Omazuvarisiro wa Stefanus
1 Omupristeri Otjiuru wa pura Stefanus a tja: “Omambo nga nai ouatjiri?”
2 Stefanus wa zira a tja: “Varumendu ovakwetu nootate, puratene ku ami! Tate mukururume Abraham ngunda e hiya katura kOharan, Ndjambi wondangero aihe otje rimunikisa ku ye mehi ra Mesopotamie 3 na tja ku ye: ‘Pita mehi reṋu na momuhoko woye, nu u yende kehi ndi me ku urikire.’ 4 Abraham otja tjinda mehi rawo na katura mehi ra Haran. Kombunda yonḓiro ya ihe, Ndjambi arire tje mu tjindisire kehi ndi eṋe nambano mu mwa tura. 5 Ndjambi ka yandjere eṱa ku Abraham mehi ndi nangarire pu pe ṱa ondambo yomundu, nungwari Ndjambi wa kwizikira okuriyandja ku ye, nokutja oro mari rire ore nozondekurona ze. Noruveze Ndjambi ndwa tjita omakwizikiro nga tjandje nao Abraham ke novanatje. 6 Ndjambi wa tjere nai ku ye: ‘Ozondekurona zoye maze katura mehi rambangu nu aze karira ovakarere ngo naze katatumisiwa noutwe oure wozombura omasere yane. 7 Nungwari ami me pangura otjiwaṋa tji matji ze isa po ovakarere, nu kombunda yanao ozo maze tjindi mehi ndo naze rikotamene ku ami poṋa mbo.’ 8 Nu Ndjambi wa yandja omasukarekero ku Abraham ye rire otjiraisiro tjomerikutiropamwe. Abraham otja sukareka Isak meyuva oritjahambondatu kombunda yongwatero ye; nu Isak a sukareke omuzandu we Jakob; tjazumba Jakob a sukareke ovazandu ve omurongo na vevari, imba ootate mukururume vomuhoko wetu.
9 “Ovazandu va Jakob va ṱeruru nomuangu wawo Josef, notji ve mu randisa kOengipte okukarira omukarere. Nungwari Ndjambi wa ri puna ye, 10 narire tje mu yama momauzeu we aehe. Nu momurungu wombara ya Engipte Ndjambi wa yandjere otjari nounongo ku Josef, nombara ai ziki Josef okurira ongooneya wokehi yombara mehi nowonganda yayo aihe youhona. 11 Tjazumba otji mwa kara ondjara mehi arihe ra Engipte nora Kanaan; ondjara ndji ya eta ouzeu ounene, nootate mukururume kava ri notjiṋa okurya. 12 Nu Jakob tja zuvire kutja kOengipte ku novikurya, arire tja hindi ovazandu ve, ootate mukururume, otjikando otjitenga koṋa ngo. 13 Owo tji va ire ngo porutjavari, Josef arire tje rihangununa komarumbi we, nomuhoko wa Josef otji wa tjiukwa kombara ya Engipte. 14 Josef wa raa ombuze ku ihe Jakob okumuraera kutja eye nomuhoko auhe, ovandu avehe kumwe omirongo hambombari na vetano, ve ye kOengipte. 15 Nu Jakob wa ire kOengipte, neye novazandu ve ave kaṱira ngo. 16 Otutu twawo twa kapakwa kOsikem meyendo nda randerwe i Abraham kozondekurona za Hamor kotjimariva tjorive.
17 “Omayuva tji ya yenene kutja Ndjambi a yenenise omakwizikiro nga tjitire ku Abraham, tjandje nao otjivaro tjotjiwaṋa tjetu mOengipte tja takavarera ko, 18 nga tji mwa zikwa ombara yarwe mOengipte ndjaa i ha tjiwa Josef. 19 Oyo ya tjita ootate mukururume ovineya, ai ve tatumisa nokuveṋiṋikiza kutja ve imbirahi ounatje wawo ounyame kutja u ṱe. 20 Nu Moses wa kwaterwe momayuva nga, neye wa ri okanatje okawa komurungu wa Ndjambi. Neye we kurisiwa monganda ya ihe oure womieze vitatu, 21 nu tja za nokuimbirahiwa moyawo, omusuko wombara arire tje mu yakura, e mu kurisa ne mu isa po omuatje we omuini. 22 Moses wa hongerwe ounongo auhe wOvaengipte, nu a rire omurumendu omunamirya momambo na moviungura vye.
