1 O sumo sacerdote perguntou: Porventura é isto verdade?
2 Estêvão respondeu: Irmãos e pais, ouvi. O Deus da glória apareceu a nosso pai Abraão, estando ele na Mesopotâmia, antes de habitar em Harã,
3 e disse-lhe: Sai da tua terra e dentre tua parentela, e vem para a terra que eu te mostrar.
4 Então saiu da terra dos caldeus e habitou em Harã. Dali, depois de falecer seu pai, passou por ordem de Deus para esta terra, onde vós agora habitais,
5 e nela não lhe deu herança nem sequer o espaço de um pé; e prometeu dar-lha em posse e depois dele à sua posteridade, não tendo ele ainda filho.
6 Deus disse que a sua posteridade seria peregrina em terra estrangeira, e que a escravizariam e maltratariam por quatrocentos anos;
7 eu, disse Deus, julgarei a nação da qual forem escravos, e depois disto sairão e me servirão neste lugar.
8 Deu-lhe a aliança da circuncisão; assim Abraão gerou a Isaque e o circuncidou ao oitavo dia; e Isaque gerou a Jacó, e Jacó aos doze patriarcas.
9 Os patriarcas, tendo inveja de José, venderam-no para o Egito; mas Deus era com ele,
10 e livrou-o de todas as suas tribulações, e deu-lhe graça e sabedoria perante Faraó, rei do Egito, que o constituiu governador do Egito e de toda a sua casa.
11 Sobreveio, porém, uma fome em todo o Egito e em Canaã, e grande tribulação, e nossos pais não achavam que comer.
12 Mas quando Jacó soube que havia trigo no Egito, enviou ali nossos pais pela primeira vez;
13 na segunda, José descobriu-se a seus irmãos, e sua linhagem tornou-se manifesta a Faraó.
14 Tendo José enviado mensageiros, mandou vir seu pai, Jacó, e toda a sua parentela, isto é, setenta e cinco pessoas.
15 Jacó desceu ao Egito, e ali morreu ele e nossos pais;
16 foram trasladados para Siquém e postos num túmulo que Abraão comprou por um certo preço em prata aos filhos de Emor em Siquém.
17 À proporção que se aproximava o tempo da promessa que Deus fez a Abraão, crescia o povo, e multiplicava-se no Egito,
18 até que se levantou ali outro rei, que não conhecia a José.
19 Este rei usou de astúcia contra a nossa raça e afligiu nossos pais, ao ponto de fazê-los enjeitar seus filhos, para que não vivessem.
20 Por esse tempo nasceu Moisés, e era formosíssimo. Por três meses criou-se na casa de seu pai;
21 quando ele foi exposto, a filha de Faraó o recolheu e criou como seu próprio filho.
22 Moisés foi instruído em toda a sabedoria dos egípcios, e era poderoso em palavras e obras.
23 Mas quando ele completou quarenta anos, veio-lhe ao coração visitar seus irmãos, os filhos de Israel.
24 Vendo um homem tratado injustamente, defendeu-o, e vingou ao oprimido, matando o egípcio.
25 Ora ele julgava que seus irmãos entendiam que por mão dele Deus os libertava; mas eles não o entenderam.
26 No dia seguinte apareceu a dois, quando brigavam, e procurou reconciliá-los, dizendo: Homens, vós sois irmãos; para que maltratais um ao outro?
27 Mas o que fazia injúria ao seu próximo, repelia-o, dizendo: Quem te constituiu chefe e juiz sobre nós?
28 Queres tu matar-me, como ontem mataste o egípcio?
29 Moisés, ouvindo isto, fugiu, e tornou-se peregrino na terra de Midiã, onde gerou dois filhos.
30 Passados mais quarenta anos, apareceu-lhe no deserto do monte Sinai um anjo do Senhor numa sarça em chama ardente.
31 Quando Moisés viu isto, maravilhou-se da visão; e ao chegar-se para contemplá-la, ouviu-se esta voz do Senhor:
32 Eu sou o Deus de teus pais, o Deus de Abraão, de Isaque e de Jacó. Moisés ficou trêmulo, e não ousava contemplá-la.
33 Disse-lhe o Senhor: Tira as sandálias dos teu pés; porque o lugar em que estás, é uma terra santa.
34 Vi, com efeito, o sofrimento do meu povo no Egito, ouvi o seu gemido, e desci para o livrar; vem agora, e eu te enviarei ao Egito.
