要从你们弟兄中间给你们兴起一位先知像我』的，就是这位摩西。

38这人曾在旷野会中和西奈山上，与那对他说话的天使同在，又与我们的祖宗同在，并且领受活泼的圣言传给我们。

39我们的祖宗不肯听从，反弃绝他，心里归向埃及，

40对亚伦说：『你且为我们造些神像，在我们前面引路；因为领我们出埃及地的那个摩西，我们不知道他遭了什么事。』

41那时，他们造了一个牛犊，又拿祭物献给那像，欢喜自己手中的工作。

42神就转脸不顾，任凭他们事奉天上的日月星辰，正如先知书上所写的说：以色列家啊， 你们四十年间在旷野， 岂是将牺牲和祭物献给我吗？

43你们抬着摩洛的帐幕和理番神的星， 就是你们所造为要敬拜的像。 因此，我要把你们迁到巴比伦外去。

44「我们的祖宗在旷野，有法柜的帐幕，是 神吩咐摩西叫他照所看见的样式做的。

45这帐幕，我们的祖宗相继承受。当 神在他们面前赶出外邦人去的时候，他们同约书亚把帐幕搬进承受为业之地，直存到大卫的日子。

46大卫在 神面前蒙恩，祈求为雅各的 神预备居所；

47却是所罗门为 神造成殿宇。

48其实，至高者并不住人手所造的，就如先知所言：

49主说：天是我的座位，地是我的脚凳； 你们要为我造何等的殿宇？ 哪里是我安息的地方呢？

50这一切不都是我手所造的吗？

51「你们这硬着颈项、心与耳未受割礼的人，常时抗拒圣灵！你们的祖宗怎样，你们也怎样。

52哪一个先知不是你们祖宗逼迫呢？他们也把预先传说那义者要来的人杀了；如今你们又把那义者卖了，杀了。

53你们受了天使所传的律法，竟不遵守。」

众人用石头打死司提反

54众人听见这话就极其恼怒，向司提反咬牙切齿。

55但司提反被圣灵充满，定睛望天，看见 神的荣耀，又看见耶稣站在 神的右边，

56就说：「我看见天开了，人子站在 神的右边。」

57众人大声喊叫，捂着耳朵，齐心拥上前去，

58把他推到城外，用石头打他。作见证的人把衣裳放在一个少年人名叫扫罗的脚前。

59他们正用石头打的时候，司提反呼吁主说：「求主耶稣接收我的灵魂！」

60又跪下大声喊着说：「主啊，不要将这罪归于他们！」说了这话，就睡了。扫罗也喜悦他被害。

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

3and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’

4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.

5He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

6God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

7‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’

8Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and 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.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

9Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

10and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

11Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.

13On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity tohis brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

14Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

15So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.

16Their bones were carried backto Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.

17As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

18Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.

19He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God.For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.

21When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.

22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

23When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

24And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.

25He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

26The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’

27But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?

28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

29At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.

The Call of Moses

30After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

31When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:

32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

34I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’

35This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angelwho appeared to him in the bush.

36He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

37This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’

38He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.

The Rebellion of Israel

39But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

40They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

41At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

42But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offeringsforty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

43You have taken along the tabernacle of Molechand the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship.Therefore I will send you into exilebeyond Babylon.’

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

44Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.

45And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

46who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

47But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.

48However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

49‘Heaven is My throneand the earth is My footstool.What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord,or where will My place of repose be?

50Has not My hand made all these things?’

51You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

52Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

53you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged,and they gnashed their teeth at him.

55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.

58They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.