Stephen's Speech
1 The High Priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”
2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your family and country and go to the land that I will show you.’ 4 And so he left his country and went to live in Haran. After Abraham's father died, God made him move to this land where you now live. 5 God did not then give Abraham any part of it as his own, not even a square foot of ground, but God promised to give it to him, and that it would belong to him and to his descendants. At the time God made this promise, Abraham had no children. 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years. 7 But I will pass judgment on the people that they will serve, and afterward your descendants will come out of that country and will worship me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
9 “Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. 11 Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, 12 and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. 13 On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. 14 So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. 15 Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. 16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.
17 “When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger. 18 At last a king who did not know about Joseph began to rule in Egypt. 19 He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them, forcing them to put their babies out of their homes, so that they would die. 20 It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months, 21 and when he was put out of his home, the king's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 He was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds.
23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to find out how his fellow Israelites were being treated. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his help and took revenge on the Egyptian by killing him. ( 25 He thought that his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free, but they did not understand.) 26 The next day he saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. ‘Listen, men,’ he said, ‘you are fellow Israelites; why are you fighting like this?’ 27 But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28 ‘Do you want to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled from Egypt and went to live in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed by what he saw, and went near the bush to get a better look. But he heard the Lord's voice: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and dared not look. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “Moses is the one who was rejected by the people of Israel. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ they asked. He is the one whom God sent to rule the people and set them free with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush. 36 He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert. 37 Moses is the one who said to the people of Israel, ‘God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me, and he will be one of your own people.’ 38 He is the one who was with the people of Israel assembled in the desert; he was there with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received God's living messages to pass on to us.
39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him; they pushed him aside and wished that they could go back to Egypt. 40 So they said to Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who will lead us. We do not know what has happened to that man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 It was then that they made an idol in the shape of a bull, offered sacrifice to it, and had a feast in honor of what they themselves had made. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
‘People of Israel! It was not to me
that you slaughtered and sacrificed animals
for forty years in the desert.
43 It was the tent of the god Molech that you carried,
and the image of Rephan, your star god;
they were idols that you had made to worship.
And so I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our ancestors had the Tent of God's presence with them in the desert. It had been made as God had told Moses to make it, according to the pattern that Moses had been shown. 45 Later on, our ancestors who received the tent from their fathers carried it with them when they went with Joshua and took over the land from the nations that God drove out as they advanced. And it stayed there until the time of David. 46 He won God's favor and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built him a house.
48 “But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house would you build for me?
Where is the place for me to live in?
50 Did not I myself make all these things?’
51 “How stubborn you are!” Stephen went on to say. “How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there any prophet that your ancestors did not persecute? They killed God's messengers, who long ago announced the coming of his righteous Servant. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. 53 You are the ones who received God's law, that was handed down by angels—yet you have not obeyed it!”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.
Stefanub di gowaǀîs
1 Ob ge ǀgapipristera* Stefanuba ge dî: “Sats xa ra mîhen hoana kha ama?”
2 Ob ge Stefanuba nēti ge ǃeream: “ǁGûgo tsî ǃgâsago, ǃgâise go ǃgâ te re. Sada Elob, ǂkhaisib dib ge sada aboxab Abrahamma Mesopotamiab ǃnâ Harans ǁgab nî does aiǃâ ge ǂhai. 3 Tsîb ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî ‘Sa ǃhūb tsî sa ǀaokhoena ǁnāxū, î ǁnā ǃhūb tita nî ǁgau tsiba ǃoa ǃgû.’ 4 Ob ge Abrahamma Xaldeaǃhūba xu doeǂoa tsî Harans ǃnâ sī ge ǁan, ǁîb îb di ǁōb kōse. ǁNāpa xub ge Eloba ǁîba nē du nēsi ǁanǃnâ hâ ǃhūb ǁga ge ūhā. 5 Xaweb ge ǃKhūba Abrahamma ǀumi-i xare-e mā tama ge i, ǂaiǂhabab di ǃhūǃâ-i kōses tsîna. Xaweb ge Eloba ge mîmâi hâ i, ǁîb tsî ǁîb di ǀumi-ao-i tsînab nî nē ǃhūǃâsa mā ǃkhaisa, ǀgôa-i tsînab Abrahamma ganupe ūhâ tama hâ hîa. 6 Tsîb ge Eloba ǁkhāti ge mîba bi ǁîb di surib nî hakakaidisi kurigu di ǁaeba khobosis ǃnâ, ǃhao ǃhūb ǃnâ hâ ǃkhaisa. 7 ‘Xawe tita ge ǁkhāti ǁnā ǁaes, ǁîn nî ǃoabasa nî ǀgoraǃgâ tsîn ge ǁîna ǀams ai ǂoaxa tsî tita ǁnā ǃhūb ǃnâ nî ǀgoreǀî.’ 8 ǁKhātib ge Eloba Abrahamma ǃgaos* di ǃgaeǀhaosa ge mā. Tsîb ge Abrahammi ôab Isaka ǁkhaisa tsēxab geo ge ǃgaohe. Isaki ge Jakoba ge ǃgao tsîb ge Jakoba ǁîb di disiǀgamǀa ǀgôagu ega ge Israeli di aboxa kaiga ge ǃgao.
