The Council Questions Stephen for Speaking in Jesus' Name |
Acts 7:1-60 The Acts of the Apostles [in Smaller Chunks] |
Then, the high priest said, Are these things so? And [Stephen] said, Men, brethren, & fathers, [Listen;] The God of glory appeared to our [forefather] Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt, [a.k.a. lived] in Charran, [a.k.a. Haran,] & said to [Abraham,] Get [yourself] out of your country, & from your [relatives,] & come into the land which I shall [show] to you. [Genesis 12:1-2 Now, the Lord had said to Abram, [a.k.a. Abraham,] Get [yourself] out of your country, & from your [relatives,] & from your father's house, to a land that I will [show] you. And I will make [from] you a great nation, & I will bless you, & make your name great. And you [shall] be a blessing.] |
Then, [Abraham] came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, & [lived] in [Haran.] And when his father was dead, from [there, God, moved Abraham] into this land [in which] you now [live.] [Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai, [a.k.a. Sarah,] his wife, Lot, his brother's son, & all their substance, [a.k.a. possessions,] that they had gathered, & the souls that they had gotten in Haran; & they went [out] to go into the land of Canaan, & they came into the land of Canaan.] |
And [God] gave [Abraham no] inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. [Still, God] promised that He would give it to [Abraham] for a possession, & to his seed, [a.k.a. descendants,] after him, [since] he had no child yet. |
And God [spoke about] this: that [Abraham's descendants would wander] in a strange land. And that they [would] bring them into bondage, & [treat them evilly] 400 years. [Exodus 3:7-8 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people, [who] are in Egypt, & have heard their [out] cry, [because] of their taskmasters. For I know their sorrows. And I [have] come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, & to bring them up, out of that land [into] a large, & good land, flowing with milk & honey, to the place of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, & the Jebusites.] |
God said, And I will judge the nation to whom they shall be in bondage. And after that, they shall come [out,] & serve Me in this place. [Exodus 14:27-30 And Moses stretched [out] his hand over the [Red] Sea, & when the morning appeared, the sea returned to [its] strength & the Egyptians fled against it. And the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, & covered the chariots, horsemen, & all [of] [Pharaoh's army,] that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained there. But the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel walked upon dry land in the [middle] of the sea. And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand [side,] & on their left. The Lord saved Israel [like this,] that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; & Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.] |
And [God] gave [Abraham] the covenant, [a.k.a. contract,] of circumcision. And so Abraham begat, [a.k.a. fathered,] Isaac, & circumcised [Isaac] the 8th day. And Isaac [fathered] Jacob. And Jacob, [a.k.a. Israel,] [fathered] the 12 patriarchs. And the patriarchs [were] moved with envy, & sold Joseph into Egypt. [Genesis 37:26-28 And Judah said to his [brothers,] What profit is it if we [kill] our brother, & conceal his blood? Come, let's sell [Joseph] to the Ishmeelites, & let our [hands] not be upon him, for he is our brother & our flesh. And his [brothers] were content. Then, [Midianite merchants,] passed by there, & they [pulled] up, & lifted Joseph out of the pit. And sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for 20 pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.] |
But God was with [Joseph,] & delivered him out of all his afflictions, & gave [Joseph favor] & wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, [Egypt's] king. And [Pharaoh] made [Joseph] governor over Egypt & all his house. [Genesis 41:38-41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, [Since] God has [showed] you all this, there is [no one as] discreet & wise as you [are.] You [shall] be over my house, & all my people shall be ruled, according to your word. I will only be greater [on] the throne, than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See I have [put] you over all the land of Egypt.] |
Now, a dearth, [a.k.a. famine,] & great affliction, came there over all the land of Egypt & [Canaan.] And our [forefathers] found no sustenance, [a.k.a. food.] But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he 1st sent out our [forefathers.] |
And the 2nd time, [they were sent to get food in Egypt,] Joseph was made known, [a.k.a. revealed himself,] to his [brothers.] And Joseph's [relatives] were made known to Pharaoh. Then, Joseph sent, & called his father, Jacob] to [come to] him, [with] all his [relatives,] 75 [people.] [Genesis 46:2-5 And God [spoke] to Israel, [a.k.a. Jacob,] in the night visions & said, Jacob, Jacob. And [Jacob] said, Here I am. And [God] said, I Am God, the God of your father. [Don't] fear to go down into Egypt; for I will make [from] you a [large] nation there. I will go down with you into Egypt. And surely, I will also bring you [back] up again. And Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beer Sheba, & the sons of Jacob carried their father, their little ones, & wives, in wagons [that] Pharaoh had sent to carry him.] |
