Acts of the Apostles 7

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?	1 The high priest asked, 'Is this true?'
2 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,	2 He replied, 'My brothers, my fathers, listen to what I have to say. The God of glory appeared to ourancestor Abraham, while he was in Mesopotamia before settling in Haran,
3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.	3 and said to him, "Leave your country, your kindred and your father's house for this country which I shalshow you."
4 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.	4 So he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran; and after his father died God made him leave that place andcome to this land where you are living today.
5 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.	5 God did not give him any property in this land or even a foothold, yet he promised to give it to him andafter him to his descendants, childless though he was.
6 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.	6 The actual words God used when he spoke to him are that his descendants would be exiles in a landnot their own, where they would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.
7 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.	7 "But I wil bring judgement on the nation that enslaves them," God said, "and after this they wil leave, and worship me in this place."
8 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.	8 Then he made the covenant of circumcision with him: and so when his son Isaac was born Abrahamcircumcised him on the eighth day; similarly Isaac circumcised Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,	9 'The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him,
10 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.	10 and rescued him from al his miseries by making him so wise that he won the favour of Pharaoh king ofEgypt, who made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of his household.
11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.	11 Then a famine set in that caused much suffering throughout Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestorscould find nothing to eat.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.	12 When Jacob heard that there were supplies in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on a first visit;
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.	13 and on the second Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh came to know his origin.
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.	14 Joseph then sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, a total of seventy-five people.
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,	15 Jacob went down into Egypt and after he and our ancestors had died there,
16 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.	16 their bodies were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought formoney from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,	17 'As the time drew near for God to fulfil the promise he had solemnly made to Abraham, our nation inEgypt became very powerful and numerous,
18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.	18 there came to power in Egypt a new king who had never heard of Joseph.
19 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.	19 He took precautions and wore down our race, forcing our ancestors to expose their babies rather thanletting them live.
20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:	20 It was at this time that Moses was born, a fine child before God. He was looked after for three monthsin his father's house,
21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.	21 and after he had been exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up like a son.
22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.	22 So Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man with power both in hisspeech and in his actions.
23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.	23 'At the age of forty he decided to visit his kinsmen, the Israelites.
24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:	24 When he saw one of them being il -treated he went to his defence and rescued the man by kil ing theEgyptian.
25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.	25 He thought his brothers would realise that through him God would liberate them, but they did not.
26 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?	26 The next day, when he came across some of them fighting, he tried to reconcile them, and said,"Friends, you are brothers; why are you hurting each other?"
27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?	27 But the man who was attacking his kinsman pushed him aside, saying, "And who appointed you to beprince over us and judge?
28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?	28 Do you intend to kill me as you kil ed the Egyptian yesterday?"
29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.	29 Moses fled when he heard this and he went to dwel in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.
30 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.	30 'When forty years were fulfil ed, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in a flameblazing from a bush that was on fire.
31 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,	31 Moses was amazed by what he saw. As he went nearer to look at it, the voice of the Lord was heard,
32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abrham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.	32 "I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Moses trembled and wasafraid to look.
33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.	33 The Lord said to him, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing 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.	34 I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, I have heard them crying for help, and I have comedown to rescue them. So come here; I am sending you into Egypt."
35 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.	35 'It was the same Moses that they had disowned when they said, "Who appointed you to be our leader and judge?" whom God sent to be both leader and redeemer through the angel who had appeared to him in thebush.
36 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.	36 It was this man who led them out, after performing miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea andin the desert for forty years.
37 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.	37 It was this Moses who told the sons of Israel, "From among your own brothers God wil raise up aprophet like me."
38 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:	38 When they held the assembly in the desert it was he who was with our ancestors and the angel whohad spoken to him on Mount Sinai; it was he who was entrusted with words of life to hand on to us.
39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,	39 This is the man that our ancestors refused to listen to; they pushed him aside, went back to Egypt intheir thoughts,
40 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.	40 and said to Aaron, "Make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man who brought us herefrom Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.	41 It was then that they made the statue of a calf and offered sacrifice to the idol. They were perfectlyhappy with something they had made for themselves.
42 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?	42 God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, as scripturesays in the book of the prophets: Did you bring me sacrifices and oblations those forty years in the desert, Houseof Israel?
43 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.	43 No, you carried the tent of Moloch on your shoulders and the star of the god Rephan, the idols youmade for yourselves to adore, and so now I am about to drive you into captivity beyond Babylon.
44 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.	44 'While they were in the desert our ancestors possessed the Tent of Testimony that had beenconstructed according to the instructions God gave Moses, tel ing him to work to the design he had been shown.
45 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;	45 It was handed down from one ancestor of ours to another until Joshua brought it into the country thathad belonged to the nations which were driven out by God before us. Here it stayed until the time of David.
46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.	46 He won God's favour and asked permission to find a dwel ing for the House of Jacob,
47 But Solomon built him an house.	47 though it was Solomon who actual y built a house for God.
48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,	48 Even so the Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built: for as the prophet says:
49 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?	49 With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you build me, says the Lord, whatplace for me to rest,
50 Hath not my hand made all these things?	50 when al these things were made by me?
51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.	51 'You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit,just as your ancestors used to do.
52 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:	52 Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? They kil ed those who foretold thecoming of the Upright One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers.
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.	53 In spite of being given the Law through angels, you have not kept it.'
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.	54 They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.
55 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,	55 But Stephen, fil ed with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesusstanding at God's right hand.
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.	56 'Look! I can see heaven thrown open,' he said, 'and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.'
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,	57 Al the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they made aconcerted rush at him,
58 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.	58 thrust him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a youngman cal ed Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.	59 As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'
60 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.	60 Then he knelt down and said aloud, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And with these words hefel asleep.