Acts 7 – NIRV & CCBT

New International Reader’s Version

Acts 7:1-60

Stephen Speaks to the Sanhedrin

1Then the high priest questioned Stephen. “Is what these people are saying true?” he asked.

2“Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” Stephen replied. “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham. At that time Abraham was still in Mesopotamia. He had not yet begun living in Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said. ‘Go to the land I will show you.’ (Genesis 12:1)

4“So Abraham left the land of Babylonia. He settled in Harran. After his father died, God sent Abraham to this land where you are now living. 5God didn’t give him any property here. He didn’t even give him enough land to set his foot on. But God made a promise to him and to all his family after him. He said they would possess the land. The promise was made even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6Here is what God said to him. ‘For 400 years your family after you will be strangers in a country not their own. They will be slaves and will be treated badly. 7But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves,’ God said. ‘After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.’ (Genesis 15:13,14) 8Then God made a covenant with Abraham. God told him that circumcision would show who the members of the covenant were. Abraham became Isaac’s father. He circumcised Isaac eight days after he was born. Later, Isaac became Jacob’s father. Jacob had 12 sons. They became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.

9“Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. So they sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt. But God was with him. 10He saved Joseph from all his troubles. God made Joseph wise. He helped him to become the friend of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over Egypt and his whole palace.

11“There was not enough food for all Egypt and Canaan. This brought great suffering. Jacob and his sons couldn’t find food. 12But Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt. So he sent his sons on their first visit. 13On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was. Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family. The total number of people was 75. 15Then Jacob went down to Egypt. There he and his family died. 16Some of their bodies were brought back to Shechem. They were placed in a tomb Abraham had bought. He had purchased it from Hamor’s sons at Shechem. He had purchased it for a certain amount of money.

17“In Egypt the number of our people grew and grew. It was nearly time for God to make his promise to Abraham come true. 18Then ‘a new king came to power in Egypt. Joseph didn’t mean anything to him.’ (Exodus 1:8) 19The king was very evil and dishonest with our people. He treated them badly. He forced them to throw out their newborn babies to die.

20“At that time Moses was born. He was not an ordinary child. For three months he was taken care of by his family. 21Then he was placed outside. But Pharaoh’s daughter took him home. She brought him up as her own son. 22Moses was taught all the knowledge of the people of Egypt. He became a powerful speaker and a man of action.

23“When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit the people of Israel. They were his own people. 24He saw one of them being treated badly by an Egyptian. So he went to help him. He got even by killing the man. 25Moses thought his own people would realize that God was using him to save them. But they didn’t. 26The next day Moses saw two Israelites fighting. He tried to make peace between them. ‘Men, you are both Israelites,’ he said. ‘Why do you want to hurt each other?’

27“But the man who was treating the other one badly pushed Moses to one side. He said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ (Exodus 2:14) 29When Moses heard this, he escaped to Midian. He lived there as an outsider. He became the father of two sons there.

30“Forty years passed. Then an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush. This happened in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31When Moses saw the bush, he was amazed. He went over for a closer look. There he heard the Lord say, 32‘I am the God of your fathers. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ (Exodus 3:6) Moses shook with fear. He didn’t dare to look.

33“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals. You must do this because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have seen my people beaten down in Egypt. I have heard their groans. I have come down to set them free. Now come. I will send you back to Egypt.’ (Exodus 3:5,7,8,10)

35“This is the same Moses the two men of Israel would not accept. They had said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ But God himself sent Moses to rule the people of Israel and set them free. He spoke to Moses through an angel. The angel had appeared to him in the bush. 36So Moses led them out of Egypt. He did wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for 40 years in the desert.

37“This is the same Moses who spoke to the Israelites. ‘God will send you a prophet,’ he said. ‘He will be like me. He will come from your own people.’ (Deuteronomy 18:15) 38Moses was with the Israelites in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. Moses was with our people of long ago. He received living words to pass on to us.

39“But our people refused to obey Moses. They would not accept him. In their hearts, they wished they were back in Egypt. 40They told Aaron, ‘Make us a god who will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him!’ (Exodus 32:1) 41That was the time they made a statue to be their god. It was shaped like a calf. They brought sacrifices to it. They even enjoyed what they had made with their own hands. 42But God turned away from them. He let them go on worshiping the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets. There it says,

“ ‘People of Israel, did you bring me sacrifices and offerings

for 40 years in the desert?

43You have taken with you the shrine of your false god Molek.

