Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Circumcision » Covenant promises of
"Look, I've made a covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. Your name is no longer to be Abram. Instead your name will be Abraham, since I'll make you the father of many nations. I'm going to cause you to have many descendants, and I'll bring nations from you. Kings will come from you. read more.
I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."
I'm establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants' God after you. I'll give to you and to your descendants the land to which you have traveled all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession. I will be their God." God continued to speak to Abraham, "You and your descendants who are born in the future are to keep my covenant that is, you and your descendants, generation after generation. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."
Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Therefore, he is the ancestor of all who believe while uncircumcised, in order that righteousness may be credited to them.
and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants. For this is the language of the promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son." read more.
Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac. Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca was told, "The older child will serve the younger one." So it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
Not only that, but Rebecca became pregnant by our ancestor Isaac. Yet before their children had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca was told, "The older child will serve the younger one." So it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
Again, I insist that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised is obligated to obey the entire Law.
Circumcision » Institution of
Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. read more.
The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."
The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."
Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Therefore, he is the ancestor of all who believe while uncircumcised, in order that righteousness may be credited to them.
On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby's foreskin is to be circumcised.
Moses gave you circumcision not that it is from Moses, but from the Patriarchs and so you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
Circumcision » Called the » Covenant of circumcision
Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
Court » Accused spoke in his own defense
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus to life after you killed him by hanging him on a tree. God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to extend repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. read more.
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him."
So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, for we cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard."
The priests and prophets told the officials and all the people, "A death sentence for this man, because he prophesied against this city, as you heard with your own ears!" Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people: "The LORD has sent me to prophesy all the things you heard against this house and against this city. Now, change your habits and your deeds and obey the LORD your God, and the LORD will change his mind about the disaster that he told you about. read more.
Look, I'm in your hands, so do with me what you think is good and right. But know for certain that if you kill me, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and its residents because the LORD really did send me to you to say all these things for you to hear." The officials and all the people told the priests and the prophets, "No death sentence for this man because he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."
Look, I'm in your hands, so do with me what you think is good and right. But know for certain that if you kill me, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and its residents because the LORD really did send me to you to say all these things for you to hear." The officials and all the people told the priests and the prophets, "No death sentence for this man because he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."
The high priests kept accusing him of many things. So Pilate asked him again, "Don't you have any answer? Look how many accusations they're bringing against you!" But since Jesus no longer answered, Pilate was astonished.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, told them, "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being questioned today for a good deed done for someone who was sick or to learn how this man was healed, you and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus from Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. read more.
He is "the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."
He is "the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."
Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?" Stephen replied: "Listen, brothers and fathers! "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.' read more.
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
Paul looked straight at the Council and said, "Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day." Then the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near him to strike him on the mouth. At this Paul told him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there and judge me according to the Law, and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?" read more.
The men standing near him asked, "Do you mean to insult God's high priest?" Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, "You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'" When Paul saw that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he shouted in the Council, "Brothers, I'm a Pharisee and a descendant of Pharisees. I'm on trial concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected." After he said that, an angry quarrel broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided,
The men standing near him asked, "Do you mean to insult God's high priest?" Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, "You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'" When Paul saw that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he shouted in the Council, "Brothers, I'm a Pharisee and a descendant of Pharisees. I'm on trial concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected." After he said that, an angry quarrel broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided,
Government » Mosaic » Constitutes, with priests and scribes, a court for the trial of both civil and ecclesiastical causes
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again.
When morning came, all the high priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put him to death. They bound him with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
Then Jesus went into the Temple. While he was teaching, the high priests and the elders of the people came to him and asked, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
As soon as it was morning, the high priests convened a meeting with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. They bound Jesus with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Then the high priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. They conspired to arrest Jesus by treachery and to kill him. But they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled. Peter, however, followed him at a distance as far as the high priest's courtyard. He went inside and sat down with the servants to see how this would end. Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death. read more.
But they couldn't find any, even though many false witnesses had come forward. At last two men came forward and stated, "This man said, "I can destroy the sanctuary of God and rebuild it in three days.'" At this, the high priest stood up and asked Jesus, "Don't you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest told him, "I command you by the living God to tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God!" Jesus told him, "You have said so. Nevertheless I tell you, from now on you will see "the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power' and "coming on the clouds of heaven.'" Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Listen! You yourselves have just heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?" They replied, "He deserves to die!" Then they spit in his face and hit him. Some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you?"