35 A este Moisés, a quem não reconheceram, dizendo: Quem te constituiu chefe e juiz? a este enviou Deus como chefe e libertador por mão do anjo que lhe apareceu na sarça.
36 Foi este que os conduziu para fora, fazendo prodígios e milagres na terra do Egito, no Mar Vermelho e no deserto, por quarenta anos.
37 Este é Moisés que disse aos filhos de Israel: Deus vos suscitará dentre vossos irmãos um profeta semelhante a mim.
38 Este é aquele que esteve na igreja no deserto com o anjo que lhe falava no monte Sinai, e com os nossos pais; o qual recebeu oráculos de vida para vo-los dar,
39 e a quem nossos pais não quiseram obedecer, antes o repeliram e nos seus corações voltaram ao Egito,
40 dizendo a Aarão: Faze-nos deuses que vão adiante de nós; porque quanto a este Moisés que nos tirou da terra do Egito, não sabemos o que foi feito dele.
41 Naqueles dias fizeram um bezerro e ofereceram sacrifício ao ídolo, e alegravam-se nas obras das suas mãos.
42 Mas Deus voltou deles a sua face e os entregou ao culto das hostes do céu, como está escrito no livro dos profetas: Oferecestes-me, porventura, vítimas e sacrifícios Por quarenta anos no deserto, ó casa de Israel,
43 E não levantastes a tenda de Moloque E a estrela do deus Renfã, Figuras que fizestes para as adorar? Assim remover-vos-ei para além de Babilônia.
44 Nossos pais tiveram no deserto o tabernáculo do testemunho, como ordenou o que falou a Moisés, dizendo que o fizesse conforme o modelo que tinha visto;
45 o qual também nossos pais, sob a direção de Josué, tendo-o por sua vez recebido, o introduziram na terra, ao conquistá-la das nações, que Deus expulsou da presença deles até os dias de Davi.
46 Este achou graça diante de Deus, e pedia o achar um tabernáculo para a casa de Jacó.
47 Salomão, porém, edificou-lhe uma casa.
48 Mas o Altíssimo não habita em casas feitas por mãos; como disse o profeta:
49 O céu é o meu trono, E a terra o escabelo dos meus pés; Que casa me edificareis, diz o Senhor, Ou qual é o lugar do meu repouso?
50 Não fez, porventura, a minha mão todas estas coisas?
51 Homens de dura cerviz e incircuncisos de coração e de ouvido, vós sempre resistis ao Espírito Santo; assim como fizeram vossos pais, também vós o fazeis.
52 A qual dos profetas não perseguiram vossos pais? eles mataram os que dantes anunciaram a vinda do Justo, do qual vós agora vos tornastes traidores e homicidas,
53 vós que recebestes a Lei por ministério de anjos, e não a guardastes.
54 Ouvindo isto, enfureceram-se nos seus corações, e rangiam os dentes contra ele.
55 Mas Estêvão, cheio do Espírito Santo, fitou os olhos no céu e viu a glória de Deus, e Jesus em pé à destra de Deus,
56 e disse: Eis que vejo os céus abertos e o Filho do homem em pé à destra de Deus.
57 Mas eles clamaram em alta voz, taparam os ouvidos e unânimes arremeteram-se contra ele
58 e, lançando-o fora da cidade, apedrejaram-no. As testemunhas depuseram as suas capas aos pés de um moço chamado Saulo.
59 Apedrejavam a Estêvão que invocava o Senhor e dizia: Senhor Jesus, recebe o meu espírito.
60 Ele, ajoelhando-se, clamou em alta voz: Senhor, não lhes imputes este pecado. Tendo dito isto, adormeceu.
1 Then the high priest said, Are these things true?
2 And he said, My brothers and fathers, give hearing. The God of glory came to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was living in Haran,
3 And said to him, Go out of your land, and away from your family, and come into the land to which I will be your guide.
4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and went into Haran; and from there, when his father was dead, he was guided by God into this land, where you are living now:
5 And God gave him no heritage in it, not even enough to put his foot on: but he gave him an undertaking that he would give it to him and to his children after him, though he had no child at that time.
6 And God said that his seed would be living in a strange land, and that they would make them servants, and be cruel to them for four hundred years.
7 And I will be the judge, said God, of that nation which made them servants: and after that, they will come out and give me worship in this place.
8 And he made with him the agreement of which circumcision was the sign. And so Abraham had a son, Isaac, and gave him circumcision on the eighth day; and Isaac had a son, Jacob, and Jacob was the father of the twelve heads of the families of Israel.
