Acts Chapter 7
Stephen’s Defense
1 The high priest said, “Is that true?”
2 He said,
“Brothers and fathers, listen. Our glorious God appeared to Abraham our ancestor in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 He said, ‘Leave your land and relatives, and go to the land I’ll show you’ [Gen 12:1]. 4 He left Chaldea and settled in Haran. After his father died, God moved him to where we live now. 5 He didn’t give him an inheritance in it, not even a place to put his foot, but promised ‘to give it to him and his descendants’ [Gen 12:7] even though he didn’t have a child yet. 6 God said his descendants would live in a foreign land that would enslave them and abuse them for 400 years. 7 ‘I’ll judge that nation, and afterwards I’ll bring them out, and they’ll serve me here’ [Gen 15:13-14]. 8 He gave them the covenant of circumcision, so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, father of the twelve patriarchs.
Acts 7:1-8
9 “The other patriarchs resented Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him. 10 He delivered him from difficult circumstances and gave him grace and wisdom in front of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh made him governor over Egypt as well as his own household.
11 An especially stressful famine came over Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors couldn’t find food. 12 Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt and sent our fathers first. 13 The second time Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became acquainted with Pharaoh. 14 Joseph called his father Jacob and all his relatives—75 people. 15 Jacob went down to Egypt, and he and our ancestors died there. 16 They were carried over to Shechem and put in the tomb Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
Acts 7:9-16
17 “As the time came for God’s promise to Abraham, the people multiplied in Egypt 18 until ‘another king arose that didn’t know Joseph’ [Ex 1:7-8]. 19 He took advantage of our people and abused our ancestors by making them cast out their babies to die.
20 “At that time Moses was born, an especially good-looking baby raised for three months in his father’s house. 21 When he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter picked him up and raised him as her own son. 22 He was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, capable in word and deed.
Acts 7:17-22
23 “When he was 40, it occurred to him to visit his kin, the Israelites. 24 When he saw one of them mistreated, he avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed his kin understood that God was going to use him to deliver them, but they didn’t.
26 “The next day he showed up as two were fighting and tried to make peace, ‘Men, you’re brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
27 “The one mistreating his neighbor pushed him away, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 28 You don’t intend to kill me, do you, like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ [Ex 2:13-14]
29 “At this, Moses fled from Egypt and became an exile in Midian, where he fathered two sons.
Acts 7:23-29
30 “After 40 years, ‘an angel appeared to him in the flame of a burning bush in the desert’ [Ex 3:2-3] around Mt. Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed at the sight. When he came for a closer look, the LORD spoke, 32 ‘I’m your ancestors’ God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ [Ex 3:6]. Moses began to tremble and didn’t dare to look. 33 The LORD said, ‘Take your sandals off; you’re standing on holy ground. 34 I’ve certainly seen the abuse of my people in Egypt and have come down to deliver them. Go now; I’m sending you to Egypt”’ [Ex 3:4-10].
35 “The Moses they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge’ [Ex 2:14], God sent as ruler and deliverer by the angel that appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, the Red Sea, and in the desert for 40 years. 37 That’s the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘From among your people God will raise up a prophet for you like me’ [Deut.18:15]. 38 That’s the one who was in the congregation in the desert with the angel that spoke to him on Mt. Sinai and with our ancestors. That’s the one who received life-giving oracles for us. 39 That’s the one our forefathers didn’t want to obey, but shoved away, turned in heart back to Egypt, 40 and told Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us. We don’t know what’s happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt’ [Ex 32:1, 23]. 41 They made a calf, offered sacrifice to the idol, and celebrated over what they had made with their hands.
Acts 7:30-41
42 “God turned away and gave them up to serve the host of heaven, like scripture says in the Book of the Prophets,
‘You didn’t just offer me slain victims and sacrifices
for 40 years in the wilderness, did you, Israel?
43 You carried the tabernacle of Moloch
and the star of Rephan,
images you made to worship.
I’ll carry you away beyond Babylon’ [Amos 5:25-27].
Acts 7:42-43
44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle as a testimony to them in the desert. The One that spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the design he’d seen. 45 That’s what our ancestors brought in with Joshua when they took over the nations God forced out till David’s time. 46 David found favor with God and asked to build a house for him. 47 Solomon did build a house for God, 48 but the Most High doesn’t live in handmade houses. The prophet says,
49 ‘“The sky’s my throne;
the earth’s my footstool.
What kind of house are you going to build me,” the LORD says?
“Where will I rest?
50 Haven’t I made all this?”’ [Is 66:1-2]
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit just like your ancestors did! 52 Which prophet didn’t they persecute? They killed the ones that predicted the coming of the Righteous One that you’ve betrayed and murdered, 53 you that received the Law ordained by angels and haven’t kept it!” Acts 7:44-53
54 They were enraged and gritted their teeth at him. 55 Filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked intently into heaven and saw God’s glory and Jesus standing to his right. 56 He said, “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right side of God.”
Stephen Martyred
57 They shouted out and covered their ears and rushed at him together. 58 They threw him out of the city and started stoning him. The witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. 59 As they stoned Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and shouted out, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” Then he died. 1 Saul was approving of his death.
Acts 7:54-8:1a