Stephen's Speech
1 The High Priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”
2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your family and country and go to the land that I will show you.’ 4 And so he left his country and went to live in Haran. After Abraham's father died, God made him move to this land where you now live. 5 God did not then give Abraham any part of it as his own, not even a square foot of ground, but God promised to give it to him, and that it would belong to him and to his descendants. At the time God made this promise, Abraham had no children. 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years. 7 But I will pass judgment on the people that they will serve, and afterward your descendants will come out of that country and will worship me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
9 “Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. 11 Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, 12 and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. 13 On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. 14 So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. 15 Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. 16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.
17 “When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger. 18 At last a king who did not know about Joseph began to rule in Egypt. 19 He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them, forcing them to put their babies out of their homes, so that they would die. 20 It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months, 21 and when he was put out of his home, the king's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 He was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds.
23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to find out how his fellow Israelites were being treated. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his help and took revenge on the Egyptian by killing him. ( 25 He thought that his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free, but they did not understand.) 26 The next day he saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. ‘Listen, men,’ he said, ‘you are fellow Israelites; why are you fighting like this?’ 27 But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28 ‘Do you want to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled from Egypt and went to live in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed by what he saw, and went near the bush to get a better look. But he heard the Lord's voice: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and dared not look. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “Moses is the one who was rejected by the people of Israel. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ they asked. He is the one whom God sent to rule the people and set them free with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush. 36 He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert. 37 Moses is the one who said to the people of Israel, ‘God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me, and he will be one of your own people.’ 38 He is the one who was with the people of Israel assembled in the desert; he was there with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received God's living messages to pass on to us.
39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him; they pushed him aside and wished that they could go back to Egypt. 40 So they said to Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who will lead us. We do not know what has happened to that man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 It was then that they made an idol in the shape of a bull, offered sacrifice to it, and had a feast in honor of what they themselves had made. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
‘People of Israel! It was not to me
that you slaughtered and sacrificed animals
for forty years in the desert.
43 It was the tent of the god Molech that you carried,