9 “Tsî gu ge Jakob di ôaga kaise ǁîgu di ǃgâsab Josefa gere suri, ega gu ge Egipteb di khobose ǁamaxū bis kōse. Xaweb ge Eloba ǁîb ǀkha ge hâ i, 10 tsî nēb ge hâǃnâ i ǁgâiǀāga xu ge huiǂui bi. ǁKhātib ge Eloba Josefa gā-aisiba ge mā, Egipteb di gao-aob Faraob aiǃâ, tsîb ge Faraoba ǁîba hoaraga Egipteb tsî ǁîb di gao-ommi mûǂamaose ge mâi. 11 Egipteb tsî Kanaanǃhūb tsîkha ǃnâb ge kai ǃâtsūǀkhāba ge hā. Tsîb ge kai tsūǀkhāba sada aboxaga ge hāǂam, ǂâu hâ ǂû-i tsîna gu ge hō ǁoase. 12 Xawe Jakob ge Egipteb noxopa ǂâu hâ ǃhoroba ūhâ ǃkhaisa ǁnâu, ob ge ǁîb ôaga ǁama gu sī nîse ge sî. 13 ǀGamǁî ǃnāsa gu ge sī, ob ge Josefa ǃgâsagu âba ǁîb a tari ǃkhaisa mîba tsî ǁîga Faraob tawa ge mâi-aiǃâ. 14 Ob ge Josefa ǁîb îb, Jakob tsî khoexakhoen âba ge sî, ǁîn nî Egipteb ǃoa ǀkhī-ūhe ǃkhaisa; ǁîn ge ǁaubexa ge hûdisikoroǀa i. 15 Tsîb ge Jakoba Egipteb ǁga ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa sī ge ǁō tsî ǁnās ǁkhās xase ǁîb ôagu tsîna. 16 Hoagu ge Abrahammi ge Hamori di ôagu tawa ǁama hâ i ǀhobas ǃnâ, Sexems tawa ge ǁkhōhe.
17 “Tsî Elob ge Abrahamma mîmâiba hâ i mîmâis di ǁaeb ra ǀoa khamib ge sada khoen di ǃgôaba Egipteb ǃnâ kaise ge ǀarosen. 18 ǁNā ǁaeb ai i ge ǀnî gao-ao-e Egipteb ǃnâ ge mâihe, Josefi xa ge xū-i xare-e ǀū i-e. 19 ǁÎb ge sada di aboxana tsūse ge sîsenū tsî ǁîna gere ǁgari ǁîn di ôaronan nî omde xu aoǂuisa, ǁōn nîse. 20 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâb ge Moseba ge ǃnae tsîb ge kaise Elob mûǁae ge îsa i, tsîb ge ǃnona ǁkhâgu di ǁaeba ǁgûb oms ǃnâ ge kaikaihe. 21 Tsî aoxūheb ge os ge Faraob di ôasa ǁîba hō tsî ǁîs ôase ge kaikai. 22 Tsîb ge Moseba Egipteǁîn di hoaraga gā-aisiba ge ǁkhāǁkhāhe tsîb ge ge ǀgai, sîsengu tsî mîb geren hoan ǃnâ. 23 Tsîb ge Moseba hakadisi kurixab geo ǁîb di ǀaokhoen, ǃgâsa Israelǁîna sī sarisa ǁîb ǂgaob ǃnâ ge ǁkhore. 24 Tsîb ge ǁnāb ge sari hâ i ǁaeb ǃnâ Egipteǁîb hîa ra Israelǁîba ǃgâi tamase ûi-ūba ge mû. Ob ge Moseba nē khoeba huis ǀkha ǃkhoeǁnâ-am tsî Egipteǁîba ǀkhao tsî ge ǃgam. 25 Moseb ge ge ǂâi hâ i, Elob ge ǁîba ǁînab nî orese sî ǃkhaisan ge ǁîb ǂûb di khoena ǂan i ti, xawen ge ge ǁnâuǃā tama hâ i. 26 Tsî sao ra tsēb ge ǁkhawa ǁîna sari, ob ge ǀgam Israelǁîkha hîa ǁîǃnābe ra ǃkhamkha ge mû. ǁÎb ge ǁîkha ǁaegu ǂkhîbagusa gere dītsâ tsîb ge ‘Ti khoekho, sakho ge khoeǃgâgukho, tare-i ǃaroma kho ǁîǃnābe ra ǃkham?’ ti ǁîkha ge dî. 27 Ob ge ǁnā khoeb hîa ge ǃkhamsa tsoatsoaba Moseba ǂhābē tsî ge dî: ‘Tari-e satsa ǂgaeǂgui-aose tsî ǀgoraǃgâ-aose sida ǂama ge mâi? 28 ǁArits go Egipteǁîba ǃgam khamits tita tsîna ra ǃgam ǂgao?’ 29 Tsî nēsab ge ǁnâu, ob ge Moseba Midianǃhūb ǃoa ǃhū tsî ǁnāpa sī ge hâ. ǁNāpab ge ǀgam ǀgôakha ge ǁorabahe.
