Self-interpreting Bible

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Acts 7

1Stephen, called upon to answer the charge against him, relateth how God called Abraham, and gave him and his seed the land of Canaan by promise; 9how Joseph was sold by his brethren, and Jacob with his family went down into Egypt; 17how, when they were oppressed by the Egyptians, Moses was born, and sent to deliver Israel out of Egypt; 37that this same Moses witnessed of Christ, received the law, and experienced the disobedience and idolatry of their forefathers; 44who had the tabernacle of witness, till Solomon built the temple; 51he reproacheth his hearers with imitating their fathers' rebellion against God, and persecution of his prophets, by having themselves murdered Christ, and transgressed the law they had received. 54Stung with the reproach, they stone him, looking up with faith unto God, and calling upon Jesus to receive his soul, and forgive his persecutors.

1 THEN said the high priest, aAre these things so?

2 And he said, bMen, brethren, and fathers, hearken; cThe God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, dwhen he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

3 And said unto him, eGet thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

4 fThen came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

5 gAnd he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: hyet 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.

6 And God spake on this wise, iThat his seed should *sojourn in a *strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

7 jAnd the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and kserve me in this place.

8 lAnd 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.

9 mAnd the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and ngave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11 oNow there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

12 pBut when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

    14 qThen sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, rthreescore and fifteen souls.

    15 sSo Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

    16 tAnd were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that uAbraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

    17 vBut when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

    18 wTill another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

    19 The same *dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil *entreated our fathers, xso that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

    • *: dealt subtilly with-took shrewd advantage of. , entreated-treated.
    • x: Ex. 1:22

    20 yIn which time Moses was born, and was 1exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

    21 zAnd when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

    22 aAnd Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

    23 And bwhen he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

    24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

      25 2For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but cthey understood not.

      26 dAnd the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, eye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

      27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, fWho made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

      28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

        29 gThen fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, hwhere he begat two sons.

        30 iAnd when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an jangel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

        31 When Moses saw it, he kwondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, lthe voice of the Lord came unto him,

        32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. mThen Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

        33 Then said the Lord to him, nPut off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

        34 oI 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. pAnd now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

        35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? qthe same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer rby the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

        36 sHe brought them out, after that he had tshewed 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, uA prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, 3like unto me; him shall ye hear.

        38 vThis 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 w*lively oracles to give unto us:

        39 xTo whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts yturned back again into Egypt,

        40 zSaying 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.

        41 And athey made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

        42 bThen God turned, and gave them up to worship cthe host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, dO ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

        43 Yea, eye took up the *tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I fwill carry you away beyond Babylon.

        44 Our fathers had gthe *tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, 4speaking unto Moses, hthat he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

        45 iWhich also our fathers 5that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, jwhom God *drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

        46 Who kfound favour before God, land desired to find a *tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

        47 mBut Solomon built him an house.

        48 Howbeit nthe most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

        49 oHeaven 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?

        50 pHath not my hand made all these things?

        51 ¶qYe stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always rresist the Holy *Ghost: sas your fathers did, so do ye.

        52 tWhich of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the uJust One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

        53 vWho have received the law wby the *disposition of angels, and xhave not kept it.

        54 ¶When they heard these things, they were ycut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

        55 But he, being zfull of the Holy *Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw athe glory of God, and Jesus bstanding on the right hand of God,

        56 And said, Behold, I see cthe heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

        57 dThen they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

        58 eAnd 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.

        59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, fLord Jesus, receive my spirit.

        60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, glay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, hhe fell asleep.