So, Jacob went down into Egypt, & died, he & our [forefathers,] & were carried over into Sychem, [a.k.a. Shechem,] & laid in the [tomb] Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Emmor, the father of [Shechem.] [Genesis 50:13 For [Jacob's] sons carried him into the land of Canaan, & buried him in the cave of the field of Mach Pelah, which Abraham bought with the field, before Mamre, [as] a possession [for] a burying place [from] Ephron, the Hittite.] |
But when the time of the promise [that] God had sworn to Abraham, drew [near,] the people grew & multiplied in Egypt, [until] another king arose, [who didn't know] Joseph. [This king of Egypt, a.k.a. Pharaoh,] dealt [treacherously,] with our [relatives,] & [treated] our [forefathers evilly,] so that they, [a.k.a. Epytians,] cast out their young children, [in order that] they might not live. [Exodus 1:16 And [Paharoh] said, When you do the [service] of a midwife to the Hebrew women, & see them upon the stools [giving birth;] if it [is] a son, then you shall kill him. But if it [is] a daughter, then she shall live.] |
[During] which time, Moses was born, & was [exceedingly good-looking,] & [was] nourished in his father's house for 3 months. And when [Moses] was [set] out, Pharaoh's daughter took [Moses] up, & nourished him [as] her own son. [Exodus 2:3-5 And when [Moses' mother] couldn't hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, & daubed it with slime & pitch, & put the child in it. And she laid [the ark] in the flags, [a.k.a. reeds,] by the river's [edge.] And [Moses'] sister stood [far away,] to [know] what would be done to [Moses.] And [Pharaoh's] daughter came down to wash herself at the river, & her maidens walked along the river's side. And when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent to her maid to [get the ark.] |
And Moses was [educated] in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, & was mighty in words & deeds. And when [Moses] was 40 years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong [doing,] [Moses] defended & avenged him, [who] was oppressed, [a.k.a. persecuted,] & [killed] the Egyptian. |
For [Moses thought] his brethren would have understood how God, by his hand, would deliver them. But they [didn't] understand. And the next day, [Moses showed] himself to [those,] as they [fought,] & would have [reunited] them [as] one again, saying, Sirs, you are brethren, Why do you wrong one another? |
But he, [who wronged] his neighbor, [pushed Moses] away, saying, Who made you a ruler & a judge over us? [Will] you kill me, [like] you [did] the Egyptian yesterday? Then, Moses fled at this saying, & was a stranger in the land of [the] Madian, [a.k.a. Midian,] where [Moses fathered] 2 sons. |
And [after] 40 years, an Angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sina, [a.k.a. Sinai.] When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. And as he drew near, to [see] it, & the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, I Am the God of your [forefathers.] The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, & the God of Jacob. |
Then, Moses trembled, & [dared] not [look.] Then, the Lord said to [Moses, Take] off your shoes from your feet. For the place where you [stand] is Holy ground. I have seen, & I have seen the affliction of My people, [who are] in Egypt. And I have heard their groaning, & Am come down to deliver them. |
And now come, I will send you into Egypt. They refused this Moses, saying, Who made you a ruler & a judge? By the hand of the Angel, [that] appeared to Moses in the bush, God [sent] the same, [a.k.a. Moses] to be a ruler & a deliverer. [Moses] brought them out, after he had [showed] wonders & signs, [a.k.a. Miracles,] in the land of Egypt, & in the Red Sea, & in the wilderness 40 years. [Deuteronomy 6:21-23 Then, you [shall] say to your son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord [displayed] signs, & wonders, [a.k.a. Miracles,] great & [severe] upon: Egypt, Pharaoh, & upon all his household, before our eyes. And [God] brought us out from [there, so] that He might bring us in, to give us the land, [that] He [swore] to our [forefathers.] |
This is, that Moses, [who] said to the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel, The Lord your God, shall raise up a Prophet to you [from] your brethren, [similar] to me. You shall hear Him. [Deuteronomy 18:18-19 *I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, [similar] to you, & I will put My Words in His mouth. And He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him. *And it shall [happen,] that [whoever] won't [pay attention] to My Words, [that] He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him, [a.k.a. hold him accountable for disregarding My Words.] |
This is [Moses, who] was in the church in the wilderness with the Angel; [who spoke] to [God on] Mount [Sinai;] & [spoke] with our [forefathers:] who received the lively oracles, [a.k.a. visions,] to give to us. [Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, [that] he saw [about:] Judah & Jerusalem, [during] the days of: Uzziah; Jotham; Ahaz, & Hezekiah, [Judah's] kings.] |
To whom our [forefathers] wouldn't obey, but thrust him out from them. [Numbers 14:1-4 And all the congregation lifted up their [voices,] & cried [out,] & the people wept that night. And all the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel [grumbled] against Moses & Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, [Wouldn't] [it be better] that God had [let] [us die] in the land of Egypt! Or [that] God had [let] [us die] in this wilderness! And [why has] God brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, [so] that our wives, & our children should be [easy] prey? [Wouldn't] it [be] better for us to return into Egypt? And they said to one another, Let's make a captain, & let's return to Egypt.] |