30 “Hakadisi kurigu khaoǃgâb ge Moseba Sinaiǃhommi ǀgūse khau ra ǁkhūhais di ǁhabub ǃnâ ǀhomǃgā-i xa ge ǂhaihe. 31 Nēsab ge mû, ob ge Moseba kaise nē-i nî tare i ǃkhaisa ge buru. Tsî ǂanǂui nîseb ge mâǀgū, ob ge ǃKhūb di dommi hîa ǁîba ǂgai tsî 32 ‘Tita ge sa îgu, Abrahammi, Isaki tsî Jakob tsîgu di Elota’ ti ra mîba ge ǁnâu. Kaiseb ge Ob ge Moseba ǃaob xa ǀkhū tsî kōs tsîna dītsâ tama ge i. 33 Ob ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: ‘ǀKhapura âtsa ǂgaeǂui, ǁnāts mâ-ai ǃhūs a ǃanu ǃhū xuige. 34 Ti ǁaes ra Egipteb ǃnâ ǃgomma tsâ ǀgausa ta ge go mû. ǁÎn di āsa ǁnâu tsî ta ge go hā, ǁîna ta nî orese tsî ta ge satsa Egipteb ǃoa ra sî.’
35 “Tsîb ge Eloba ǁkhā Moseb khoen xa ge ‘Satsa tari-i xa sida ǂama ǂgaeǂgui-ao tsî ǀgoraǃgâ-aose ge mâihe?’ ti a dîheba ge sî. ǁÎb ge ǁnā ǀhomǃgāb khau ra hais ǃnâ-u ge ǁîba ǂhaib ǃnâ-u ǂgaeǂgui-aose tsî ore-aose ge sîhe. 36 Tsîb ge ǂgui buruxa sîsengu tsî saodi Egipteb ǃnâ tsî ǀApahurib tawa tsî ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâb ge hakadisi kuriga dīn ǀkha ǁîna ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui. 37 Xaweb ge Moseb ǂûba ǁkhāti Israelǁîna ge mîba hâ i: ‘Elob ge sadu ǂûdo xu tita khami ī kēbo-aoba nî ǁhûiǂui.’ 38 Moseb ge ǁnāb ǁîn ǀkha ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ hâ iba. ǁÎb ge ǁnāpa sida aboxagu ǀkha ge hâ i tsî ǁkhāti ǁnā ǀhomǃgāb Sinaiǃhommi ai ge ǁîb ǀkha ǃhoa tsî sidab nî ǂanǂan ûitsama mîde mā bib ǀkha.
39 “Xawen ge sada aboxana Moseba ǁnâuǀnamsa ge mâǃoa tsîn ge ǂgaogu ân ǃnâ Egipteb ǁga ge oa. 40 Tsîn ge ǁîna Aronna ge mîba: ‘Sada nî ǂgaeǂgui eloga kuruba da re, Moseb hîa Egipteba xu ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui dab go tare-i xa hāǂamhe ǃkhaisa da ǀū xuige.’ 41 Tsîn ge tsâu-i di ība ūhâ ǁgôa-elo-e ǃhuniǀuriba xu ge kurubasen, ǁguibade mā tsîn ge nēn go ǃomgu ǀkha kuru ǁgôa-elob ân ǃnâ gere ǃgâiaǂgao. 42 Ob ge Eloba ǁîn ai ǁâb âba dawa tsî ǁîna sores, ǁkhâb tsî ǀhommi di ǀgamiroden nî ǀgoreǀîse ge ǁnāxū. Kēbo-aogu di ǂkhanis ǃnâ i a xoamâisa khami:
“ ‘Israeli dido! Ti tama ta ge
ûitsamaxūna ǂā tsî du ge
hakadisi kuriga ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ
ǁguibas ase gere hā-ūba ta.