23 “Neye tja tjita ozombura omirongo vine we rizemburuka okukavarura ovangu ve, ihi otjiwaṋa tja Israel. 24 Nu tja muna Omuisrael omukwao ama tatumisiwa i Omuengipte, arire tje kemuvatera na sutisa ondjito ndji mokuzepa ingwi Omuengipte. 25 Moses we ripura kutja otjiwaṋa tjawo matji munu kutja Ndjambi me tji kutura meke re, nungwari otjo katji zuvire ko nawa. 26 Mependukirwa eye wa muna Ovaisrael vevari amave ru, narire tja roro okuvehanganisa ama tja: ‘Purateneye, varumendu, oweṋe Ovaisrael amuyevari; mamu rwire tjike?’ 27 Nungwari ingwi ngwaa tjiti ouhasemba komukwao wa undura Moses na pura a tja: ‘Owaṋi ngwe ku pa ousemba noupangure kombanda yetu. 28 Mo vanga okundjizepa tjimuna tji wa zepere ingwi Omuengipte erero are?’ 29 Moses tja zuva omambo nga wa pita mOengipte na katura mOmidian, indi ehi eye ma kakwatera ovanatje ovazandu vevari.
30 “Ozombura omirongo vine tji za kapita, omuengeri we rimunikisa ku Moses morururumo rwomuriro mbuyau yaka motjihwa tjomakuiya mokuti onguza popezu nondundu Sinai. 31 Moses wa kumisirwe i otjiṋa tjaa munu, nu tja ryama popezu notjihwa okutara nawa, arire tja zuu eraka ra Muhona ndi mari tja: 32 ‘Owami Ndjambi wooiho mukururume, Ndjambi wa Abraham na Ndjambi wa Isak na Ndjambi wa Jakob!’ Nu Moses wa zezerisiwa i omburuma na ha roro nangarire ingwi okutara. 33 Muhona wa tjere nai ku ye: ‘Hukura ozongaku zoye, orondu poṋa pu wa kurama mba opopayapuke. 34 Ami mba munu nawanawa ondatumisire yotjiwaṋa tjandje mOengipte, nu mba zuu ondjemeno yatjo, notji mba rauka okuyekuvekutura ku yo. Nambano indjo, nami me ku hindi kOengipte.’
35 “Moses onguri ye ngwi ngwa imbirahirwe i otjiwaṋa tja Israel indu tji tja tjere: ‘Owaṋi ngwe ku pa ousemba noupangure kombanda yetu?’ Eye onguri ye ngwi Ndjambi ngwa hindire okuyekuhonaparera otjiwaṋa nokutjikutura nombatero yomuengeri ngwi ngwe rimunikisire ku ye motjihwa tjaa tji yaka. 36 Eye ongwa hongorera otjiwaṋa ame tji pitisa mehi ra Engipte nama tjiti ovihimise noviraisiro mu ro na pOmuronga wOtuu na mokuti onguza oure wozombura omirongo vine. 37 Moses onguri ye ngwi ngwa tjere nai kotjiwaṋa tja Israel: ‘Ndjambi me mu pendurire omuprofete otja ami mokati kotjiwaṋa tjeṋu.’ 38 Eye onguri ye ngwi ngwa ri puna otjiwaṋa tja Israel tji tja woronganene mokuti onguza, na puna ootate mukururume nomuengeri ngwi ngwa hungirire na ye kondundu Sinai, narire tja yakura omambo omanamuinyo wa Ndjambi okuyevasisa ku eṱe.
39 “Nungwari ootate mukururume va panḓa okukara nonḓuviro ku ye; owo ve mu imbirahi nave zeri okuyaruka kOengipte. 40 Notji va tja nai ku Aron: ‘Tu tjitira oomukuru vovisenginina mbu mave tu hongorere. Eṱe katu nokutjiwa kutja Moses ngwe tu tjindisa mOengipte wa katjitwa vi.’ 41 Nowo arire tji ve riungurire otjiserekarera tjotjisenginina tjosaneno yondana, ave tji punguhire ozombunguhiro nave zepa omukandi okuyozika ihi tji va ungura nomake wawo. 42 Ndjambi otje ve pa etambo nu e ve yandja kutja ve rikotamene kozonyose zeyuru, otja tji pa tjangwa membo rovaprofete:
‘Tjiwaṋa tja Israel! Ozombura nḓa omirongo vine nḓu mwa kara mokuti onguza,
mwe ndji punguhira ozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo nozoningiririsiwa are?
