2Andhesaid, Men, brethren, andfathers, hearken; The God of gloryappeared unto ourfatherAbraham, when hewasinMesopotamia, beforehedweltinCharran,
3Andsaiduntohim, Get thee out ofthycountry, andfromthykindred, andcomeinto the landwhich I shall shewthee.
4Then came he out of the landof the Chaldaeans, and dweltinCharran: and from thence, whenhisfather was dead, heremovedhimintothisland, whereinyenowdwell.
5Andhegavehimnoneinheritanceinit, no, not so much as to sethisfooton: yethepromised that he would giveit to himfor a possession, and to hisseedafterhim, when as yethehadnochild.
6AndGodspake on this wise, Thathisseedshouldsojournin a strangeland; andthat they shouldbringthem into bondage, and entreat themevil four hundredyears.
7And the nation to whom they shall be inbondagewillIjudge, saidGod: andafterthat shall they come forth, andservemeinthisplace.
8And he gavehim the covenant of circumcision: andso Abraham begatIsaac, andcircumcisedhim the eighthday; andIsaacbegatJacob; andJacobbegat the twelvepatriarchs.
9And the patriarchs, moved withenvy, soldJosephintoEgypt: butGodwaswithhim,
10Anddeliveredhim out ofallhisafflictions, andgavehimfavourandwisdom in the sightofPharaohkingofEgypt; and he madehimgovernoroverEgyptandallhishouse.
11Now there came a dearthoverall the land of EgyptandChanaan, andgreataffliction: andourfathersfoundnosustenance.
12But when Jacobheard that there wascorninEgypt, he sent outourfathersfirst.
13Andat the second time Joseph was madeknown to hisbrethren; andJoseph's kindred was madeknown unto Pharaoh.
14ThensentJoseph, andcalledhisfatherJacob to him, andallhiskindred, threescoreandfifteensouls.
15SoJacob went downintoEgypt, anddied, he, andourfathers,
16And were carried overintoSychem, andlaidin the sepulchrethatAbrahambought for a sumofmoneyof the sonsofEmmor the fatherofSychem.
17Butwhen the time of the promise drew nigh, whichGod had sworn to Abraham, the peoplegrewandmultipliedinEgypt,
18Tillanotherkingarose, whichknewnotJoseph.
19
The same dealt subtilly with ourkindred, and evil entreatedourfathers, so that they cast outtheir young children, to the end they mightnotlive.
20InwhichtimeMoseswasborn, andwasexceedingfair, and nourished upinhis father's housethreemonths:
21And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughtertookhimup, andnourishedhimfor her ownson.
22AndMoseswaslearnedinall the wisdom of the Egyptians, andwasmightyinwordsandindeeds.
23Andwhenhe was full forty yearsold, it cameintohisheart to visithisbrethren the children of Israel.
24Andseeingone of them suffer wrong, he defended him, andavenged him that was oppressed, andsmote the Egyptian:
25For he supposedhisbrethren would have understoodhow that Godbyhishand would deliverthem: but they understoodnot.
26And the nextday he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have setthemat one again, saying, Sirs, yearebrethren; why do yewrong one to another?
27But he that did his neighbourwrongthrusthimaway, saying, Whomadethee a rulerand a judgeoverus?
28Wiltthoukillme, asthoudiddest the Egyptianyesterday?
29ThenfledMosesatthissaying, andwas a strangerin the land of Madian, where he begattwosons.
30And when fortyyears were expired, there appeared to himin the wilderness of mountSina an angel of the Lordin a flame of firein a bush.
31WhenMosessaw it, hewondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lordcameuntohim,
32
Saying, I am the God of thyfathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ThenMosestrembled, anddurstnotbehold.
33Thensaid the Lord to him, Put offthyshoes from thyfeet: for the placewhere thou standestisholyground.
34
I have seen, I have seen the affliction of mypeoplewhich is inEgypt, and I have heardtheirgroaning, and am comedown to deliverthem. Andnowcome, I will sendtheeintoEgypt.
35ThisMoseswhom they refused, saying, Whomadethee a rulerand a judge? the same did Godsend to be a rulerand a delivererby the hand of the angelwhichappeared to himin the bush.
36Hebroughtthemout, after that he had shewedwondersandsignsin the land of Egypt, andin the Redsea, andin the wildernessfortyyears.
37Thisis that Moses, whichsaid unto the childrenofIsrael, A prophetshall the LordyourGod raise up unto youofyourbrethren, like unto me; himshall ye hear.
38This is he, that wasin the churchin the wildernesswith the angelwhichspake to himin the mountSina, andwithourfathers: whoreceived the livelyoracles to give unto us:
39
To whomourfatherswouldnotobey, but thrust him from them, and in theirhearts turned back againintoEgypt,
40Saying unto Aaron, Makeusgodsto go beforeus: for as forthisMoses, whichbroughtus out of the landofEgypt, we wotnotwhat is becomeofhim.
41And they made a calfinthosedays, andofferedsacrifice unto the idol, andrejoicedin the works of their ownhands.
42ThenGodturned, andgavethemup to worship the host of heaven; as it is writtenin the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beastsandsacrifices by the space of fortyyearsin the wilderness?
43Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of yourgodRemphan, figureswhich ye made to worshipthem: and I will carryyouawaybeyondBabylon.
44Ourfathershad the tabernacle of witnessin the wilderness, as he hadappointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should makeitaccording to the fashionthat he hadseen.
45Whichalsoourfathers that came after brought inwithJesusinto the possession of the Gentiles, whomGod drave outbefore the face of ourfathers, unto the days of David;
46WhofoundfavourbeforeGod, anddesired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
47ButSolomonbuilthim an house.
48Howbeit the most Highdwellethnotintemples made with hands; assaith the prophet,
49Heaven is mythrone, andearth is myfootstool: whathouse will ye buildme?saith the Lord: orwhat is the place of myrest?
50Hathnotmyhandmadeall these things?
51Yestiffneckedanduncircumcised in heartandears, yedoalwaysresist the HolyGhost: asyourfathers did, sodoye.
52Whichof the prophetshavenotyourfatherspersecuted?and they haveslain them which shewed beforeof the comingof the Just One; ofwhomyehavebeennow the betrayersandmurderers:
53Whohavereceived the lawby the disposition of angels, andhavenotkept it.
54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashedonhim with their teeth.
55But he, beingfull of the HolyGhost, looked up stedfastlyintoheaven, andsaw the glory of God, andJesusstandingon the right hand of God,
56Andsaid, Behold, I see the heavensopened, and the Son of manstandingon the right hand of God.
57Then they cried out with a loudvoice, andstoppedtheirears, andranuponhim with one accord,
58Andcast him out of the city, andstoned him: and the witnesses laid downtheirclothesat a young man's feet, whose name wasSaul.
59And they stonedStephen, calling upon God, andsaying, LordJesus, receivemyspirit.
60And he kneeled down, andcried with a loudvoice, Lord, laynotthissin to their charge. And when he had saidthis, he fell asleep.