Stephen's Speech
1 The High Priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”
2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your family and country and go to the land that I will show you.’ 4 And so he left his country and went to live in Haran. After Abraham's father died, God made him move to this land where you now live. 5 God did not then give Abraham any part of it as his own, not even a square foot of ground, but God promised to give it to him, and that it would belong to him and to his descendants. At the time God made this promise, Abraham had no children. 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country, where they will be slaves and will be badly treated for four hundred years. 7 But I will pass judgment on the people that they will serve, and afterward your descendants will come out of that country and will worship me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
9 “Jacob's sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and brought him safely through all his troubles. When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph governor over the country and the royal household. 11 Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food, 12 and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. 13 On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph's family. 14 So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy-five people in all, to come to Egypt. 15 Then Jacob went to Egypt, where he and his sons died. 16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem, where they were buried in the grave which Abraham had bought from the clan of Hamor for a sum of money.
17 “When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger. 18 At last a king who did not know about Joseph began to rule in Egypt. 19 He tricked our ancestors and was cruel to them, forcing them to put their babies out of their homes, so that they would die. 20 It was at this time that Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months, 21 and when he was put out of his home, the king's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 He was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds.
23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to find out how his fellow Israelites were being treated. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his help and took revenge on the Egyptian by killing him. ( 25 He thought that his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free, but they did not understand.) 26 The next day he saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them. ‘Listen, men,’ he said, ‘you are fellow Israelites; why are you fighting like this?’ 27 But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 28 ‘Do you want to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled from Egypt and went to live in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 Moses was amazed by what he saw, and went near the bush to get a better look. But he heard the Lord's voice: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and dared not look. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen the cruel suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans, and I have come down to set them free. Come now; I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “Moses is the one who was rejected by the people of Israel. ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’ they asked. He is the one whom God sent to rule the people and set them free with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush. 36 He led the people out of Egypt, performing miracles and wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for forty years in the desert. 37 Moses is the one who said to the people of Israel, ‘God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me, and he will be one of your own people.’ 38 He is the one who was with the people of Israel assembled in the desert; he was there with our ancestors and with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received God's living messages to pass on to us.
39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him; they pushed him aside and wished that they could go back to Egypt. 40 So they said to Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who will lead us. We do not know what has happened to that man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 It was then that they made an idol in the shape of a bull, offered sacrifice to it, and had a feast in honor of what they themselves had made. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
‘People of Israel! It was not to me
that you slaughtered and sacrificed animals
for forty years in the desert.
43 It was the tent of the god Molech that you carried,
and the image of Rephan, your star god;
they were idols that you had made to worship.
And so I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our ancestors had the Tent of God's presence with them in the desert. It had been made as God had told Moses to make it, according to the pattern that Moses had been shown. 45 Later on, our ancestors who received the tent from their fathers carried it with them when they went with Joshua and took over the land from the nations that God drove out as they advanced. And it stayed there until the time of David. 46 He won God's favor and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built him a house.
48 “But the Most High God does not live in houses built by human hands; as the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, says the Lord,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house would you build for me?
Where is the place for me to live in?
50 Did not I myself make all these things?’
51 “How stubborn you are!” Stephen went on to say. “How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God's message! You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there any prophet that your ancestors did not persecute? They killed God's messengers, who long ago announced the coming of his righteous Servant. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. 53 You are the ones who received God's law, that was handed down by angels—yet you have not obeyed it!”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 As the members of the Council listened to Stephen, they became furious and ground their teeth at him in anger. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.
Stifeni la kumoo kansuloo ñaatiliŋo la
1 Wo to le piriisi* kuntii baa ye Stifeni ñininkaa ko, “Fo ñiŋ tuumiroolu mu tooñaa le ti baŋ?” 2 Bituŋ Stifeni ko:
“M baadiŋolu* niŋ alifaalu, ali i lamoyi! Alla, Mansa Kallankewo* fintita m̀ mumu Iburayima kaŋ ne, biriŋ a be Mesopotamiya, janniŋ a be taa sabati la Harani saatewo to. 3 Alla ko a ye ko:
‘Taa ka bo i la bankoo kaŋ, i baadiŋolu yaa,
ka taa bankoo kaŋ, m be naa meŋ yitandi la i la.’
4 “Wo to le Iburayima ye Kalideyankoolu la bankoo bula, a sabatita Harani. Kabiriŋ a faamaa faata, Alla ye a samba naŋ ñiŋ bankoo kaŋ, ali be sabatiriŋ daameŋ saayiŋ. 5 Hani wo, a maŋ keetaafeŋo dii a la ñiŋ bankoo to, hani simfaa kiliŋ. Bari Alla ye a laahidi le ko, a be a dii la a koomalankoolu la le, wo ye a tara hani a maŋ diŋo soto foloo. 6 Aduŋ Alla diyaamuta a ye teŋ ne ko: ‘I koomalankoolu be ke la tumarankewolu le ti bankoo kaŋ, meŋ maŋ ke ì taa ti. Ì be ke la joŋolu le ti jee, aduŋ ì be tara la marali jawoo le kono fo sanji keme naani. 7 Bari m be naa bankoo ñiŋ moolu jarabi la le, mennu ye ì joŋyandi. Wo koolaa ǹ na moolu be finti la ka nte batu ñiŋ dulaa le to.’