And their hearts turned back into Egypt again, saying to Aaron, Make us gods to go [in front of] us. For as for this Moses, [who] brought us out of the land of Egypt, we [don't know] what [has] become of him. [Exodus 32:2-4 And [Aaron] received [the gold earrings by] their [hands,] & fashioned it with an [engraving] tool, after [Aaron] had made it a [molded] calf. And they said, These [are] your gods, O Israel, [that] brought you up, out of the land of Egypt.] |
And [during] those days, they made a calf, & offered [sacrifices] to the idol, & rejoiced in the works [made] [by] their own hands. Then, God turned [away,] & gave them up to worship the [stars] of the heaven. As it is written in the book of the prophets, O you house of Israel, you have offered [killed animals,] to Me [over] 40 years in the wilderness? [Yes,] you took up, [a.k.a. accepted.] the tabernacle of Molech, & the star of Remphan, your god, & figures [that] you made to worship them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon. [2 Kings 17:16-18 And they all left the commandments of the Lord their God, & made [themselves molded] images, even 2 calves, & made a grove, & worshiped all the host, [a.k.a. stars & constellations] of heaven, & served Baal. And they caused their sons & daughters to [go] through fire, & used divination, & enchantments, & sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, & removed them out of His sight. There [were] none left, but only the tribe of Judah.] |
[God spoke] to Moses, [so] that he should make our [forefathers] a tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He had appointed, according to the fashion, [a.k.a. pattern,] that he had seen. [Exodus 25:8-9 And let them make Me a sanctuary, [so] that I may dwell, a.k.a. live,] among them. According to all that I [declare] to you, [according to] the pattern of the tabernacle, & the pattern of [its] instruments. You shall make it even [this way.] |
God [drove] the Gentiles out of the possession before the face of our [forefathers] & our [forefathers] came in until the days of David, & after [which,] [the Gentiles were] brought in [through] Jesus. [Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come [to] the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; [so] that we might [all] receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.] |
[King David,] who found [favor] before God, desired to find a [place for] a tabernacle for the God of Jacob, [a.k.a. Israel.] [1 Chronicles 28:2-3 Then, king David stood up upon his feet, & said, Hear me, my brethren, & my people: [Since,] I had [it] in [my] heart to build [a] house for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord [to] rest, & for the footstool of our God, & had [prepared] for [its] building: But God said to me, You [shall] not build [a] house for My Name, because you [have] been a man of war, & [have] shed blood.] |
But Solomon built [God a] house. [2 Chronicles 5:1-2 Thus, all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in all the things that David, his father, had dedicated, & [Solomon] put the: silver, gold, & all the instruments, among the treasures of the House of God. Then, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, & all the [leaders] of the tribes, the chief of the [forefathers] of the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, out [from] the city of David, which is Zion.] |
[However,] the Most High [doesn't] dwell in temples made with hands. [1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? [See,] the heaven, & the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house that I have [built?] |
As the prophet [said.] The Lord says, Heaven is My throne, & the earth is My footstool. What house will you build Me? Or what is My place of rest? Haven't My [hands] made all these things? |
You always resist the Holy Ghost, [a.k.a. Holy Spirit,] you stiff-necked, [a.k.a. stubborn,] [with] uncircumcised [hearts] & ears. You [also] do so, [like] your [forefathers] did. Which of the prophets haven't your [forefathers] persecuted? [2 Chronicles 36:15-16 And the Lord God of their [forefathers] sent His messengers to them by rising up [early] [to warn,] & sending; because He had compassion on His people, & on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, & despised His Words, & misused His prophets, until the [anger] of the Lord arose against His people, [until] there was no remedy.] |
And they have [killed those, who declared] the coming of the Just One [beforehand;] of Whom you have now been the betrayers & murderers. Who have received the Law by the disposition, [a.k.a. distribution, from] Angels, & haven't kept it. |
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, [a.k.a. furious,] & they gnashed [at Stephen] with their teeth. But [Stephen,] being full of the Holy Ghost, [a.k.a. Holy Spirit, steadily] looked up into heaven, & saw the glory of God, & Jesus standing [at] the right hand of God, & said, [Look,] I see the heavens opened, & the Son of Man standing [at] the right hand of God. |
Then, they cried out with a loud voice, & stopped their ears, & ran upon [Stephen,] with one accord, [a.k.a. united like one,] & cast [Stephen] out of the city, & stoned him. |
And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, [who] calling upon God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And [Stephen] kneeled down, & cried [out] with a loud voice, Lord, [don't] lay this sin to their charge, [a.k.a. don't hold them responsible for this sin.] And when [Stephen] had said this, he fell asleep, [a.k.a. died.] [Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they [don't] know what they do. And they [divided Jesus' clothing,] & cast lots.] |