9 And the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him,
10 And made him free from all his troubles, and gave him wisdom and the approval of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and all his house.
11 Now there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.
12 But Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, sent out our fathers the first time.
13 And the second time his brothers had a meeting with Joseph, and Pharaoh had knowledge of Joseph's family.
14 Then Joseph sent for Jacob his father and all his family, seventy-five persons.
15 And Jacob went down to Egypt, and came to his end there, and so did our fathers;
16 And they were taken over to Shechem, and put to rest in the place which Abraham got for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 But when the time was near for putting into effect the undertaking which God had given to Abraham, the people were increasing in Egypt,
18 Till another king came to power, who had no knowledge of Joseph.
19 He, having evil designs against our nation, was cruel to our fathers, and they were forced to put out their young children, so that they might not go on living.
20 At which time Moses came to birth, and he was very beautiful; and he was kept for three months in his father's house:
21 And when he was put out, Pharaoh's daughter took him and kept him as her son.
22 And Moses was trained in all the wisdom of Egypt, and was great in his words and works.
23 But when he was almost forty years old, it came into his heart to go and see his brothers, the children of Israel.
24 And seeing one of them being attacked, he went to his help and gave the Egyptian a death-blow:
25 And he was hoping that his brothers would see that God had sent him to be their saviour; but they did not see.
26 And the day after, he came to them, while they were having a fight, and would have made peace between them, saying, Sirs, you are brothers; why do you do wrong to one another?
27 But the man who was doing wrong to his neighbour, pushing him away, said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 Will you put me to death as you did the Egyptian yesterday?
29 And at these words, Moses went in flight to the land of Midian, and was living there for a time, and had two sons.
30 At the end of forty years, an angel came to him in the waste land of Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn-tree.
31 And Moses, seeing it, was full of wonder, and when he came up to have a nearer view of it, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying,
32 I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses, shaking with fear, kept his eyes from looking at it.
33 And the Lord said, Take off the shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is holy.
34 Truly, I have seen the sorrows of my people in Egypt, and their cries have come to my ears, and I have come down to make them free: and now, come, I will send you to Egypt.
35 This Moses, whom they would not have, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? him God sent to be a ruler and a saviour, by the hand of the angel whom he saw in the thorn-tree.
36 This man took them out, having done wonders and signs in Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the waste land, for forty years.
37 This is the same Moses, who said to the children of Israel, God will give you a prophet from among your brothers, like me.
38 This is the man who was in the church in the waste land with the angel who was talking to him in Sinai, and with our fathers; and to him were given the living words of God, so that he might give them to you.
39 By whom our fathers would not be controlled; but they put him on one side, turning back in their hearts to Egypt,
40 And saying to Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: as for this Moses, who took us out of the land of Egypt, we have no idea what has become of him.
41 And they made the image of a young ox in those days, and made an offering to it, and had joy in the work of their hands.
42 But God was turned from them and let them give worship to the stars of heaven, as it says in the book of the prophets, Did you make offerings to me of sheep and oxen for forty years in the waste land, O house of Israel?
43 And you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, images which you made to give worship to them: and I will take you away, farther than Babylon.
44 Our fathers had the Tent of witness in the waste land, as God gave orders to Moses to make it after the design which he had seen.
45 Which our fathers, in their turn, took with them when, with Joshua, they came into the heritage of the nations whom God was driving out before the face of our fathers, till the time of David,
46 Who was pleasing to God; and he had a desire to make a holy tent for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon was the builder of his house.
48 But still, the Most High has not his resting-place in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,
49 Heaven is the seat of my power, and earth is a resting-place for my feet: what sort of house will you make for me, says the Lord, or what is my place of rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?
51 You whose hearts are hard and whose ears are shut to me; you are ever working against the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 Which of the prophets was not cruelly attacked by your fathers? and they put to death those who gave them the news of the coming of the Upright One; whom you have now given up and put to death;
53 You, to whom the law was given as it was ordered by angels, and who have not kept it.
54 Hearing these things, they were cut to the heart and moved with wrath against him.
55 But he was full of the Holy Spirit, and looking up to heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of God.
56 And he said, Now I see heaven open, and the Son of man at the right hand of God.
57 But with loud cries, and stopping their ears, they made an attack on him all together,
58 Driving him out of the town and stoning him: and the witnesses put their clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And Stephen, while he was being stoned, made prayer to God, saying, Lord Jesus, take my spirit.
60 And going down on his knees, he said in a loud voice, Lord, do not make them responsible for this sin. And when he had said this, he went to his rest.