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And the great kohen said: “Are these things so?”
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And Stephanos said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The Elohim of glory appeared to our father Avraham while he was in Aram-Naharaim, before he dwelt in Charan,
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and said to him: ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred, and come into the land which I shall show you.’
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Then he went out from the land of the Kasdim and dwelt in Charan. And from there, after his father died, Elohim caused him to move into this land in which you now dwell.
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And He gave him no inheritance in it— not even the span of a foot— yet He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his Seed after him, though he had no child.
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And Elohim spoke in this way: that his Seed would be a sojourner in a land belonging to others, and they would enslave and afflict them four hundred years.
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‘And the nation which they serve I shall judge,’ said Elohim, ‘and after these things they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’
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And He gave him the Covenant of circumcision. And so Avraham begot Yitzchaq and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Yitzchaq begot Yaaqov, and Yaaqov the twelve patriarchs.
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And the patriarchs, being jealous of Yoseph, sold him into Mitsrayim. But Elohim was with him,
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and delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Mitsrayim. And he appointed him ruler over Mitsrayim and over all his house.
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Then a famine came over all Mitsrayim and Kena’an, and great affliction, and our fathers found no food.
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But Yaaqov, hearing that there was grain in Mitsrayim, sent out our fathers the first time.
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And on the second time Yoseph made himself known to his brothers, and the family of Yoseph became known to Pharaoh.
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And Yoseph sent and called his father Yaaqov and all his kindred— seventy-five beings.
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And Yaaqov went down into Mitsrayim, and he died, he and our fathers.
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And they were carried over to Shekhem and placed in the tomb which Avraham had acquired for a price of silver from the sons of Chamor in Shekhem.
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But as the time of the promise drew near— the promise which Elohim had sworn to Avraham— the people increased and multiplied in Mitsrayim,
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until there arose another king over Mitsrayim who did not know Yoseph.
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This one dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our fathers, making them expose their infants so that they would not survive.
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In that time Mosheh was born, and he was beautiful before Elohim. And he was nourished three months in the house of his father.
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And when he was exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and raised him for herself as a son.
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And Mosheh was instructed in all the wisdom of the Mitsrites, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
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But when forty years were fulfilled for him, it arose upon his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Yisra’el.
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And seeing one being wronged, he defended him and avenged the one oppressed, striking down the Mitsrite.
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Now he supposed his brothers would understand that Elohim through his hand was giving them deliverance, but they did not understand.
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And on the next day he appeared to them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them into shalom, saying: ‘Ishim, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’
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But the one wronging his neighbor pushed him away, saying: ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge over us?
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Do you desire to kill me in the same way you killed the Mitsrite yesterday?’
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And Mosheh fled at this word and became a sojourner in the land of Midyan, where he begot two sons.
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And when forty years had been fulfilled, a messenger appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire within a thornbush.
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And when Mosheh saw it, he marveled at the vision. And as he drew near to observe it, the voice of Yahuah came:
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‘I am the Elohim of your fathers— the Elohim of Avraham, and Yitzchaq, and Yaaqov.’ And Mosheh trembled and did not dare to look.
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And Yahuah said to him: ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is set-apart ground.
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Seeing, I have seen the affliction of My People who are in Mitsrayim, and I heard their groaning, and I came down to deliver them. And now, come— I shall send you into Mitsrayim.’
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This Mosheh whom they rejected, saying: ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge?’ this one Elohim sent as ruler and redeemer, through the hand of the messenger who appeared to him in the thornbush.
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This one led them out, having done wonders and signs in the land of Mitsrayim, and in the Sea of Reeds, and in the wilderness forty years.
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This is the Mosheh who said to the children of Yisra’el: ‘Elohim shall raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers like me.’
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This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the messenger who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living words to give to us.
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Our fathers were unwilling to become obedient to him, but pushed him away and in their hearts turned back toward Mitsrayim,
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saying to Aharon: ‘Make for us elohim who shall go before us, for this Mosheh who led us out from the land of Mitsrayim— we do not know what happened to him.’
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And they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
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But Elohim turned and handed them over to serve the host of the heavens, just as it is written in the sefer of the prophets: ‘Did you bring slaughtered offerings and sacrifices to Me forty years in the wilderness, O House of Yisra’el?
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And you took up the tent of Molekh, and the star of your elohim Rephan— the images which you made to bow before them. And I shall carry you beyond Babylon.’
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The Dwelling of the Testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, just as the One speaking to Mosheh commanded him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.
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And our fathers, having received it in succession, brought it in with Yehoshua when they took possession of the nations whom Elohim drove out before the face of our fathers, until the days of Daviyd.
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He found favor before Elohim and asked to find a dwelling place for the Elohim of Yaaqov.
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But Shəlomah built a House for Him.
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Yet El Elyon does not dwell in places made by hands, just as the prophet says:
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‘The heavens are My throne, and the earth a footstool for My feet. What kind of house shall you build for Me? says Yahuah. Or what is the place of My rest?
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Did not My hand make all these things?’
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Stiff-necked ones, and uncircumcised in heart and ears— you continually resist Holy Ruach. As your fathers did, so also do you.
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Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers—
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you who received the Torah through the ordering of messengers and did not guard it.”
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And hearing these things, they were cut to their hearts and ground their teeth against him.
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But he, being full of Holy Ruach, looked intently toward the heavens and saw the glory of Elohim, and Yahushua standing at the right hand of Elohim.
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And he said: “See— I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Adam standing at the right hand of Elohim.”
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But crying out with a great voice, they stopped their ears and rushed upon him with one accord.
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And driving him outside the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young ish called Sha’ul.
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And they stoned Stephanos as he called out and said: “Master Yahushua, receive my ruach.”
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And bending his knees, he cried with a great voice: “Yahuah, do not hold this sin against them.” And having said this, he fell asleep.