Acts 7 – NIV & CCB

New International Version

Acts 7:1-60

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

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

2To this he replied: “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 Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’7:3 Gen. 12:1

4“So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. 7But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’7:7 Gen. 15:13,14 8Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9“Because 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 gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

11“Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. 12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 16Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

17“As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 18Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’7:18 Exodus 1:8 19He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.

20“At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.7:20 Or was fair in the sight of God For three months he was cared for by his family. 21When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

23“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27“But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’7:28 Exodus 2:14 29When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

30“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: 32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’7:32 Exodus 3:6 Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

33“Then 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 set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10

35“This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness.

37“This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’7:37 Deut. 18:15 38He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.

39“But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’7:40 Exodus 32:1 41That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. 42But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

“ ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings

forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?

43You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek

and the star of your god Rephan,

the idols you made to worship.

Therefore I will send you into exile’7:43 Amos 5:25-27 (see Septuagint) beyond Babylon.

44“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.7:46 Some early manuscripts the house of Jacob 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

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

49“ ‘Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

What kind of house will you build for me?

says the Lord.

Or where will my resting place be?

50Has not my hand made all these things?’7:50 Isaiah 66:1,2

51“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to 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 and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

使徒行传 7:1-60

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。