1Veľkňaz sa ho spýtal: „Môžeš poprieť túto obžalobu?“2„Bratia a otcovia, vypočujte ma!“ oslovil ich Štefan. „Slávny Boh sa kedysi zjavil nášmu predkovi Abrahámovi už v Mezopotámii, skôr ako sa presídlil do Cháranu.3Dal príkaz:‚Odsťahuj sa z rodnej krajiny a od svojho kmeňa a putuj do kraja, ktorý ti určím.‘4Vysťahoval sa teda z Chaldejskej krajiny a býval v Chárane v Sýrii až do smrti svojho otca. Odtiaľ ho potom Boh priviedol sem do Izraela, kde bývame.5Ale nedal mu tu do vlastníctva ani piaď zeme, hoci mu sľúbil, že ju dá natrvalo jemu a jeho potomkom, i keď vtedy ešte nemal syna.6A ďalšia Božia predpoveď bola ešte čudnejšia:‚Tvoji potomkovia sa odtiaľto vysťahujú do cudzej krajiny a budú tam štyristo rokov otročiť za veľmi ťažkých podmienok.7Ale ja otrokárov potrestám, tvojich otrokov vyslobodím a privediem naspäť. Na tomto mieste mi budú slúžiť.‘8Boh uzavrel s Abrahámom zmluvu a jej viditeľným znamením sa stala obriezka. Keď sa podľa Božieho sľubu narodil Abrahámovi Izák, na ôsmy deň ho obrezal. Práve tak obrezal Izák Jakoba a Jakob svojich dvanásť synov, našich praotcov.9Jeden z nich, Jozef, sa stal terčom závisti svojich bratov, ktorí ho predali ako otroka do Egypta. Ale Boh bol s ním a 10vyslobodil ho zo všetkých jeho útrap. Pre jeho prezieravosť a múdrosť si ho veľmi obľúbil sám egyptský panovník a urobil ho svojím ministrom a správcom domu.11Potom vypukol v Egypte aj v Palestíne veľký hlad a naši praotcovia trpeli núdzou, lebo sa im minuli všetky zásoby.12Tu sa Jakob dopočul, že v Egypte ešte majú obilie, a poslal ta svojich synov.13Pri druhom nákupe sa dal Jozef svojim bratom poznať, a tak sa faraón dozvedel o Jozefovom pôvode.14Potom poslal Jozef po otca Jakoba a presťahoval do Egypta celú rodinu, dokopy sedemdesiatpäť ľudí.15Usadili sa tam a Jakob i naši praotcovia zostali v Egypte až do smrti.16Ale ich pozostatky preniesli do Sichemu a pochovali ich do hrobky, ktorú si vtedy Abrahám kúpil od tamojšieho obyvateľa Emora a zaplatil za ňu striebrom.17Medzitým sa priblížil čas, v ktorom sa mal splniť sľub, čo dal Boh Abrahámovi. Náš ľud sa v tom čase v Egypte veľmi rozmnožil.18Ale nastúpila iná dynastia faraónov a na Jozefove zásluhy sa zabudlo.19Našich predkov zotročili, a keďže si Egypťania neželali, aby sa početne vzmáhali, prikázali narodených chlapcov hádzať do rieky.20A vtedy sa narodil Mojžiš, s ktorým mal Boh svoje plány. Bolo to krásne dieťa a rodičia ho tri mesiace schovávali doma.21Keď už nemohli chlapca dlhšie utajiť, položili ho do košíka a zaniesli do tŕstia. Tu ho našla faraónova dcéra a starala sa oňho, akoby to bol jej vlastný syn.22Mojžiš dostal najlepšie egyptské vzdelanie a vyrástol z neho výrečný a schopný muž.23Keď mal Mojžiš štyridsať rokov, zatúžil navštíviť svojich izraelských bratov.24A tu sa stal svedkom, ako Egypťan nespravodlivo trápi Žida. Zastal sa ho, pomstil utláčaného a Egypťana zabil.25Nazdával sa, že bratia pochopia, že im Boh posiela pomocou neho záchranu, ale Izraeliti to nechápali.26Na druhý deň sa usiloval zmieriť dvoch Židov, ktorí sa hádali.‚Čo to robíte? Ste predsa bratia. Prečo si navzájom ubližujete?‘ upokojoval ich.27Ale ten, ktorý svojho druha napadol, odstrčil Mojžiša a povedal:28‚Hádam ma len nechceš zabiť ako včera toho Egypťana?‘29Mojžiš sa zľakol a utiekol do Madiánskej krajiny. Tam sa oženil a mal dvoch synov.30Po štyridsiatich rokoch vyhnanstva sa Mojžišovi zjavil Boží anjel na púšti pri vrchu Sinaj v plameňoch horiaceho kríka.31Keď sa Mojžiš chcel zblízka pozrieť na ten nezvyčajný úkaz, počul Boží hlas:32‚Ja som Boh tvojich otcov, Abraháma, Izáka a Jakoba.‘ Mojžiš sa preľakol a zakryl si tvár, aby nič nevidel.33Ale Boh hovoril ďalej:‚Vyzuj sa, lebo stojíš na svätom mieste!34Videl som trápenie svojho ľudu v Egypte, počul som, ako vzdychá, preto som zostúpil, aby som ho vyslobodil. Vyber sa do Egypta, mám tam pre teba úlohu.‘35A tak prostredníctvom anjela, ktorý sa Mojžišovi zjavil v kríku, poslal ho Boh za vodcu a vysloboditeľa Izraelitom, hoci ho pred štyridsiatimi rokmi nechceli uznať.36A Mojžiš ich vyslobodil, vykonal pred ich očami mnoho zázrakov už v Egypte, potom pri prechode cez Červené more aj za štyridsaťročného putovania púšťami.37Spomeňte si, že práve Mojžiš povedal Izraelitom:‚Pán Boh vám pošle proroka z vášho národa, Vysloboditeľa, tak ako mňa poslal k vám; toho poslúchajte!‘38Mojžiš bol sprostredkovateľom medzi vašimi otcami a Bohom, ktorý mu na vrchu Sinaj zveril slová života, aby nám ich odovzdal.39A napriek tomu ho naši otcovia neposlúchali, búrili sa proti nemu a túžobne spomínali na Egypt.40Keď sa Mojžiš dlho nevracal zo Sinaja, povedali jeho bratovi Áronovi:‚Nevieme, čo sa stalo s Mojžišom, ktorý nás vyviedol z Egypta. Urob nám bohov, aby nás chránili na ďalšej ceste.