Acts 7

Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

1The high priest, the leader of the priests, asked Stephen, "Are these things true?"

2And 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,

2Stephen said, "Brothers and fathers, please listen. God, full of shining glory, showed himself to our father Abraham. That was in Mesopotamia, before Abraham lived in Haran."

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

3God told him, "Leave your country and your family. Go to the land I will show you."

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.

4So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father died, God moved him to this land. It is the land where you live now.

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.

5God did not give him any land here. He did not even give him one foot of ground. But God promised to give the land to him and his children later. Abraham had no child yet.

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.

6God told him that his family would live in a land not their own. They would be made slaves. People would treat them badly for 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.

7God said, "But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. After that they will come out. They will worship 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.

8Then God made an agreement with Abraham about circumcision, a small cutting mark on baby boys. It showed that they belonged to God. Abraham became the father of Isaac. He circumcised Isaac when the baby was eight days old. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of the twelve men whose families became Israel.

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

9Those brothers were jealous of Joseph. They sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with Joseph.

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.

10God saved him out of all his troubles. God helped him please Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and act wisely. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of Egypt and of his whole house.

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

11Then food ran out all over Egypt and Canaan. People suffered a great deal. Our fathers could not find food.

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

12Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt. So he sent our fathers there the first time.

13And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

13On the second trip, Joseph told his brothers who he was. Then Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.

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

14Joseph sent for his father Jacob. He called all his relatives too, seventy-five people in all.

15So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

15So Jacob went down to Egypt. He died there, and our fathers died there too.

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.

16Their bones were carried back to Shechem. They were laid in the grave that Abraham had bought there. He had paid silver for it to the sons of Hamor.

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

17The time for God's promise to Abraham came close. Our people in Egypt grew to be very many.

18Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

18Then a different king began to rule Egypt. He knew nothing about 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.

19He was sneaky with our people and treated our fathers badly. He made them put their babies outside so the babies would die.

20In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:

20Moses was born at that time. He was a lovely child in God's sight. For three months he was cared for in his father's house.

21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

21Then he was put outside. Pharaoh's daughter took him and raised him as her own son.

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

22Moses was taught everything the Egyptians knew. He was strong in what he said and in what he did.

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

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

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

24He saw an Egyptian hurting one of them. Moses stood up for the man. He paid the Egyptian back by killing him.

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

25Moses thought his people would understand that God was using him to save them. But they did not understand.

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?

26The next day he found two of them fighting. He tried to make peace between them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why are you hurting each other?"

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

27But the man who was hurting his neighbor pushed Moses away. He said, "Who made you our ruler and our judge?"

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

28"Do you want to kill me too, the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?"

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

29When Moses heard this, he ran away. He lived as a stranger in the land of Midian. There he had 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.

30Forty years later, an angel of the Lord came to Moses. The angel was in a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

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,

31Moses was amazed at what he saw. He came closer to look. Then the voice of the Lord spoke to 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.

32The voice said, "I am the God of your fathers. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses shook with fear. He did not dare to look.

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

33Then the Lord said to him, "Take your shoes off your feet. The ground where you are standing is holy."

34I 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.

34"I have seen my people suffering in Egypt. I have heard them crying. I have come down to save them. Now come. I am sending you to 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.

35This was the same Moses the people had pushed away. They had said, "Who made you our ruler and judge?" But God sent him to lead them and save them. God sent him through the angel who appeared in the bush.

36He 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.

36Moses led them out. He did wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the desert.

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.

37This is the Moses who said to the people of Israel, "God will send you a prophet like me from your own people. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says."

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:

38Moses was with the people gathered in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. He was with our fathers too. He received God's living words to pass on to us.

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

39But our fathers would not obey him. They pushed him away. In their hearts they turned back toward 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.

40They said to Aaron, "Make us gods to walk ahead of us. We do not know what happened to Moses, who led us out of Egypt."

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

41In those days they made a statue of a calf. They offered a gift to that false god. They were happy about what their own hands had made.

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?

42So God turned away from them. He let them worship the sun, moon, and stars. The book of the prophets says this: "People of Israel, did you bring me animals and gifts for forty years in the desert?"

Note"The host of heaven" means the sun, the moon, and the stars.

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.

43"You carried the tent of the god Molech. You carried the star of your god Rephan. You made these statues to worship them. So I will send you far away, past 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.

44Our fathers had the tent of the Testimony with them in the desert. God told Moses how to build it. Moses built it just like the pattern God showed him.

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;

45Later our fathers brought that tent in with Joshua. God pushed other nations out ahead of them, and they took the land. The tent was still there in David's time.

NoteThe KJV says "Jesus" here, but it means Joshua. The two names were spelled the same way in Greek.

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

46God was pleased with David. David asked to make a home for the God of Jacob.

47But Solomon built him an house.

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

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

48Yet God Most High does not live in houses that people build. The prophet says this:

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?

49"Heaven is my throne. The earth is where I rest my feet. What kind of house could you build for me, says the Lord? Where would my resting place be?"

50Hath not my hand made all these things?

50"Did my own hand not make 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.

51"You are stubborn people. Your hearts and ears are shut. You always push away the Holy Spirit. Your fathers did it, and you do it too."

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:

52"Your fathers were cruel to every prophet. They killed the ones who said the Righteous One was coming. Now you have handed him over and killed him."

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

53"God's law was given to you through angels. But you have not obeyed it."

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

54When the leaders heard this, they were very angry. They ground their teeth at him.

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,

55But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up into heaven. He saw the shining glory of God. He saw Jesus standing at God's right side.

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

56He said, "Look! I see heaven opened. I see the Son of Man standing at God's right side."

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

57Then they shouted very loudly and covered their ears. They all rushed at him together.

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.

58They dragged him out of the city and threw stones at him. The men who spoke against him laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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

59While they threw the stones, Stephen prayed. He said, "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.

60Then he knelt down and cried out loudly. He said, "Lord, do not blame them for this sin." After he said this, he died.

Note"He fell asleep" is an old, gentle way of saying that he died.