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6:8-8:3 Stephen who was full of grace and power did great signs
and wonders amongst the people. But
there was a group in the synagogue who were called
Freedmen. They were Cyrenians and Alexandrians and people from Cilicia and Asia. They were disputing with Stephen but were
not able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated men to say "We
have heard him speaking blasphemy against Moses and God." They stirred up the people and the elders
and scribes. Coming at him they
seized him and led him to the council.
False witnesses stood there saying "This man does not stop speaking against
this holy place and the law. We have
heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and will
change the customs which Moses delivered to us." Looking at him all those sitting in the
council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. 7:1 The high priest said "Have you done these
things?" He
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said.
"Brethren and fathers listen.
The God of glory
appeared
to our father Abraham who was living in Mesopotamia
before he lived in Charran. God said
to him "Go out of your land and your kindred and go to the land that I
show you." Then going out of
the land of the Chaldaeans he lived in Charran. And after that his father died and God moved him on into this land where
you now live. Yet he did not give
him an inheritance in it - not a foot's space. (Rather) he promised to allow himself and
his descendants to live in it, even though he had no child. God told him that his seed would live in
a land (c/f Egypt)
that belonged to others. These
others would enslave (his descendants) and would ill-treat them for four
hundred years. God said "in
whichever nation they will serve I will judge it. (Then) after these things they will come
forth and will worship me in this place." He (God) gave (Abraham) a
covenant of circumcision. And so he
fathered Isaac and circumcised
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him
when he was eight days old. Isaac
fathered Jacob and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs (when they were young men
became jealous sold Joseph into Egypt. God was with him and rescued him from all
his afflictions and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The latter appointed (Joseph) governor
over Egypt
and all his household. But a famine came over all of Egypt and Canaan
with great affliction. Our fathers
had nothing to eat. But Jacob heard
there was corn in Egypt. He sent our fathers first. The second time Joseph made himself known
to his brothers and the race of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. Sending, Joseph called his father Jacob
and all his family of seventy-five people.
Jacob went down to Egypt
and died there with our
Continued
(Note:
Text is mainly a paraphrase of the Literal translation in the RSV
Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 1988)
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