¹司提反的申辩

¹And the chief priest said, `Are then these things so?`

²司提反说：“各位父老兄弟请听！我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕，在美索不达米亚，还没有住在哈兰的时候，荣耀的　神向他显现，

²and he said, `Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken: The God of the glory did appear to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia, before his dwelling in Haran,

³对他说：‘你要离开本地本族，到我指示你的地方去。’

³and He said to him, Go forth out of thy land, and out of thy kindred, and come to a land that I shall shew thee.

⁴他就离开迦勒底人的地方，住在哈兰。他父亲死后，　神又叫他从那里迁到你们现在所住的地方。

⁴`Then having come forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran, and from thence, after the death of his father, He did remove him to this land wherein ye now dwell,

⁵在这里　神并没有赐他产业，连立足之地也没有。但　神应许把这地赐给他和他的后裔为业，虽然那时他还没有儿子。

⁵and He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a footstep, and did promise to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him — he having no child.

⁶　神就这样说：‘你的后裔必在外地寄居，人要奴役、虐待他们四百年。’

⁶`And God spake thus, That his seed shall be sojourning in a strange land, and they shall cause it to serve, and shall do it evil four hundred years,

⁷　神又说：‘奴役他们的那个国家，我要亲自惩罚。以后，他们要出来，在这地方事奉我。’

⁷and the nation whom they shall serve I will judge, said God; and after these things they shall come forth and shall do Me service in this place.

⁸　神也赐他割礼为约。这样，亚伯拉罕生了以撒，第八天就给他行了割礼。后来，以撒生雅各，雅各生了十二位祖先。

⁸`And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begat Isaac, and did circumcise him on the eighth day, and Isaac [begat] Jacob, and Jacob — the twelve patriarchs;

⁹“祖先妒忌约瑟，把他卖到埃及去，然而　神与他同在，

⁹and the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,

¹⁰救他脱离一切苦难，使他在埃及王法老面前，有智慧、得恩宠。法老立他为首相，管理埃及和法老的全家。

¹⁰and did deliver him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he did set him — governor over Egypt and all his house.

¹¹后来埃及和迦南全地遭遇饥荒、大灾难，我们的祖先找不到粮食。

¹¹`And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,

¹²雅各听见埃及有谷粮，就派我们的祖先去，这是第一次。

¹²and Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time;

¹³第二次的时候，约瑟就向哥哥们表露自己的身世，法老才知道约瑟的家世。

¹³and at the second time was Joseph made known to his brethren, and Joseph`s kindred became manifest to Pharaoh,

¹⁴约瑟就派人去把他父亲雅各和全家七十五人都接来。

¹⁴and Joseph having sent, did call for his father Jacob, and all his kindred — with seventy and five souls —

¹⁵于是雅各下了埃及。后来他和我们祖先都死了，

¹⁵and Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers,

¹⁶运到示剑，埋葬在亚伯拉罕用银子向哈抹子孙买来的坟地里。

¹⁶and they were carried over into Sychem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Sychem.

¹⁷“　神给亚伯拉罕的应许快要实现的时候，以色列人在埃及人口繁盛增多；

¹⁷`And according as the time of the promise was drawing nigh, which God did swear to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

¹⁸但是，到了另一位不认识约瑟的君王兴起统治埃及的时候，

¹⁸till another king rose, who had not known Joseph;

¹⁹他就谋害我们的同胞，虐待我们的祖先，逼他们拋弃自己的婴孩，不容婴孩存活。

¹⁹this one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live;

²⁰就在那时候，摩西出生了，他非常俊美，在父亲的家中抚养了三个月。

²⁰in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;

²¹他被拋弃的时候，法老的女儿把他拾起来，当作儿子抚养。

²¹and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;

²²摩西学尽了埃及人的一切学问，说话行事都有能力。

²²and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.

²³“到了四十岁，他心中起了一个念头，要去看望自己的同胞以色列人。

²³`And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel;

²⁴当他看见有一个人受欺负，就去护卫，为那受屈的抱不平，打死了那个埃及人。

²⁴and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian;

²⁵他以为同胞们都必知道　神要借着他的手拯救他们，事实上他们却不知道。

²⁵and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand.

²⁶第二天，有人在打架，摩西就出面调解，说：‘你们是弟兄，为什么彼此欺负呢？’

²⁶`On the succeeding day, also, he shewed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, brethren are ye, wherefore do ye injustice to one another?

²⁷那欺负人的把他推开，说：‘谁立了你作我们的领袖和审判官呢？

²⁷and he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us?

²⁸难道你想杀我，像昨天杀那个埃及人一样吗？’

²⁸to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?

²⁹摩西因为这句话，就逃到米甸地寄居，在那里生了两个儿子。

²⁹`And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,

³⁰“过了四十年，在西奈山的旷野，有一位使者，在荆棘中的火焰里，向摩西显现。

³⁰and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush,

³¹他见了这个异象，十分惊奇；他正上前察看的时候，就有主的声音说：

³¹and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him,

³²‘我是你祖宗的　神，就是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的　神。’摩西战战兢兢，不敢观看。

³²I [am] the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold,

³³主对他说：‘把你脚上的鞋脱掉，因为你所站的地方是圣地。

³³and the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground;

³⁴我的子民在埃及所受的痛苦，我实在看见了；他们的叹息我也听见了，我下来是要救他们。你来，我要派你到埃及去。’

³⁴seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that [is] in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee to Egypt.

