Modern Literal Version
[Acts 7]

     ^7:1 Now the high-priest said, Tell me then if you hold these things so?

     ^7:2 Now he said, Men, brethren and fathers, listen^*: the God of glory was seen by our father Abraham, while being in Mesopotamia, before he was to dwell in Haran, ^7:3 and said to him, Come out of your land and from your relatives and come-here into the land whatever I will be showing you.{Gen 12:1,2,4}^7:4 Then after he went out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran and after his father was dead, God exiled him from there into this land in which you^* are now dwelling. {Gen 13:14-18}^7:5 And he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a step of his foot, and he promised to give it to him and to his seed after him ^*for his territory, even not being a child yet to him. {Gen 15:13, 14}^7:6 Now God spoke thus: That his seed will be a foreigner in an alien land, and they will enslave it and will be mistreating them four hundred years. ^7:7 And God said, I will be judging the nation to which they would be enslaved, and they will be coming forth and will be giving-divine service to me in this place after these things. {Gen 17:10-14} ^7:8 And he gave him the covenant^* of circumcision and so he fathered Isaac and he circumcised him on the eighth day, and to Isaac was born Jacob and to Jacob the twelve patriarchs. {Gen 21:4, 25:20-26, 46:8-26}^7:9 And the patriarchs, having been jealous of Joseph, gave him into Egypt. And God was with him, ^7:10 and liberated him from all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom in front of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who designated him leader over Egypt and his whole house. {Gen 37:23-25, 36}^7:11 Now there came a famine and great affliction upon the whole land of Egypt and Canaan and our fathers were finding no sustenances. {Gen 41:54-57}^7:12 But after Jacob heard of grain being in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time. {Gen 42:1, 2}^7:13 And Joseph was recognized at the second meeting by his brethren, and Joseph's race became apparent to the Pharaoh. {Gen 43:2, 45:16}^7:14 But Joseph himself, having sent them, called Jacob, his father, and all the relatives, in souls, seventy-five. ^7:15Now Jacob went-down into Egypt and died^*, he himself and our fathers; {Exodus 1:1-6}^7:16 and were transferred to Shechem and were placed in the tomb that Abraham purchased for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. {Jos 24:32}^7:17 Now just-as the time of the promise was drawing near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and were multiplied in Egypt, ^7:18till there rose^* up a different king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. {Exodus 1:7, 8}^7:19 This one dealt craftily with our race and mistreated our fathers, to make^*them place their babies outsidein the elements, ^*that^* they might not live. {Exo 2:2}^7:20 In which season, Moses was born and was handsome to God, and he was reared three months in his father's house. {Exodus 1:7, 8, 10-22, 2:1-10}^7:21 Now after he was placed outside in the elements, Pharaoh's daughter took him away for herself and reared him ^*for her own son.

     ^7:22 Now Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and works. ^7:23 Now as the time of forty years was being fulfilled to him, it came-up upon his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. ^7:24 And having seen a certain one of them being hurt, he retaliated and did^*the avenging for the one who was subjugated, and struck the Egyptian; {Exo 2:11}^7:25 and he was supposing that his brethren understood that God is giving them salvation through his hand. But they did not understand. ^7:26 And he was seen the next day by those who were quarreling and drove them to make peace, having said, Men, you^* are brethren! Why are you^*wronging one another? {Exo 2:13,14}^7:27 But he who hurt his neighbor shoved him away and said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice over us? ^7:28 You do not wish to assassinate me in the manner you assassinated the Egyptian yesterday, do you?