43 ǁGôa-elob Moloxi di tentomsa du ge gere tanima,
tsî Refanni, sadu di ǀgamiro-elob di īgu
ǀgoreǀî nîse du ge dīga.
ǁNā-amaga ta ge sado ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ra sîbē,
Babilons nauǀkhāb kōse.’
44 “Sada di aboxan ge ǀhûǀguis di Tentommi Moseb ge Elob xa ǁgauhe ǀapeǁguib ai ge kuruheba ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ gere tanima. Tentommi hîa Moseb ge Elob xa ǁgauhe…gere tanima. 45 Ega gu ge sada di aboxaga nē tentomma ǁîgu di aboxaga xu ge hō. ǁÎgu ge Josuab ǀkha Elob ge ǁîgu ǃaroma ǀūbena ǃhaeǂuixū ǃhūb ǃnâ tentomma ge taniǂgā. Tsîb ge gao-aob Davidi ǁaeb kōse ǁnāpa gere sîsenūhe. 46 Tsî Elob ge Jakob ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâibasensa ūhâ i xui-aob ge ǁîba ge ǂgan, ǃoabaǃnâ om-e ǁîba ombasa. 47 Xaweb ge ega Salomoba nē omma ǁîba ge omba.
48 “Xaweb ge Hoan xa ǀGapi Eloba khoen xa ǂnubihe hâ om-i ǃnâ ǁan tama hâ, kēbo-aoba ra mî khami:
49 “ ‘ǀHommi ge a ti tron,
tsî ǃhūbaib ge a ti ǂaira di dā-aiǃnao.
Mâti ī omma du kha sado tita nî ǂnubiba?
Tsî mâsa kha ti sâb di ǃkhai?
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.
50 Tita ge hoaraga xūn
ǀhommi ǃnâ tsî
ǃhūbaib ai hâna ge kuru.’
51 “Sa ǃnâudanaxado! Sadu ge ǂgaogu âdu ǃnâ ǀūbe tsî ǃAnu Gagaba ra mâǃoa sadu di aboxagu ge aiǃâ gere dī khami? 52 Kēbo-ao-e hâ-e sadu di aboxagu xa ge ǃgôaǃgonhe tama hâ i-e? ǁÎn kom ǁnātikōse ī tsî ǁnān hîa ǂHanu-aib, Xristub,* hîa sadu xa ǀapexūhe tsî ge ǃgamheb di hāsa ge aimûǀgarun tsîna ge ǃgamo. 53 Tsî du kom ǀhomǃgān ǃnâ-u Elob di ǂhanuba ǃkhōǃoa tsî xawe ǁîsa ǁnâuǀnam tama ge io.”
Stefanub ge ra ǀuiǁhomhe
54 Tsî Stefanuba gu ge ǁnâu, o gu ge kaise ǂkhîoǃnâ tsî ǁîb ǃoagu ǁaib ǃnâ ge ǁaninǁgû. 55 Xaweb ge Stefanuba ǃAnu Gagab xa ǀoa hâse, ǀhommi ǃoa ge kōkhâi tsî Elob di ǂkhaisiba ge mû tsî Jesuba amǀkhāb ǁôab Elob dib tawa mâse. 56 Tsîb ge ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Mû, tita ge ǀhomma ǁkhowa-amsen hâse ra mû tsî Khoen Ôaba, amǀkhāb ǁôab Elob dib tawa mâse!”
57 On ge ǃgari dommi ǀkha ǂgai, ǂgaedi âna ǁgâiǂgan tsî ǀhû hâse ǁîba ge ǃkhoeǂnôa. 58 ǃĀsa xu ǃkharaǂui bi tsîn ge ge ǀuiǁhom bi. ǁÎb ǃoagu gere ǃkhō-amn ge anaǂamsaran âna ǂgaeǂui tsî Saulub ti ge ǀon hâ i ǂkham khoeb di ǂai-am ge ǁgui. 59 Xaweb ge Stefanuba ǀuiǁhomheb ra hîa ge ǀgore: “ǃKhū Jesutse, ti gagasa ǃkhōǃoa re!” 60 ǁGoara ai ǁnāǁgoe tsîb ge ǃgari dommi ǀkha “ǃKhūtse, tā ǁîna nē ǁoreba ǃgôaba re!” ti ǂgaiǂui tsî ǁnā mîdi ǀkha ge ǁō.
