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32 forgiveness of sins. And we are [his] witnesses of these things; and so is the holy spirit also, which God hath given to those that obey him."

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And when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, 34 and took counsel to kill them. Then there stood up in the council a certain Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, had in honour among all the people, and commanded to send the apostles out for a short time; 35 and said unto them, "Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves concerning these men, what ye intend to do. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, boasting himself to be some great one; to whom a number of about four hundred men joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and came to 37 nought. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up, in the days of the enrolment, and drew away many people after him and he also perished; and all, as many as obeyed 38 him, were dispersed. And now I

say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them go on: for if this counsel 39 or this work be of men, it will be overthrown: but if it

be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: beware also lest ye be 40 found even to contend against God." And they were

persuaded by him: and when they had called the apostles, they beat them, and commanded that they should not 41 speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were thought worthy to be shamefully treated for 42 the name of Jesus. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and to preach the glad tidings that Jesus is the Christ.

CH. VI. Now in those days, when the number of the disciples

was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were

* was, N.

+ "Proselytes to the Jewish religion. Or, rather, foreign Grecizing Jews. See John vii. 35. ch. ix. 29. Syr. and ch. xi. 20." Newcome

2 overlooked in the daily ministration of alms. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, "It is not reasonable that we should leave the 3 word of God, and attend on tables +. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out from among you seven men of good report, full of the [holy] spirit and of wisdom, whom we 4 will appoint over this business. But we will stedfastly continue in prayer, and in the ministry of the word." 5 And the words pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the holy spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch; 6 whom they set before the apostles: and when these had 7 prayed, they put their hands on them. And the word of God increased and the number of the disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem and a great multitude of the priests became obedient to the faith.

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And Stephen, full of God's favour and of power ‡, 9 did great wonders and signs among the people. But there arose some of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and some of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, 10 disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist 11 the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 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 13 him, and brought him to the council, and set up false

witnesses, who said, "This man ceaseth not to speak 14 words against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which 15 Moses delivered to us." And all who sat in the council † minister to the tables of the poor. N.

*Or, It is not pleasing to us. N. m.
full of faith and power, R. T.

looked stedfastly on him, and saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

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CH. VII. Then the high-priest said, "Are these things so?" 2 And Stephen said, Brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he 3 was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran; and said unto him, Depart from thy country, and from thy kindred, and go into the land which I shall shew thee.' 4 Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran; and, when his father was dead, God removed him thence 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 it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when 6 as yet he had no child. And God spake in this manner; that his offspring should sojourn in a foreign land, and that they should be brought into servitude, and afflicted, 7 four hundred years. And the nation, whom they shall

serve, I will judge, said God; and after that they shall 8 come forth, and worship me in this place. 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.

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"And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph 10 into Egypt: 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 go11 vernor over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine over all the land of Egypt and of Canaan, and great affliction; and our fathers found no 12 sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was corn 13 in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time. And at

the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren : 14 and Joseph's kindred became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent, and called his father [Jacob] to him, and

15 all his kindred, seventy-five persons. So Jacob went 16 down into Egypt; and he died, and our fathers; and were carried to Shechem, and laid in the sepulchre which Jacob bought for a sum of money from the sons of Emmor the father of Shechem.

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"But when the time of the promise, which God had sworn to Abraham, drew near, the people grew and mul18 tiplied in Egypt; till another king arose, who knew not 19 Joseph. He dealt subtilly with our kindred, and afflicted

our fathers; so that they cast out † their infants, that they 20 might not be preserved alive. At which time Moses was

born, and was very beautiful, and was nourished in his 21 father's house three months. And when he was cast out,

Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for 22 her own son. And Moses was instructed in all the wis

dom of the Egyptians: and was mighty in words and in 23 deeds. And when he was forty years old, it came into 24 his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And

when he saw one of them suffer wrongfully, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and slew the 25 Egyptian. Now he supposed that his brethren would

have understood that God by his hand would give them 26 deliverance: but they understood not. And the next day he presented himself to some of them as they contended, and would have reconciled them, saying, 'Sirs, 27 ye are brethren: why do ye wrong one another?' But he who did wrong to his neighbour thrust Moses away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yester29 day?' Then Moses fled at these words; and 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

* Gr. Abraham. "That 'lax is the true nominative, to be supplied from ver. 15, appears from Gen. xxxiii. 19; Josh. xxiv. 32." Newcome.

+ Or, so that he made them cast out, or, expose, N. m.

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31 in a flame of fire in a bush. 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 [unto 32 him], saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 33 Then Moses trembled, and durst not look. Then the Lord said unto him, Put off thy sandals from thy feet: 34 for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning; and am come down to deliver them and now, come, I will send thee into 35 Egypt.' This Moses, whom they denied, and said, Who made thee a ruler and a judge?' him God sent to be a ruler and a redeemert, by the hand of the angel that 36 appeared to him in the bush. 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.

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"This is that Moses who said to the sons of Israel, A prophet the Lord God will raise up unto you from your 38 brethren, like me to him ye shall hearken.' 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 oracles, to deli39 ver them unto us to whom our fathers would not be

obedient; but thrust him from them, and in their hearts 40 turned back into Egypt, and said 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 41 of him.' So they made a calf in those days, and offered

sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their 42 own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven: as it is written in the

* to observe it well, N.

+ Or, deliverer, N. t.

your God, R. T. and N. Or, Jehoyah your God, Deut, xviii. 15.

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