But they couldn't find any, even though many false witnesses had come forward. At last two men came forward and stated, "This man said, "I can destroy the sanctuary of God and rebuild it in three days.'" At this, the high priest stood up and asked Jesus, "Don't you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?" But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest told him, "I command you by the living God to tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God!" Jesus told him, "You have said so. Nevertheless I tell you, from now on you will see "the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power' and "coming on the clouds of heaven.'" Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Listen! You yourselves have just heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?" They replied, "He deserves to die!" Then they spit in his face and hit him. Some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you?"
Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him. They were from the high priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer personally had given them a signal, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him, and lead him safely away." So Judas immediately went up to Jesus and said, "Rabbi," and kissed him tenderly. read more.
Then the men took hold of Jesus and arrested him. But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus asked them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, yet you didn't arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Jesus and ran away. A certain young man, who was wearing nothing but a linen sheet, was following Jesus. When the men grabbed him, he left the linen sheet behind and ran away naked. Then they took Jesus to the high priest. All the high priests, elders, and scribes had gathered together. Peter followed Jesus at a distance as far as the high priest's courtyard. He was sitting with the servants and warming himself at the fire. Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council were looking for some testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they couldn't find any. Although many people gave false testimony against him, their testimony didn't agree. Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, "We ourselves heard him say, "I will destroy this sanctuary made by human hands, and in three days I will build another one not made by human hands.'" But even on this point their testimony didn't agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Don't you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?" But he kept silent and didn't answer at all. The high priest asked him again, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus said, "I AM, and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power' and "coming with the clouds of heaven.'" Then the high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we still need witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?" All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, "Prophesy!" Even the servants took him and slapped him around.
Then the men took hold of Jesus and arrested him. But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus asked them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, yet you didn't arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted Jesus and ran away. A certain young man, who was wearing nothing but a linen sheet, was following Jesus. When the men grabbed him, he left the linen sheet behind and ran away naked. Then they took Jesus to the high priest. All the high priests, elders, and scribes had gathered together. Peter followed Jesus at a distance as far as the high priest's courtyard. He was sitting with the servants and warming himself at the fire. Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council were looking for some testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they couldn't find any. Although many people gave false testimony against him, their testimony didn't agree. Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, "We ourselves heard him say, "I will destroy this sanctuary made by human hands, and in three days I will build another one not made by human hands.'" But even on this point their testimony didn't agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Don't you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?" But he kept silent and didn't answer at all. The high priest asked him again, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus said, "I AM, and "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power' and "coming with the clouds of heaven.'" Then the high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we still need witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?" All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, "Prophesy!" Even the servants took him and slapped him around.
Then Jesus told the high priests, the Temple police, and the elders, who had come for him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? While I was with you day after day in the Temple, you didn't lay a hand on me. But this is your hour, when darkness reigns!" Then they arrested him, led him away, and brought him to the high priest's house. But Peter was following at a distance. read more.
When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had taken their seats, Peter, too, sat down among them. A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire, stared at him, and said, "This man was with him, too." But he denied it, "I don't know him, woman!" he responded. A little later, a man looked at him and said, "You are one of them, too." But Peter said, "Mister, I am not!" About an hour later, another man emphatically asserted, "This man was certainly with him, because he is a Galilean!" But Peter said, "Mister, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the word from the Lord, and how he had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." So he went outside and cried bitterly. Then the men who were holding Jesus in custody began to make fun of him while they beat him. They blindfolded him and asked him over and over again, "Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?" And they kept insulting him in many other ways. As soon as day came, the elders of the people, the high priests, and the scribes assembled and brought him before their Council. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us." But he told them, "If I tell you, you won't believe me, and if I ask you a question, you won't answer me. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." Then they all asked, "Are you, then, the Son of God?" He answered them, "You said it I AM." "Why do we need any more testimony?" they asked. "We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!"
When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had taken their seats, Peter, too, sat down among them. A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire, stared at him, and said, "This man was with him, too." But he denied it, "I don't know him, woman!" he responded. A little later, a man looked at him and said, "You are one of them, too." But Peter said, "Mister, I am not!" About an hour later, another man emphatically asserted, "This man was certainly with him, because he is a Galilean!" But Peter said, "Mister, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered the word from the Lord, and how he had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." So he went outside and cried bitterly. Then the men who were holding Jesus in custody began to make fun of him while they beat him. They blindfolded him and asked him over and over again, "Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?" And they kept insulting him in many other ways. As soon as day came, the elders of the people, the high priests, and the scribes assembled and brought him before their Council. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us." But he told them, "If I tell you, you won't believe me, and if I ask you a question, you won't answer me. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." Then they all asked, "Are you, then, the Son of God?" He answered them, "You said it I AM." "Why do we need any more testimony?" they asked. "We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!"