     ^7:29 But at this speech, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons. {Exo 18:3}^7:30 Now after forty years were fulfilled, a messenger of the Lord was seen by him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire from a bush. {Exo 3:6}^7:31 But after Moses saw it, he was marveling at the vision of it. And while coming near to consider what it was, there came^* a voice of the Lord to him, ^7:32I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.{Exo 3:6} And the trembling Moses came^*, and was not daring to consider what it was. ^7:33 Now the Lord said to him, Loose the shoes from your feet; for^* the place in which you are standing is holy land. ^7:34 Having seen, I saw the mistreatment of my people whowere in Egypt and heard their groaning and I descended to liberate them. And now come-here, I will be sending you into Egypt. {Exo 3:1-10}^7:35 This Moses whom they denied, having said, Who designated you a ruler and a justice? God sent this one as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand of themessenger who was seen by him in the bush. {Exo 14:21, 12:41, 15:23, 16:1-36}^7:36 This one led them out, having done^* wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. ^7:37 This is that Moses, who said to the sons of Israel, The Lord our God will raise^* up to you^* a prophet out of your^* brethren, like me. {Deu 18:15}^7:38 This is he who came^*to be in the congregation^* in the wilderness with the messenger, the one speaking to him on Mount Sinai and from our fathers. This is he who accepted the living word to give to us; {Exo 19:3, 20:1-24:18}^7:39 to whom our fathers willed not to become obedient^*, but shoved him away from themselves and turned themselves back toward Egypt in their heart, ^7:40 having said to Aaron, Make^*us gods that will travel before us. For^* this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him. {Exo 32:1-6}^7:41 And they made^* a calf in those days and brought^* a sacrifice to the idol and were being joyous in the works of their hands. {Exo 32:19}^7:42But God turned and gave them up to give-divine service to the army of heaven; just-as it has been written in the book of the prophets, 'You^* did not offer slaughtered beasts and sacrifices to me forforty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel, did you^*? ^7:43 And you^* took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Remphan, the patterns which you^* made^* to worship them and I will be exiling you^* past Babylon.' {Amos 5:25-27}^7:44 The tabernacle of the testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, just-as he, after he speaks with Moses, commanded him to make^* it according to the pattern which he had seen. {Exo 25:9,40, 26:30}^7:45 Which also our fathers, having accepted in succession, brought^* in with Joshua, in the territory of the nations, that God shoved out away from the face of our fathers, until the days of David. {Jos 3:14, 18:1}^7:46David, who found favor in God's sight, asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. {2Sa 7:2, 2Ch 17:1-4}^7:47 But Solomon built him a house. {1Ki 8:1-66, 2Ch 5:1}^7:48 But the Highest is not dwelling in temples made^* with hands; just-as the prophet says, ^7:49 'The heaven is my throne and the earth the footstool of my feet. What sort of house will you^* be building me? says the Lord. Or what is the place of my rest? ^7:50 Did^* my hand not make^* all these things?' {Isa 66:1-2}

     ^7:51 You^*are stiff-necked and non-circumcised in heart and ears. You^* are habitually defying the Holy Spirit, like your^* fathers, like you^*do also! ^7:52 Which of the prophets did your^* fathers not persecute? And they killed those who proclaimed beforehand God's message concerning the coming of the Righteous One; of whom you^* have now become betrayers and murderers. ^7:53 You^* who received the law at the commandments from God's messengers and did not observe it. {Ex 20:1-7, Exo 25:2-31:18}

     ^7:54 Now hearing these things, they were being infuriated in their hearts and they were gnashing their teeth at him. ^7:55 But possessing the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he stared into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ^7:56 and said, Behold, I am viewing the heavens that have been opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. ^7:57 But having cried out with a loud voice, they held their ears, and united, rushed upon him. ^7:58 And having cast him outside the city, they were stoning him. And the witnesses placed their garments beside the feet of a young-man called Saul. ^7:59 And they were stoning Stephen, who was calling upon the Lord, saying, Lord Jesus, accept my spirit. ^7:60 Now having placed his knees down, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not weigh this, their sin, to them. And having said this, he fell-asleep.
Modern Literal Version Preface & Appendix , copyright 1987, 1999, 2013 by G. Allen Walker for the MLV New Testament Committee.
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