The Acts of the Apostles

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 7 -

(Genesis 12:1–9)

Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

And Stephen said: “Noble brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he stayed in Haran.

And God said to him, ‘Depart from your country and from your kindred, and go into the land that I will show to you.’

Then he went away from the land of the Chaldeans, and he lived at Haran. And later, after his father was dead, God brought him into this land, in which you now dwell.

And he gave him no inheritance in it, not even the space of one step. But he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his offspring after him, though he did not have a son.

Then God told him that his offspring would be a settler in a foreign land, and that they would subjugate them, and treat them badly, for four hundred years.

‘And the nation whom they will serve, I will judge,’ said the Lord. ‘And after these things, they shall depart and shall serve me in this place.’

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so he conceived Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac conceived Jacob, and Jacob, the twelve Patriarchs.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

(Genesis 37:12–30)

And the Patriarchs, being jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him.

And he rescued him from all his tribulations. And he gave him grace and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And he appointed him as governor over Egypt and over all his house.

Then a famine occurred in all of Egypt and Canaan, and a great tribulation. And our fathers did not find food.(a)

But when Jacob had heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers first.

And on the second occasion, Joseph was recognized by his brothers, and his ancestry was made manifest to Pharaoh.

Then Joseph sent for and brought his father Jacob, with all his kindred, seventy-five souls.

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

(Exodus 1:8–22)

And Jacob descended into Egypt, and he passed away, and so did our fathers.

And they crossed over into Shechem, and they were placed in the sepulcher which Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the son of Shechem.

And when the time of the Promise that God had revealed to Abraham drew near, the people increased and were multiplied in Egypt,

even until another king, who did not know Joseph, rose up in Egypt.

This one, encompassing our kindred, afflicted our fathers, so that they would expose their infants, lest they be kept alive.

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

(Exodus 2:1–10; Hebrews 11:23–29)

In the same time, Moses was born. And he was in the grace of God, and he was nourished for three months in the house of his father.

Then, having been abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh took him in, and she raised him as her own son.

And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. And he was mighty in his words and in his deeds.

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

(Exodus 2:11–22)

But when forty years of age were completed in him, it rose up in his heart that he should visit his brothers, the sons of Israel.

And when he had seen a certain one suffering injury, he defended him. And striking the Egyptian, he wrought a retribution for him who was enduring the injury.

Now he supposed that his brothers would understand that God would grant them salvation through his hand. But they did not understand it.

So truly, on the following day, he appeared before those who were arguing, and he would have reconciled them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. So why would you harm one another?’

But he who was causing the injury to his neighbor rejected him, saying: ‘Who has appointed you as leader and judge over us?

Could it be that you want to kill me, in the same way that you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

Then, at this word, Moses fled. And he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he produced two sons.

The Call of Moses

(Exodus 3:1–22)

And when forty years were completed, there appeared to him, in the desert of Mount Sinai, an Angel, in a flame of fire in a bush.(b)

And upon seeing this, Moses was amazed at the sight. And as he drew near in order to gaze at it, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying:

‘I am the God of your fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses, being made to tremble, did not dare to look.

But the Lord said to him: ‘Loosen the shoes from your feet. For the place in which you stand is holy ground.

Certainly, I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning. And so, I am coming down to free them. And now, go forth and I will send you into Egypt.’(c)

This Moses, whom they rejected by saying, ‘Who has appointed you as leader and judge?’ is the one God sent to be leader and redeemer, by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.

This man led them out, accomplishing signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and at the Red Sea, and in the desert, for forty years.

This is Moses, who said to the sons of Israel: ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own brothers. You shall listen to him.’

This is he who was in the Church in the wilderness, with the Angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. It is he who received the words of life to give to us.(d)

The Rebellion of Israel

(Exodus 32:1–35; Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Amos 5:16–27)

It is he whom our fathers were not willing to obey. Instead, they rejected him, and in their hearts they turned away toward Egypt,

saying to Aaron: ‘Make gods for us, which may go before us. For this Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

And so they fashioned a calf in those days, and they offered sacrifices to an idol, and they rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

Then God turned, and he handed them over, to subservience to the armies of heaven, just as it was written in the Book of the Prophets: ‘Did you not offer victims and sacrifices to me for forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

And yet you took up for yourselves the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, figures which you yourselves formed in order to adore them. And so I will carry you away, beyond Babylon.’

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

(Exodus 40:1–33; Hebrews 9:1–10)

The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the desert, just as God ordained for them, speaking to Moses, so that he would make it according to the form that he had seen.