You have taken with you the star of your false god Rephan.

You made statues of those gods to worship.

So I will send you away from your country.’ (Amos 5:25–27)

God sent them to Babylon and even farther.

44“Long ago our people were in the desert. They had with them the holy tent. The tent was where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. Moses had made the holy tent as God had commanded him. Moses made it like the pattern he had seen. 45Our people received the tent from God. Then they brought it with them when they took the land of Canaan. God drove out the nations that were in their way. At that time Joshua was Israel’s leader. The tent remained in the land until David’s time. 46David was blessed by God. So David asked if he could build a house for the God of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built the temple for God.

48“But the Most High God does not live in houses made by human hands. As God says through the prophet,

49“ ‘Heaven is my throne.

The earth is under my control.

What kind of house will you build for me?

says the Lord.

Where will my resting place be?

50Didn’t my hand make all these things?’ (Isaiah 66:1,2)

51“You stubborn people! You won’t obey! You won’t listen! You are just like your people of long ago! You always oppose the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your people didn’t try to hurt? They even killed those who told about the coming of the Blameless One. And now you have handed him over to his enemies. You have murdered him. 53The law you received was given by angels. But you haven’t obeyed it.”

Stephen Is Killed

54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they became very angry. They were so angry they ground their teeth at Stephen. 55But he was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw God’s glory. He saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand. 56“Look!” he said. “I see heaven open. The Son of Man is standing at God’s right hand.”

57When the Sanhedrin heard this, they covered their ears. They yelled at the top of their voices. They all rushed at him. 58They dragged him out of the city. They began to throw stones at him to kill him. The people who had brought false charges against Stephen took off their coats. They placed them at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While the members of the Sanhedrin were throwing stones at Stephen, he prayed. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” he said. 60Then he fell on his knees. He cried out, “Lord! Don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he died.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

使徒行傳 7:1-60

司提凡的申辯

1大祭司問:「這是真的嗎?」 2司提凡說:「各位父老兄弟,請聽我說!我們的祖先亞伯拉罕還未遷到哈蘭之前,住在美索不達米亞,榮耀的上帝向他顯現,說, 3『你要離開家鄉和親族,到我要指示你的地方去。』 4亞伯拉罕就離開迦勒底人的地方,在哈蘭住了下來。他父親過世以後,上帝又領他到你們現在居住的這個地方。 5當時在這片土地上,上帝沒有給他任何產業,他甚至連立足之地也沒有。但上帝應許要把這片土地賜給他和他的後裔作產業,儘管那時候亞伯拉罕還沒有兒子。 6上帝又說,『你的子孫必流落異鄉,受奴役、被虐待四百年。 7但我必懲罰奴役他們的國家,之後你的子孫要離開那裡,在這片土地上事奉我。』 8上帝又賜下割禮作為祂與亞伯拉罕立約的憑據。亞伯拉罕以撒出生後的第八天為他行割禮。照樣,以撒為他的兒子雅各行了割禮,雅各也為他的兒子——以色列十二位先祖行了割禮。7·8 第八節後半部分或譯「以撒生雅各,雅各生以色列十二位先祖。」

9「先祖們嫉妒自己的弟弟約瑟,把他賣到了埃及。但上帝一直與他同在, 10救他脫離一切危難,又賜他過人的智慧,使他在埃及法老面前得到恩寵,官拜宰相治理全國,並管理王室。 11後來,埃及迦南全境遭遇饑荒,災情嚴重,我們的先祖們斷了糧。 12雅各聽說埃及有糧,就派先祖們去那裡買糧,那是我們的先祖初次去埃及13他們第二次去的時候,約瑟才和弟兄們相認,並且領他們拜見埃及王。 14後來,約瑟派人去把父親雅各和全族七十五人都接到埃及15從此以後,雅各和其他先祖們便定居埃及,直到去世。 16後來他們的遺體被帶回示劍,安葬在亞伯拉罕買自哈抹子孫的墓地裡。

17「上帝對亞伯拉罕所應許的日子快到的時侯,以色列人在埃及的人口已大大增加。 18後來埃及有一位不認識約瑟的新王登基。 19他用毒計苦害我們的同胞,虐待我們的祖先,強令他們把嬰孩拋棄,不讓嬰孩存活。 20那時,摩西出生了,他長得俊美非凡。他的父母在家裡偷偷地撫養了他三個月, 21最後不得已才丟棄他。法老的女兒救了他,收為養子。