While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the Temple guards, and the Sadducees came to them. They were greatly disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people and announcing that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. So they arrested them and placed them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. read more.
But many of those who heard their message believed, and the men grew to number about 5,000. The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes met in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family. They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, told them, "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being questioned today for a good deed done for someone who was sick or to learn how this man was healed, you and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus from Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. He is "the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could not say anything against them. So they ordered them to leave the Council and began to discuss the matter among themselves. They said, "What should we do with these men? For it's obvious to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable sign has been done by them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name." So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, for we cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard." So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn't find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,
But many of those who heard their message believed, and the men grew to number about 5,000. The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes met in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest's family. They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, told them, "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being questioned today for a good deed done for someone who was sick or to learn how this man was healed, you and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands healthy before you because of the name of Jesus from Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. He is "the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could not say anything against them. So they ordered them to leave the Council and began to discuss the matter among themselves. They said, "What should we do with these men? For it's obvious to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable sign has been done by them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name." So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, for we cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard." So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn't find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,
But some men who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), as well as some Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and began to debate with Stephen. But they could neither refute the wisdom nor withstand the Spirit by which he kept speaking. So they secretly got some men to say, "We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God." read more.
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes. Then they rushed at Stephen, grabbed him, and brought him before the Council. They had false witnesses stand up and say, "This man never stops saying things against this Holy Place and against the Law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us." Then everyone who was seated in the Council glared at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes. Then they rushed at Stephen, grabbed him, and brought him before the Council. They had false witnesses stand up and say, "This man never stops saying things against this Holy Place and against the Law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us." Then everyone who was seated in the Council glared at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?" Stephen replied: "Listen, brothers and fathers! "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.' read more.
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
jacob » Son of isaac, and the twin brother of esau
Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
Abraham fathered Isaac. Isaac's descendants were Esau and Israel.
I gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac. And I gave Mount Seir to Esau as his possession, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
Sure enough, when her due date arrived, she delivered twin sons. The first son came out reddish his entire body was covered with hair so they named him Esau. After that, his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau's heel, so they named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
Obedience » Instances of » Abraham
Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn't he?
Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the servants born in his house or purchased with his money every male among the men of his household and circumcised them that very day, just as God had spoken to him.
The LORD told Abram, "You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father's house and go to the land that I'm going to show you. I'll make a great nation of your descendants, I'll bless you, and I'll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, but I'll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed." read more.
So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
You found him faithful in your sight; you made a covenant with him and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to his descendants. And you have kept your word, because you are righteous.
"Don't lay your hand on the youth!" he said. "Don't do anything to him, because I've just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me."
On the eighth day after his son Isaac had been born, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded him.
"The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.' So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. read more.
"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
"This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise, because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God. read more.
By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful. Abraham was as good as dead, yet from this one man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. For people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking about what they had left behind, they would have had an opportunity to go back. Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice,
By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful. Abraham was as good as dead, yet from this one man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. For people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking about what they had left behind, they would have had an opportunity to go back. Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice,
Select readings » Stephen's defense
Then the high priest asked, "Is this true?" Stephen replied: "Listen, brothers and fathers! "The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I'll show you.' read more.
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. God gave him no property here, not even a foot of land, yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child. "This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. "But I will punish the nation they serve,' said God, "and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.' Later, God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered the twelve patriarchs. "Joseph's brothers became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. However, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household. "But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn't find any food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt 75 persons in all. So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price from Hamor's descendants in Shechem. "Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people's population increased a great deal in Egypt. Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt. By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn't live. "At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds. "When he was 40 years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't understand. The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, "Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?' "But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? You don't want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?' Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons. "After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said, "I am the God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses became terrified and didn't dare to look. Then the Lord told him, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I've heard their groans, and I've come down to rescue them. Now come, I'll send you to Egypt.' "This same Moses whom they rejected by saying, "Who made you ruler and judge?' was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. It was this Moses who told the Israelis, "God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did me.' This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, "Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt we don't know what happened to him!' "At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets: "O house of Israel, you didn't offer me slaughtered animals and sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you? You even took along the tent of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made in order to worship them. So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.' "Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony in the wilderness constructed, just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ""Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me,' declares the Lord, "or what place is there in which I can rest? It was my hand that made all these things, wasn't it?'" "You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven't obeyed it!" While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"