³⁵他们拒绝了这位摩西，说：‘谁立了你作领袖和审判官呢？’但　神借着在荆棘中向他显现的使者的手，派他作领袖和救赎者。

³⁵`This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush;

³⁶这人领他们出来，并且在埃及地、红海和旷野，行奇事神迹四十年。

³⁶this one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years;

³⁷以前那位对以色列人说‘　神要从你们弟兄中间，给你们兴起一位先知像我’的，就是这摩西。

³⁷this is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear.

³⁸那曾经在旷野的大会中，和那在西奈山上对他说话的使者同在，也与我们的祖先同在的，就是他。他领受了活的圣言，传给我们。

³⁸`This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us;

³⁹我们的祖先不肯听从他，反而把他推开，他们的心已经转向了埃及，

³⁹to whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but did thrust away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

⁴⁰就对亚伦说：‘给我们做一些神像，可以走在我们前头。因为把我们从埃及地领出来的那个摩西，我们不知道他遭遇了什么事。’

⁴⁰saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him.

⁴¹在那些日子里，他们做了一个牛犊，把祭物献给那偶像，并且因自己手所做的而欢乐。

⁴¹`And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands,

⁴²于是　神转身离开，任凭他们事奉天象，正如先知书所说：‘以色列家啊，你们在旷野四十年，岂是将祭牲和祭物献给我呢？

⁴²and God did turn, and did give them up to do service to the host of the heaven, according as it hath been written in the scroll of the prophets: Slain beasts and sacrifices did ye offer to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

⁴³你们抬着摩洛的帐幕，和理番神的星，就是你们做来敬拜的像。所以我要把你们放逐到巴比伦那一边去。’

⁴³and ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan — the figures that ye made to bow before them, and I will remove your dwelling beyond Babylon.

⁴⁴“我们的祖先在旷野有作证的帐幕，就是跟摩西谈话的那位指示他，依照他看见的样式做的。

⁴⁴`The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He did direct, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen;

⁴⁵我们的祖先相继承受了这帐幕，　神把外族人从他们面前赶走以后，他们就同约书亚把帐幕带进所得为业的地方，直到大卫的日子。

⁴⁵which also our fathers having in succession received, did bring in with Joshua, into the possession of the nations whom God did drive out from the presence of our fathers, till the days of David,

⁴⁶大卫在　神面前蒙了恩，就求为雅各的　神找个居所，

⁴⁶who found favour before God, and requested to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob;

⁴⁷而由所罗门为他建造殿宇。

⁴⁷and Solomon built Him an house.

⁴⁸其实至高者并不住人手所造的，正如先知说：

⁴⁸`But the Most High in sanctuaries made with hands doth not dwell, according as the prophet saith:

⁴⁹‘主说：天是我的宝座，地是我的脚凳，你们要为我建造怎样的殿呢？哪里是我安息的地方呢？

⁴⁹The heaven [is] My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what [is] the place of My rest?

⁵⁰这一切不都是我手所造的吗？’

⁵⁰hath not My hand made all these things?

⁵¹“你们颈项刚硬、心和耳都未受割礼的人哪！你们时常抗拒圣灵，你们的祖先怎样，你们也怎样。

⁵¹`Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears! ye do always the Holy Spirit resist; as your fathers — also ye;

⁵²有哪一个先知，你们的祖先不迫害呢？你们杀了那些预先宣告那义者要来的人，现在又把那义者出卖了，杀害了。

⁵²which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed those who declared before about the coming of the Righteous One, of whom now ye betrayers and murderers have become,

⁵³你们领受了由天使传达的律法，却不遵守。”

⁵³who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep [it].`

⁵⁴司提反被石头打死众人听了这些话，心中非常恼怒，就向着司提反咬牙切齿。

⁵⁴And hearing these things, they were cut to the hearts, and did gnash the teeth at him;

⁵⁵但司提反被圣灵充满，定睛望着天，看见　神的荣耀，并且看见耶稣站在　神的右边，

⁵⁵and being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked stedfastly to the heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

⁵⁶就说：“看哪！我看见天开了，人子站在　神的右边。”

⁵⁶and he said, `Lo, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.`

⁵⁷众人大声喊叫，掩着耳朵，一齐向他冲过去，

⁵⁷And they, having cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and did rush with one accord upon him,

⁵⁸把他推出城外，用石头打他。那些证人把自己的衣服，放在一个名叫扫罗的青年人脚前。

⁵⁸and having cast him forth outside of the city, they were stoning [him] — and the witnesses did put down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul —

⁵⁹他们用石头打司提反的时候，他呼求说：“主耶稣啊，求你接收我的灵魂！”

⁵⁹and they were stoning Stephen, calling and saying, `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;`

⁶⁰然后跪下来大声喊着说：“主啊，不要把这罪归给他们！”说了这话，就睡了。

⁶⁰and having bowed the knees, he cried with a loud voice, `Lord, mayest thou not lay to them this sin;` and this having said, he fell asleep.