22摩西學會了埃及人一切的學問,成為一個說話辦事很有能力的人。 23他四十歲那年決定去探望自己的同胞以色列人。 24他到了他們那裡,看見一個埃及人正在欺負以色列人,就打抱不平,殺了那個埃及人。 25摩西以為同胞們會明白上帝要藉著他的手拯救他們,可是他們並不明白。 26第二天,他看見兩個以色列人在打架,就上前勸解說,『大家都是同胞,為什麼互相毆打呢?』 27不料那個欺負人的推開摩西說,『誰立你作我們的首領和審判官? 28難道你要殺我,像昨天殺那個埃及人一樣嗎?』 29摩西聽了這話,就逃到米甸寄居,在那裡成家,生了兩個兒子。

30「過了四十年,在西奈山的曠野,上帝的天使在荊棘火焰中向摩西顯現。 31摩西見狀很驚奇,正要上前看個究竟,就聽見主說, 32『我是你祖先的上帝,是亞伯拉罕以撒雅各的上帝。』摩西戰戰兢兢,不敢觀看。 33主又說,『脫下你腳上的鞋子,因為你所站的地方是聖地。 34我已清楚看見我子民在埃及所受的苦難,也聽見了他們的哀歎,我下來要救他們。你來,我要派你回埃及。』

35「百姓曾拒絕這位摩西,說,『誰立你作我們的首領和審判官?』上帝卻藉著在荊棘中顯現的天使親自差遣他,立他為首領和拯救者。 36摩西帶領以色列人出埃及,過紅海,越曠野,四十年間行了許多神蹟奇事。 37就是這位摩西曾對以色列人說,『上帝要在你們中間興起一位像我一樣的先知。』 38這位摩西曾在曠野與以色列的會眾——我們的祖先在一起,又在西奈山上與向他傳信息的天使在一起,並且領受了生命之道傳給我們。

39「可是我們的祖先不聽從他,甚至棄絕他,心裡對埃及戀戀不捨。 40他們請求亞倫說,『為我們造一些神像來帶領我們吧!領我們離開埃及的那個摩西不知怎樣了。』 41於是,他們造了一個牛犢像,向它獻祭,並為自己所做的事沾沾自喜。 42因此,上帝轉臉不顧他們,任由他們祭拜日月星辰,正如先知書的記載,

以色列家啊,

在曠野的四十年間,

你們向我獻過祭物和供品嗎?

43你們抬著為自己所造的神像,

就是摩洛的帳篷和理番神明的星,

祭拜它們,

所以我要把你們趕到比巴比倫還遠的地方去。』

44「我們的祖先在曠野的時候,一直帶著安放約櫃的聖幕,這聖幕是上帝吩咐摩西照他所看見的樣式造的。 45後來我們的祖先承受了聖幕。上帝從我們祖先面前趕走外族人,使他們得到了應許之地。他們同約書亞把聖幕帶到那裡,一直到大衛的時代。 46大衛蒙上帝悅納,祈求為雅各的上帝建造一座聖殿。 47結果是他的兒子所羅門為上帝建成了聖殿。

48「其實至高的上帝並不住人造的殿,祂曾藉著先知說, 49『天是我的寶座,地是我的腳凳,你們要為我造怎樣的殿宇?哪裡可作我的安歇之處? 50這一切不都是我親手創造的嗎?』

51「你們這些頑固不化、耳不聽心不悔的人7·51 耳不聽心不悔的人」希臘文是「心與耳未受割禮的人」。,經常抗拒聖靈,所作所為和你們的祖先如出一轍! 52哪一位先知沒有被你們祖先迫害?那些預言義者——彌賽亞要來的人也被你們的祖先殺害。如今你們竟出賣了那位公義者,殺害了祂! 53你們接受了上帝藉天使所傳的律法,竟不遵守!」

司提凡殉道

54眾人聽了這番話,怒火中燒,咬牙切齒。 55司提凡卻被聖靈充滿,定睛望天,看見上帝的榮耀和站在上帝右邊的耶穌。 56司提凡說:「看啊!我看見天開了,人子站在上帝的右邊。」

57眾人大喊大叫,捂著耳朵,蜂擁而上, 58司提凡拉到城外,用石頭打他。指控他的人把他們的衣服交給一個名叫掃羅的青年看管。 59在亂石擊打之下,司提凡呼求說:「主耶穌啊,接收我的靈魂吧!」然後跪下高聲說: 60「主啊,不要追究他們的罪!」說完後,就斷氣了。