43 Eṋe mwa toora ondanda yomukuru wotjisenginina Molok
notjisekerarera tja Refan, ingwi omukuru weṋu wonyose;
oviserekarera eṋe mbi mwa ungura okurikotamena ku vyo.
Ami otji me mu hindi kouhuura munda mbwina ya Babilon.’
44 “Ootate mukururume va ri nOndanda yOmahakaeneno ya Ndjambi puna womokuti onguza. Oyo ya ungurirwe otja Moses punga a raererwe i Ndjambi kosaneno yotjisanekero Moses tja munine. 45 Kombunda ootate mukururume, mba perwe Ondanda ndji i ooihe, ve i toora indu tji va hongorererwe i Josua okukakambura ehi roviwaṋa Ndjambi mbya rambere mehi owo tji ve ere. Noyo ya kara mo nga komayuva wa David. 46 David wa munine ondjingonekero komurungu wa Ndjambi, neye arire tja ningire Ndjambi kutja e mu yandjere okutungira Ndjambi wa Jakob omaturiro. 47 Nu a ri Salomo ongwe mu tungira indji ondjuwo.
48 “Nungwari Ndjambi wOkombandambanda ka tura mozondjuwo nḓe tungwa i omake wovandu otja omuprofete punga ama hee:
49 ‘Muhona matja nai:
Eyuru oro otjihavero tjandje tjouhona,
nehi oro okahavero kozombaze zandje.
Hapo ongendjuwo ndji mamu yenene okundjitungira,
nu opoṋa peṋe ami pu me suva?
50 Kawami are ngu mba uta avihe mbi?’
51 “Eṋe, tjiri, oweṋe ovirangaranga! Omitima vyeṋu vi ri tjimuna ovyovandu mbe ha kambura mu Ndjambi, noweṋe ozomboro kembo ra Ndjambi. Aruhe mu pirukira Ombepo Ondjapuke. Otja ooiho mukururume punga aave tjiti eṋe wina opunga amu tjita! 52 Omuprofete uṋe ooiho mukururume ngu ve ha tatumisire? Owo va zepere ovahindwa va Ndjambi, imba ovahindwa mba zuvarisire omeero wOmusemba rukuru. Nambano eṋe mwe mu rondora namu mu zepa. 53 Oweṋe mba mbu mwa yakura omatwako wa Ndjambi, inga nga yandjerwe i ovaengeri, nu, tjiri, eṋe kamu karere ko nonḓuviro komatwako nga!”
Stefanus ma ṱu nomawe
54 Nouṋepo wOtjira tjOvajuda tji wa zuva omambo nga wa Stefanus, arire tji wa ṱomazenge tjinene nau mu rumatere omiṋa. 55 Nungwari ingwi Stefanus, ngwe urire nOmbepo Ondjapuke, wa tara keyuru a munu ongeṋangeṋeno ya Ndjambi na Jesus a kurama kokunene kwa Ndjambi. 56 Neye arire tja tja: “Tara, ami me munu eyuru ara paturuka nOmuna wOmundu a kurama kokunene kwa Ndjambi!”
57 Ovandu vOtjira tjOvajuda va tjita ondokohero onene ava setike omatwi wawo nomake. Nowo arire tji va hakahana okuya ku ye, 58 ave mu undurire pendje yotjihuro nave mu vete nomawe. Novahongonone va isa ozombanda zawo pomuzandona wena Saulus. 59 Owo va kara pokuveta Stefanus nomawe eye ngunda ama ravaere nai ku Muhona: “Muhona Jesus, yakura ombepo yandje!” 60 Nu eye wa wora ozongoro na ravaere neraka enene a tja: “Muhona, arikana o ve verere ko ourunde mbwi!” Neye tja za nokuhungira omambo nga arire tja koka.
Stephen's Speech
1 The high priest asked Stephen, “Are they telling the truth about you?”
2 Stephen answered:
Friends, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he had moved to Haran. 3 God told him, “Leave your country and your relatives and go to a land that I will show you.” 4 Then Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.
After his father died, Abraham came and settled in this land where you now live. 5 God didn't give him any part of it, not even a square meter. But God did promise to give it to him and his family forever, even though Abraham didn't have any children. 6 God said Abraham's descendants would live for a while in a foreign land. There they would be slaves and would be mistreated 400 years. 7 But he also said, “I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. Then later they will come and worship me in this place.”
8 God said to Abraham, “Every son in each family must be circumcised to show you have kept your agreement with me.” So when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. Later, Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons. 9 These men were our ancestors.