But our fathers, receiving it, also brought it, with Joshua, into the land of the Gentiles, whom God expelled before the face of our fathers, even until the days of David,(e)

who found grace before God and who asked that he might obtain a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

Yet the Most High does not live in houses built by hands, just as he said through the prophet:(f)

‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house would you build for me? says the Lord. And which is my resting place?

Has not my hand made all these things?’

Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you ever resist the Holy Spirit. Just as your fathers did, so also do you do.

Which of the Prophets have your fathers not persecuted? And they killed those who foretold the advent of the Just One. And you have now become the betrayers and murderers of him.

You received the law by the actions of Angels, and yet you have not kept it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

Then, upon hearing these things, they were deeply wounded in their hearts, and they gnashed their teeth at him.

But he, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and gazing intently toward heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.”

Then they, crying out with a loud voice, blocked their ears and, with one accord, rushed violently toward him.

And driving him out, beyond the city, they stoned him. And witnesses placed their garments beside the feet of a youth, who was called Saul.

And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Then, having been brought to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his murder.

Footnotes

(a)7:11 Famines are associated with both the first and second parts of the tribulation.(Conte)

(b)7:30 Good Angels often have a role in miraculous signs and wonders, therefore, the assertion that a true miracle is something that is done by God alone is not correct. God often chooses to give true miracles through both the use of His power and through the use of His holy Angels.(Conte)

(c)7:34 The repetition of the verb intensified the meaning; it is not necessary to repeat the verb in the translation, but rather this intensification can be expressed in other ways.(Conte)

(d)7:38 The assembly of the Israelites in the desert was a foreshadowing of the Catholic Christian Church, and was itself a kind of Church.(Conte)

(e)7:45 Jesus:That is Josue, so called in Greek.(Challoner)

(f)7:48 Dwells not in houses, etc:That is, so as to stand in need of earthly dwellings, or to be contained, or circumscribed by them. Though, otherwise by his immense divinity, he is in our houses; and every where else; and Christ in his humanity dwelt in houses; and is now on our altars.(Challoner)

(Genesis 12:1–9)

The high priest said, “Are these things so?”

He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

and said to him, ‘Get out of your land and away from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.’(a)

Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land where you are now living.

He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.

God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

‘I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve me in this place.’(b)

He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

(Genesis 37:12–30)

“The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him

and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.

But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.

On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was revealed to Pharaoh.

Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his relatives, seventy-five souls.

Israel Oppressed in Egypt

(Exodus 1:8–22)

Jacob went down into Egypt and he died, himself and our fathers;

and they were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.

“But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

until there arose a different king who didn’t know Joseph.

The same took advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to abandon their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.

The Birth and Adoption of Moses

(Exodus 2:1–10; Hebrews 11:23–29)

At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome to God. He was nourished three months in his father’s house.

When he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and reared him as her own son.

Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.

The Rejection and Flight of Moses

(Exodus 2:11–22)

But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers,(c) the children of Israel.

Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian.

He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn’t understand.

“The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’

But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’(d)

Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

The Call of Moses

(Exodus 3:1–22)

“When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, the voice of the Lord came to him,

‘I am the God of your fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’(e) Moses trembled and dared not look.

The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you into Egypt.’(f)

“This Moses whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’(g)

(h)

This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us,

The Rebellion of Israel

(Exodus 32:1–35; Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Amos 5:16–27)

to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’(i)

They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.

But God turned away and gave them up to serve the army of the sky,(j) as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship, so I will carry you away

(k)

beyond Babylon.’

The Tabernacle of the Testimony

(Exodus 40:1–33; Hebrews 9:1–10)

“Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen;

which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations whom God drove out before the face of our fathers to the days of David,

who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.

But Solomon built him a house.

However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,

‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is the place of my rest?

Didn’t my hand make all these things?’(l)

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.

Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.

You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!”

The Stoning of Stephen

Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord.

They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Footnotes

(a)7:3 ℘ Genesis 12:1

(b)7:7 ℘ Genesis 15:13-14

(c)7:23 The word for “brothers” here and where the context allows may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(d)7:28 ℘ Exodus 2:14

(e)7:32 ℘ Exodus 3:6

(f)7:34 ℘ Exodus 3:5,7-8,10

(g)7:37 TR adds “You shall listen to him.”

(h)7:37 ℘ Deuteronomy 18:15

(i)7:40 ℘ Exodus 32:1

(j)7:42 This idiom could also be translated “host of heaven”, or “angelic beings”, or “heavenly bodies.”

(k)7:43 ℘ Amos 5:25-27

(l)7:50 ℘ Isaiah 66:1-2