and the image of Rephan, your star god;
they were idols that you had made to worship.
And so I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our ancestors had the Tent of God's presence with them in the desert. It had been made as God had told Moses to make it, according to the pattern that Moses had been shown. 45 Later on, our ancestors who received the tent from their fathers carried it with them when they went with Joshua and took over the land from the nations that God drove out as they advanced. And it stayed there until the time of David. 46 He won God's favor and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built him a house.
48 “But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house would you build for me?
Where is the place for me to live in?
50 Did not I myself make all these things?’
51 “How stubborn you are!” Stephen went on to say. “How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there any prophet that your ancestors did not persecute? They killed God's messengers, who long ago announced the coming of his righteous Servant. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. 53 You are the ones who received God's law, that was handed down by angels—yet you have not obeyed it!”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.
Stefana runa
1 Tad augstais priesteris vaicāja: “Vai tas tā ir?” 2 Un viņš atbildēja: “Brāļi un tēvi, klausieties! Godības Dievs parādījās mūsu tēvam Ābrahāmam, kad viņš, pirms apmetās uz dzīvi Hārānā, vēl bija Mezopotāmijā, 3 un sacīja viņam: izej no savas zemes un pamet savus tuviniekus, un dodies uz zemi, kuru es tev rādīšu. 4 Tad viņš izgāja no kaldiešu zemes un apmetās Hārānā, bet, kad nomira viņa tēvs, Dievs no turienes pārcēla viņu uz dzīvi šajā zemē, kur jūs dzīvojat tagad. 5 Dievs nedeva tam mantojumā ne pēdas šīs zemes, bet apsolīja to dot īpašumā viņam un viņa pēcnācējiem, lai gan bērnu viņam nebija. 6 Dievs sacīja tā: tavi pēcnācēji dzīvos svešā zemē, viņus paverdzinās un vārdzinās četri simti gadu. 7 Un tautu, kurai viņi vergos, es tiesāšu, sacīja Dievs; un pēc tam viņi no turienes izies un kalpos man šajā vietā. – 8 Dievs deva viņam apgraizīšanas derību, un viņš dzemdināja Īzaku un apgraizīja viņu astotajā dienā, un Īzaks dzemdināja Jēkabu un Jēkabs – divpadsmit patriarhus. 9 Un patriarhi greizsirdībā pret Jāzepu pārdeva viņu uz Ēģipti. Bet Dievs bija ar viņu 10 un izglāba viņu no visām grūtībām, un deva viņam žēlastību un gudrību faraona, Ēģiptes valdnieka, priekšā. Tas iecēla viņu par pārvaldnieku pār Ēģipti un visu savu namu. 11 Tad pār visu Ēģipti un Kanaānu nāca bads un liels posts, un mūsu tēvi nevarēja atrast pārtiku. 12 Bet Jēkabs, izdzirdējis, ka Ēģiptē ir labība, aizsūtīja turp mūsu tēvus pirmoreiz. 13 Bet otrajā reizē Jāzeps atklāja sevi saviem brāļiem, un faraonam kļuva zināma Jāzepa cilts. 14 Nosūtījis tos atpakaļ, Jāzeps aicināja Jēkabu un visu radu saimi, skaitā septiņdesmit piecas dvēseles. 15 Tad Jēkabs aizgāja uz Ēģipti un nomira, viņš un mūsu tēvi, 16 un viņus pārveda uz Šehemu un guldīja kapenē, ko Ābrahāms par sudrabu bija nopircis no Hamora dēliem Šehemā. 17 Tuvojās laiks, kad Dievam vajadzēja piepildīt Ābrahāmam doto solījumu, un tauta auga un vairojās Ēģiptē, 18 taču Ēģiptē cēlās cits ķēniņš, kas Jāzepu nepazina. 19 Viņš izgudroja viltību pret mūsu tautu, lai darītu ļaunu mūsu tēviem, un spieda viņus izlikt savus jaundzimušos, ka tie nevarētu izdzīvot. 20 Tajā laikā piedzima Mozus, un viņš bija tīkams Dievam. Trīs mēnešus viņu zīdīja tēva mājās. 21 Kad viņš tika izlikts, viņu pieņēma faraona meita un uzaudzināja sev par dēlu. 22 Un Mozu uzaudzināja visā ēģiptiešu gudrībā, un viņš bija varens savos vārdos un darbos. 23 Kad Mozum bija četrdesmit gadu, viņam sirdī radās doma apraudzīt savus brāļus, Israēla dēlus. 24 Un, redzēdams vienu, kam dara netaisnību, viņš to aizstāvēja un atriebās par pārestību, nosizdams ēģiptieti. 25 Viņš domāja, ka viņa brāļi sapratīs, ka Dievs caur viņa roku tos izglābs, bet viņi nesaprata. 