‘41A tak si urobili sochu teľaťa, obetovali jej a s radosťou oslavovali výtvor vlastných rúk.42Ale Boh sa od nich odvrátil a dopustil, že podľahli ešte horšiemu modlárstvu, ako o tom píše prorok Amos:‚Či ste to mne prinášali dary a obete za štyridsaťročného putovania po púšti, národ izraelský? Nie!43Nosili ste so sebou stánok Molocha a hviezdu boha Remfana, ktoré ste si sami vytvorili, a tým ste sa klaňali. Preto pôjdete do vyhnanstva až za Babylon.‘44Ale Boh prikázal Mojžišovi, aby vybudoval stánok zmluvy, a dal mu aj pokyn, ako má vyzerať.45Tento stánok prenášali naši otcovia pri svojom putovaní púšťou a za Jozuu ho doniesli až do zasľúbenej krajiny. Tá bola vtedy domovom pohanov, ale Boh ich odtiaľ vyhnal. Stánok zmluvy slúžil až do čias kráľa Dávida,46ktorého Boh obdaril svojou priazňou. Dávid túžil postaviť trvalý chrám Jakobovmu Bohu,47ale uskutočnil to až jeho syn Šalamún.48Boh však nebýva v chrámoch postavených ľudskými rukami! Ústami proroka Izaiáša hovorí:49‚Vesmír je môj trón a zem je podnožou mojich nôh. Aký chrám mi môžete vystavať? Je vôbec miesto, kde by som mohol bývať?50Či to všetko neurobila moja ruka?‘51No vy ste takí istí ako vaši otcovia. Ste tvrdošijní, máte nečisté srdcia a zapchaté uši. Neprestávate odporovať Svätému Duchu.52Našiel sa prorok, ktorého by vaši otcovia neprenasledovali? Zabíjali tých, ktorí predpovedali príchod Spravodlivého, no vy ste sa ho úplne zriekli a zavraždili ste ho!53Prijali ste Boží zákon z rúk anjelov, ale sami ste ho nezachovávali.“54Tieto Štefanove slová ich priam bodli do srdca. Od zlosti až škrípali zubami.55Ale Štefan bol v tej chvíli uchvátený Božou slávou. Hľadel uprene dohora a zvolal:56„Vidím otvorené nebo a Ježiša Krista, ako stojí po Božej pravici!“57Tu prehlušili Štefana krikom a zapchávali si uši, aby už nič nepočuli. Vrhli sa naňho,58odvliekli ho za hradby mesta a tam ho kameňovali. Tí, čo hádzali do Štefana kamene, vyzliekli si plášte a dali ich strážiť mladému farizejovi Saulovi.59No Štefan, kým ho kameňovali, prosil Pána: „Pane Ježišu, prijmi môjho ducha!“60Potom klesol na kolená a zvolal mocným hlasom: „Pane, odpusť im tento hriech!“ A naposledy vydýchol.
English Standard Version
Stephen’s Speech
1And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”2And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,3and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’4Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.5Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.6And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.7‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’8And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so 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.9“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him10and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.11Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit.13And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.14And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.15And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers,16and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.17“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt18until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.19He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive.20At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house,21and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.22And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.23“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.24And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.26And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’27But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’29At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.30“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord:32‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.33Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.34I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’35“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.36This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’38This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.39Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt,40saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’41And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.42But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?43You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’44“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.45Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David,46who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.*47But it was Solomon who built a house for him.48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,49“‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?50Did not my hand make all these things?’51“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,53you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together* at him.58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Diese Website verwendet Cookies, um Ihnen die bestmögliche Nutzererfahrung bieten zu können.