had prayed, they put their hands | he was in Mesopotamia, before on them. 7 And the word of he dwelt in Haran,* 3 and said God increased: and the number of the disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem: and a great multitude of the priests became obedient to the faith. to him, Depart from thy country, and from thy kindred, and go into the land which I shall show thee.' 4 Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran; from whence also, after the death of his father, God removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell; 5 but gave him no inheritance in it, not even so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give to his offspring after him, when as yet he had no child. 8 AND Stephen, full of favour and of power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and they of Cilicia and Asia, rose up to dispute with Stephen. 10 But they were not able to resist the wis-it to him for a possession, and dom and the spirit by which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God." 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes; and these came suddenly upon him, and seized him, and brought him to the council; 13 and set up false witnesses, who said, "This man ceaseth not to speak words against the holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us." 15 And all who sat in the council look-moved with envy, sold Joseph ed stedfastly on him, and saw his face like the face of an angel. CH.VII. 1 Then the high-priest said, "Are [then] these things SO ?" 2 And Stephen said, " Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when 6 "And God spake in this manner; that that his offspring should sojourn in a foreign land, and that they should be brought into servitude, and afflicted, four hundred years. 7 And the nation, whom they shall serve, I will judge, said God; and after that they shall come forth, and worship me in this place. 8" (And God gave him the covenant of circumcision: and afterward Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, into Egypt: 10 but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine over all the land of • Gr. Charran. Egypt and of Canaan, and great | sons of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrongfully, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and slew the Egyptian. 25 Now he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God by his hand would give them deliverance: but they understood not. affliction; and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time. 13 And, at the second time, Joseph was made known to his brethren: and Joseph's kindred became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent, and called his father [Jacob] to him, and all his kindred, seventy-five souls. 15 So Jacob and our fathers went down into Egypt, and died there; 16 and were carried to Shechem, and laid in the tomb, which Jacobt bought for a sum of money from the sons of Em-Who made thee a ruler and a mor, the father of Shechem.) * 17 "But when the time of the promise, which God had sworn to Abraham, drew near, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt; 18 till another king arose, who knew not Joseph. 19 He dealt subtilly with our kindred, and afflicted our fathers; so that they cast out their infants, that they might not be preserved alive. 20 At which time Moses was born, and was very beautiful, and was nourished in his father's house three months. 21 But having cast him out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 Now, when he was forty years old, it came into his mind to visit his brethren, the • Gr. Sychem. : 26 "And the next day he presented himself to some of them, as they contended, and would have reconciled them, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren: why do ye wrong one another?' 27 But he who did wrong to his neighbour thrust him away, saying, judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?' 29 Then Moses fled at these words; aud was a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. 30 "And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the desert of mount Sinai, an angel [of the Lord] in a flame of fire, in a bush. 31 And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and, as he drew near, to consider it attentively, the voice of the Lord came [to him], 32 saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses trembled, and durst not look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, + Gr. Abraham. "That Iaxw6 is the true nominative, to be supplied from ver. 15, appears from Gen. xxxiii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 32." Newcome. : standest is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning; and am come down to deliver them and now, come, I will send thee into Egypt.' 35 This Moses, whom they denied, and said, Who made thee a ruler and a judge?' him God sent to be a ruler and a redeemer, by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the desert, forty years. 37"This is that Moses who said to the sons of Israel, A prophet the [Lord] God will raise up unto you, from your brethren, like me: [to him ye shall hearken]." 38 This is he that, in the congregation in the desert, was with the angel who spake to him on mount Sinai, and with our fathers: that received also the life-giving ora cles, to deliver them to us: 39 to whom our fathers would not be obedient; but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back into Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.' 41 So they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven: as it is writtten in the book of the prophets, 'O ye house of Israel, did ye offer to me only slain beasts, and sacrifices,during forty years in the desert? 43 Nay, but ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, images which ye made to worship them: therefore I will carry you away beyond Babylon. 