Bible Verses About Select Readings: Stephen's defense

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’

So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.

He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’

Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.

On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.

Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.

As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.

He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.

When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.

So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.

He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.