26 Un nākamajā dienā viņš parādījās, kad divi no tiem kāvās, un mēģināja tos samierināt, uzrunādams: vīri, jūs taču esat brāļi. Kādēļ jūs viens otram darāt ļaunu? 27 Bet tas, kurš bija darījis pāri savam tuvākajam, atgrūda viņu un sacīja: kas tevi ir iecēlis mums par valdnieku un tiesnesi? 28 Vai arī mani gribi nosist tāpat kā to ēģiptieti vakar? 29 Kad Mozus to dzirdēja, viņš aizbēga un kā svešinieks dzīvoja Midjānas zemē, un tur dzemdināja divus dēlus. 30 Pēc četrdesmit gadiem Sīnaja kalna tuksnesī viņam parādījās eņģelis degoša ērkšķu krūma liesmā. 31 To ieraudzījis, Mozus izbrīnījās par šo parādību, bet, kad viņš tuvojās, lai to tuvāk aplūkotu, atskanēja Kunga balss: 32 es esmu tavu tēvu Dievs, Ābrahāma, Īzaka un Jēkaba Dievs. – Drebēdams bailēs, Mozus neuzdrošinājās to uzlūkot. 33 Bet Kungs viņam sacīja: noauj sandales no savām kājām, jo vieta, kur tu stāvi, ir svēta zeme. 34 Es esmu redzējis savas tautas ciešanas Ēģiptē un esmu dzirdējis viņu vaidus, un esmu atnācis, lai viņus atbrīvotu. Un nu ej, es sūtu tevi uz Ēģipti. 35 Šo Mozu tie noliedza, sacīdami: kas tevi ir iecēlis par valdnieku un tiesnesi? Bet Dievs ar tā eņģeļa roku, kas Mozum bija parādījies ērkšķu krūmā, ir sūtījis viņu par valdnieku un atbrīvotāju. 36 Viņš tos izveda no Ēģiptes un rādīja brīnumus un zīmes Ēģiptes zemē un Sarkanajā jūrā, un tuksnesī četrdesmit gadus. 37 Šis ir tas Mozus, kas Israēla dēliem sacīja: Dievs iecels jums Pravieti, tādu kā es, no jūsu brāļu vidus – tam paklausiet! 38 Šis ir tas Mozus, kas bija tuksnesī draudzes vidū. Viņš bija kopā ar mūsu tēviem un ar eņģeli, kas runāja ar viņu Sīnaja kalnā, un viņš saņēma dzīvu vēsti, lai to tālāk nodotu mums. 39 Viņam mūsu tēvi negribēja paklausīt, tie atgrūda viņu un savās sirdīs atgriezās Ēģiptē, 40 sacīdami Āronam: taisi mums dievus, kas mums ietu pa priekšu, jo par šo Mozu, kas mūs ir izvedis no Ēģiptes zemes, mēs nezinām, kas ar viņu ir noticis. 41 Tajās dienās viņi darināja teļu un pienesa upurus šim elku tēlam, un priecājās par savu roku darbu. 42 Un Dievs novērsās no viņiem un nodeva tos kalpot debesu pulkiem, kā ir rakstīts praviešu grāmatā:
Israēla nams, vai tad jūs man četrdesmit gadus tuksnesī
pienesāt kaujamus un citus upurus?
43 Jūs esat pieņēmuši Moleha telti
un sava dieva Raifana zvaigzni,
elku tēlus, ko jūs esat darinājuši, lai tos pielūgtu,
un tādēļ es jūs izraidīšu viņpus Bābeles. –
44 Mūsu tēviem tuksnesī bija liecības telts, kas darināta, kā Dievs Mozum bija pavēlējis, pēc parauga, ko viņš bija redzējis. 45 Mūsu tēvi kopā ar Jozuu mantoja to un veda sev līdzi uz to tautu zemēm, kuras Dievs bija padzinis, mūsu tēviem tur ieejot, līdz Dāvida dienām; 46 tur viņš atrada žēlastību Dieva acīs un lūdza dot pastāvīgu vietu Jēkaba Dieva namam. 47 Tad Sālamans uzcēla viņam namu. 48 Bet Visuaugstais nemīt rokām darinātos namos. Kā saka pravietis:
49 debesis man tronis,
bet zeme mans kājsols;
kādu namu jūs celsiet man, saka Kungs,
vai kur man ir atdusas vieta?
50 Vai mana roka to visu nav darinājusi?
51 Jūs, stūrgalvīgie, ar pagānu sirdīm un ausīm, jūs vienmēr esat pretojušies Svētajam Garam, kā jūsu tēvi, tā arī jūs. 52 Vai ir kāds pravietis, ko jūsu tēvi nav vajājuši? Viņi nokāva tos, kas jau izsenis vēstīja par Taisnā nākšanu, bet viņa nodevēji un slepkavas esat jūs. 53 Jūs, kas eņģeļu atnesto likumu esat saņēmuši un neesat turējuši.”
Stefanu nomētā akmeņiem
54 Viņi to dzirdēja, un tas tā dzēla sirdī, ka tie grieza zobus uz viņu. 55 Bet viņš, Svētā Gara pilns, pacēla acis uz debesīm un redzēja Dieva godību un Jēzu stāvam pie Dieva labās rokas, 56 un viņš sacīja: “Redzi, es redzu debesis atvērtas un Cilvēka Dēlu stāvam pie Dieva labās rokas.” 57 Bet viņi, ausis aizspieduši un skaļi kliegdami, visi reizē metās viņam virsū. 58 Un, izdzinuši ārpus pilsētas, tie viņu nomētāja akmeņiem. Liecinieki atstāja savas drēbes pie kājām kādam jauneklim, vārdā Sauls. 59 Viņi Stefanu nomētāja akmeņiem, bet viņš, Dievu piesaukdams, lūdza: “Kungs Jēzu, pieņem manu garu.” 60 Un, nokritis ceļos, viņš skaļā balsī iekliedzās: “Kungs, nesodi viņus par šo grēku.” To pateicis, viņš aizmiga.