Joseph was also one of our famous ancestors. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him as a slave to be taken to Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. God made him so wise that the Egyptian king Pharaoh thought highly of him. The king even made Joseph governor over Egypt and put him in charge of everything he owned.
11 Everywhere in Egypt and Canaan the grain crops failed. There was terrible suffering, and our ancestors could not find enough to eat. 12 But when Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there for the first time. 13 It was on their second trip that Joseph told his brothers who he was, and the king learned about Joseph's family.
14 Joseph sent for his father and his relatives. In all, there were 75 of them. 15 His father went to Egypt and died there, just as our ancestors did. 16 Later their bodies were taken back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor.
17 Finally, the time came for God to do what he had promised Abraham. By then the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 18 Another king was ruling Egypt, and he didn't know anything about Joseph. 19 He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them. He even made them leave their babies outside, so they would die.
20 During this time Moses was born. He was a very beautiful child, and for three months his parents took care of him in their home. 21 Then when they were forced to leave him outside, the king's daughter found him and raised him as her own son. 22 Moses was given the best education in Egypt. He was a strong man and a powerful speaker.
23 When Moses was 40 years old, he wanted to help the Israelites because they were his own people. 24 One day he saw an Egyptian mistreating one of them. So he rescued the man and killed the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought the rest of his people would realize God was going to use him to set them free. But they didn't understand.
26 The next day Moses saw two of his own people fighting, and he tried to make them stop. He said, “Men, you are both Israelites. Why are you so cruel to each other?”
27 But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses aside and asked, “Who made you our ruler and judge? 28 Are you going to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” 29 When Moses heard this, he ran away to live in the country of Midian. His two sons were born there.
30 Forty years later, an angel appeared to Moses from a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was surprised by what he saw. He went closer to get a better look, and the Lord said, 32 “I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses started shaking all over and didn't dare to look at the bush.
33 The Lord said to him, “Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy. 34 With my own eyes I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now I am sending you back to Egypt.”
35 This was the same Moses that the people rejected by saying, “Who made you our leader and judge?” God's angel had spoken to Moses from the bush. And God had even sent the angel to help Moses rescue the people and be their leader.
36 In Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the desert, Moses rescued the people by working miracles and wonders for 40 years. 37 Moses is the one who told the people of Israel, “God will choose one of your people to be a prophet, just as he chose me.” 38 Moses brought our people together in the desert, and the angel spoke to him on Mount Sinai. There he was given these life-giving words to pass on to us. 39 But our ancestors refused to obey Moses. They rejected him and wanted to go back to Egypt.
40 The people said to Aaron, “Make some gods to lead us! Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what's happened to him now.” 41 Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf. They offered sacrifices to the idol and were pleased with what they had done.
42 God turned his back on his people and left them. Then they worshiped the stars in the sky, just as it says in the Book of the Prophets, “People of Israel, you didn't offer sacrifices and offerings to me during those 40 years in the desert. 43 Instead, you carried the tent where the god Molech is worshiped, and you took along the star of your god Rephan. You made those idols and worshiped them. So now I will have you carried off beyond Babylonia.”
44 The tent where our ancestors worshiped God was with them in the desert. This was the same tent that God had commanded Moses to make. And it was made like the model that Moses had seen. 45 Later it was given to our ancestors, and they took it with them when they went with Joshua. They carried the tent along as they took over the land from those people that God had chased out for them. Our ancestors used this tent until the time of King David. 46 He pleased God and asked him if he could build a house of worship for the people of Israel. 47 And it was finally King Solomon who built a house for God.
48 But the Most High God doesn't live in houses made by humans. It is just as the prophet said, when he spoke for the Lord,
49 “Heaven is my throne,
and the earth
is my footstool.
What kind of house
will you build for me?
In what place will I rest?
50 I have made everything.”
51 You stubborn and hardheaded people! You are always fighting against the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors did. 52 Is there one prophet that your ancestors didn't mistreat? They killed the prophets who told about the coming of the One Who Obeys God. And now you have turned against him and killed him. 53 Angels gave you God's Law, but you still don't obey it.
Stephen Is Stoned to Death
54 When the council members heard Stephen's speech, they were angry and furious. 55 But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked toward heaven, where he saw our glorious God and Jesus standing at his right side. 56 Then Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 The council members shouted and covered their ears. At once they all attacked Stephen 58 and dragged him out of the city. Then they started throwing stones at him. The men who had brought charges against him put their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, “Lord Jesus, please welcome me!” 60 He knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don't blame them for what they have done.” Then he died.