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the desert, as God appointed, who spake to Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen: 45 which our fathers received, and brought in also Joshua, when they possessed the nations whom God drove out from before our fathers to the days of David; 46 who found favour before God, and desired to provide a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house. 48 However, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as the prophet saith, 49 Heaven 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 hath not my hand made all these things?"" 51" Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye always resist the holy spirit: as your fathers did, so ye also do. 52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? yea, they slew those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom ye have now been betrayers and murderers: 53 who have received the law by the ministry of angels, and have not kept it." over him. 3 But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house; and, dragging out men and women, he committed them to prison. 4 NOW, therefore, the disci 54 AND as they heard these things, they were cut to their hearts; and gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of a holy spirit, look-ples being scattered abroad, ed up stedfastly into heaven, they went through the country and saw the glory of God, and preaching the glad tidings of Jesus standing on the right the word. hand of God; 56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one consent; and, casting him out of the city, they stoned him. 58 And the witnesses laid down their mantles at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul: 59 and so they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."* And he kneeled down, and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." And, having said this, he fell asleep. 60 CH. VIII. 1 Now Saul was gladly consenting to his death. AND on that day there was a great persecution against the church, in Jerusalem: and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Now some devout men prepared Stephen for his burial, and made great lamentation 5 Then Philip went down to a city of Samaria, preaching to them the Christ. 6 And the multitudes attended, with one consent, to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the miracles which he did. 7 For impure spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that had them: and many that were sick of the palsy, and that were lame, were cured. 8 And there was great joy in that city. 9 But there had been before, in that city, a certain man called Simon, using magic,t and amazing the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was some great one. 10 To whom [all] attended, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God, which is called great." 11 And they attended to him, because for a long time he had amazed them by magical arts. 12 But, when they believed Philip who preached the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were bap "He called on the Lord Jesus; the vision of whom, ver. 56, seems to have been renewed for the purpose of giving this first martyr comfort and support." Newcome. "This address of Stephen to Jesus when he actually saw him, does not authorize us to offer prayers to him, now he is invisible. See Lindsey's Ans. to Robinson, p. 86-89. " Im. Ver. Note. +"Probably by a superior acquaintance with the powers of nature and the efficacy of me dicines." New come. tized, both men and women. 13 | the Lord for me, that none of Then even Simon himself be- these things which ye have lieved: and when he was baptized, he continued stedfastly with Philip; and, beholding the signs and [great] miracles which were done, he was amazed. spoken come upon me." 25 So these, when they had borne witness to and declared the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. 26 NOW an angel of the Lord spake to Philip, saying, 14 Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John: 15 who when" Arise, and go towards the they came down, prayed for south, to the road which goeth them that they might receive a down from Jerusalem to Gaza; holy spirit: for as yet it had which is a desert way." 27 And fallen on none of them; 16 (but he arose and went: and bethey had only been baptized hold a eunuch of Ethiopia of into the name of the Lord Je- great authority under Candace sus.) 17 Then the apostles put queen of the Ethiopians, and entheir hands on them, and they trusted with all her treasure,who received a holy spirit. had been to worship at Jerusalem,28 was on his way home, and was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the spirit said to Philip, "Go near, and join thyself to that chariot." 30 And Philip ran thither, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" 31 And he said, "How can I, unless some one guide me?” And he desired Philip to get up, and sit with him. 18 And when Simon saw that by the putting on of the apostles' hands the holy spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me also this power, that, on whomsoever I put my hands, he may receive a holy spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, " Thy money perish with thee; because thou hast thought to purchase the gift of God with money. 21 Thou hast no part or lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness; and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee: 23 for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." 24 Then Simon answering, said, "Pray ye to 32 Now the place of the scripture which he was reading was this. "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and, as a lamb is dumb before his shearer, so he openeth not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation, his condemnation was extorted; and who can describe the *See Dodson's Isaiah in loc. |