司提凡的申辩
1大祭司问：“这是真的吗？” 2司提凡说：“各位父老兄弟，请听我说！我们的祖先亚伯拉罕还未迁到哈兰之前，住在美索不达米亚，荣耀的上帝向他显现，说， 3‘你要离开家乡和亲族，到我要指示你的地方去。’ 4亚伯拉罕就离开迦勒底人的地方，在哈兰住了下来。他父亲过世以后，上帝又领他到你们现在居住的这个地方。 5当时在这片土地上，上帝没有给他任何产业，他甚至连立足之地也没有。但上帝应许要把这片土地赐给他和他的后裔作产业，尽管那时候亚伯拉罕还没有儿子。 6上帝又说，‘你的子孙必流落异乡，受奴役、被虐待四百年。 7但我必惩罚奴役他们的国家，之后你的子孙要离开那里，在这片土地上事奉我。’ 8上帝又赐下割礼作为祂与亚伯拉罕立约的凭据。亚伯拉罕在以撒出生后的第八天为他行割礼。照样，以撒为他的儿子雅各行了割礼，雅各也为他的儿子——以色列十二位先祖行了割礼。7:8 第八节后半部分或译“以撒生雅各，雅各生以色列十二位先祖。”
9“先祖们嫉妒自己的弟弟约瑟，把他卖到了埃及。但上帝一直与他同在， 10救他脱离一切危难，又赐他过人的智慧，使他在埃及法老面前得到恩宠，官拜宰相治理全国，并管理王室。 11后来，埃及和迦南全境遭遇饥荒，灾情严重，我们的先祖们断了粮。 12雅各听说埃及有粮，就派先祖们去那里买粮，那是我们的先祖初次去埃及。 13他们第二次去的时候，约瑟才和弟兄们相认，并且领他们拜见埃及王。 14后来，约瑟派人去把父亲雅各和全族七十五人都接到埃及。 15从此以后，雅各和其他先祖们便定居埃及，直到去世。 16后来他们的遗体被带回示剑，安葬在亚伯拉罕买自哈抹子孙的墓地里。
17“上帝对亚伯拉罕所应许的日子快到的时侯，以色列人在埃及的人口已大大增加。 18后来埃及有一位不认识约瑟的新王登基。 19他用毒计苦害我们的同胞，虐待我们的祖先，强令他们把婴孩抛弃，不让婴孩存活。 20那时，摩西出生了，他长得俊美非凡。他的父母在家里偷偷地抚养了他三个月， 21最后不得已才丢弃他。法老的女儿救了他，收为养子。
22“摩西学会了埃及人一切的学问，成为一个说话办事很有能力的人。 23他四十岁那年决定去探望自己的同胞以色列人。 24他到了他们那里，看见一个埃及人正在欺负以色列人，就打抱不平，杀了那个埃及人。 25摩西以为同胞们会明白上帝要借着他的手拯救他们，可是他们并不明白。 26第二天，他看见两个以色列人在打架，就上前劝解说，‘大家都是同胞，为什么互相殴打呢？’ 27不料那个欺负人的推开摩西说，‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官？ 28难道你要杀我，像昨天杀那个埃及人一样吗？’ 29摩西听了这话，就逃到米甸寄居，在那里成家，生了两个儿子。
30“过了四十年，在西奈山的旷野，上帝的天使在荆棘火焰中向摩西显现。 31摩西见状很惊奇，正要上前看个究竟，就听见主说， 32‘我是你祖先的上帝，是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝。’摩西战战兢兢，不敢观看。 33主又说，‘脱下你脚上的鞋子，因为你所站的地方是圣地。 34我已清楚看见我子民在埃及所受的苦难，也听见了他们的哀叹，我下来要救他们。你来，我要派你回埃及。’
35“百姓曾拒绝这位摩西，说，‘谁立你做我们的首领和审判官？’上帝却借着在荆棘中显现的天使亲自差遣他，立他为首领和拯救者。 36摩西带领以色列人出埃及，过红海，越旷野，四十年间行了许多神迹奇事。 37就是这位摩西曾对以色列人说，‘上帝要在你们中间兴起一位像我一样的先知。’ 38这位摩西曾在旷野与以色列的会众——我们的祖先在一起，又在西奈山上与向他传信息的天使在一起，并且领受了生命之道传给我们。
39“可是我们的祖先不听从他，甚至弃绝他，心里对埃及恋恋不舍。 40他们请求亚伦说，‘为我们造一些神像来带领我们吧！领我们离开埃及的那个摩西不知怎样了。’ 41于是，他们造了一个牛犊像，向它献祭，并为自己所做的事沾沾自喜。 42因此，上帝转脸不顾他们，任由他们祭拜日月星辰，正如先知书的记载，
“‘以色列家啊，
在旷野的四十年间，
你们向我献过祭物和供品吗？
43你们抬着为自己所造的神像，
就是摩洛的帐篷和理番神明的星，
祭拜它们，
所以我要把你们赶到比巴比伦还远的地方去。’
44“我们的祖先在旷野的时候，一直带着安放约柜的圣幕，这圣幕是上帝吩咐摩西照他所看见的样式造的。 45后来我们的祖先承受了圣幕。上帝从我们祖先面前赶走外族人，使他们得到了应许之地。他们同约书亚把圣幕带到那里，一直到大卫的时代。 46大卫蒙上帝悦纳，祈求为雅各的上帝建造一座圣殿。 47结果是他的儿子所罗门为上帝建成了圣殿。
48“其实至高的上帝并不住人造的殿，祂曾借着先知说， 49‘天是我的宝座，地是我的脚凳，你们要为我造怎样的殿宇？哪里可作我的安歇之处？ 50这一切不都是我亲手创造的吗？’
51“你们这些顽固不化、耳不听心不悔的人7:51 “耳不听心不悔的人”希腊文是“心与耳未受割礼的人”。，经常抗拒圣灵，所作所为和你们的祖先如出一辙！ 52哪一位先知没有被你们祖先迫害？那些预言义者——弥赛亚要来的人也被你们的祖先杀害。如今你们竟出卖了那位公义者，杀害了祂！ 53你们接受了上帝借天使所传的律法，竟不遵守！”
司提凡殉道
54众人听了这番话，怒火中烧，咬牙切齿。 55司提凡却被圣灵充满，定睛望天，看见上帝的荣耀和站在上帝右边的耶稣。 56司提凡说：“看啊！我看见天开了，人子站在上帝的右边。”
57众人大喊大叫，捂着耳朵，蜂拥而上， 58把司提凡拉到城外，用石头打他。指控他的人把他们的衣服交给一个名叫扫罗的青年看管。 59在乱石击打之下，司提凡呼求说：“主耶稣啊，接收我的灵魂吧！”然后跪下高声说： 60“主啊，不要追究他们的罪！”说完后，就断气了。
1Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 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, 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 Chaldæans, 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. 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. 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 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.
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. 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?
51¶ Ye 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.
54¶ When 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.