8 “Bituŋ a ye Iburayima kambeŋo siti, bituŋ sunnoo keta a taamanseeroo ti. Iburayima naata Isiyaaka wuluu, a ye a sunna, biriŋ a siyo be tili seyi. Isiyaaka naata Yaakuba wuluu, bituŋ Yaakuba naata dinkee taŋ niŋ fula wuluu, mennu keta m̀ mumuñolu ti.
9 “Yaakuba dinkee doolu ye Yusufa kiiliyaa, ì ye a waafi ka ke joŋo ti Misira. Bari Alla tarata a fee le, 10 a ye a bondi a la toora kuwolu bee kono. A ye buuñaa niŋ ñaameŋo dii Yusufa la Firawoona ñaatiliŋo la, Misira mansakewo. Firawoona ye Yusufa ke maralilaa ti Misira bankoo kaŋ, aniŋ a la buŋo bee kono.
11 “Konkoo naata boyi Misira niŋ Kanaani bankoolu bee kaŋ. Wo le ye bataa baa naati fo m̀ mumuñolu maŋ domoroo soto. 12 Biriŋ Yaakuba ye a moyi ko, siimaŋo be Misira bankoo kaŋ ne, a ye m̀ mumuñolu kii jee. 13 Kabiriŋ ì taata jee siiñaa fulanjaŋo, Yusufa ye a faŋ fo a kotoolu niŋ a doomaa ye. Firawoona fanaa naata ka Yusufa la moolu loŋ. 14 Bituŋ Yusufa ye kumoo kii ka a faamaa Yaakuba niŋ a la moolu bee kumandi. Ì mu moo taŋ woorowula niŋ luulu le ti wo waatoo la. 15 Yaakuba niŋ m̀ mumuñolu naata Misira, ì faata daameŋ. 16 Ì naata ì furewolu samba Sekemu saatewo le to, ì ye ì baadee kaburoo kono, Iburayima ye meŋ saŋ nuŋ kodiforoo la Hamori dinkewolu bulu Sekemu saatewo kono jee.
17 “Alla ye laahidoo dii Iburayima la le nuŋ. Kabiriŋ a timmandi waatoo sutiyaata naŋ, a koomalankoolu yaatewo naata siyaa kendeke Misira jee. 18 Wo to le mansakee kutoo meŋ maŋ Yusufa la kuwo loŋ, wo naata maraloo ke Misira. 19 A ye feere jawoolu siti ǹ na moolu kamma, aduŋ a ye m̀ mumuñolu diyaakuyaa ka ì la deenaanoolu fayi ka faa. 20 Wo waatoo kono le, Musa wuluuta, aduŋ a ñiiñaata Alla ñaa koto le. Ì ye a topatoo a faamaa la buŋo kono fo kari saba. 21 Biriŋ ì ye a fayi, Firawoona dimmusoo ye a taa, aduŋ a ye a kuluu ko a faŋo dinkewo. 22 Ì ye Musa karandi Misirankoolu la ñaameŋo bee le la. A naata ke moo baa ti diyaamoo niŋ kebaaroolu to.
23 “Kabiriŋ Musa ye sanji taŋ naani soto, a ye ñiŋ hamoo soto ka taa a fansuŋ moolu kumpabo, Banisirayilankoolu. 24 A ye kiliŋ je ì kono, Misirankoo be meŋ tilimbaliyaa kaŋ. Bituŋ a ye kee bataariŋo faasaa, aduŋ a ye i joo wo kewo ye ka Misirankoo faa. 25 Musa ye a miira ko, a fansuŋ moolu be a loŋ na le ko, Alla ye ate le taa ka ì firiŋ, bari ì maŋ a fahaamu.
26 “Wo saamoo Musa naata Banisirayilankoolu kaŋ, mennu be sonkoo la. A lafita ka ì fata ka ì ke kiliŋ ti. A ko ì ye ko, ‘Kewolu, alitolu mu baadiŋ kiliŋ ne ti. Muŋ ne ye a tinna ali ka ñoo tilimbaliyaa?’ 27 Bari kiliŋo meŋ be a mooñoo tilimbaliyaa kaŋ, a ye Musa ñori, a ko a ye ko, ‘Jumaa le ye i ke maralilaa ti ka kiitiyo teyi ǹ teema? 28 Fo i lafita m faa la le, ko i ye Misirankoo ke ñaameŋ kunuŋ?’ 29 Ñiŋ kumoo kamma la Musa borita Midiyani bankoo kaŋ, a naata ke tumarankewo ti daameŋ, aduŋ a ye dinkee fula wuluu jee.
30 “Sanji taŋ naani koolaa, malaayikoo fintita Musa kaŋ niŋ dimbaa la ka bo yirindiŋo bala, meŋ be mala kaŋ keñewuloo* kono Sinayi Konkoo daala. 31 Biriŋ Musa ye wo je, a jaakalita. Kabiriŋ a sutiyaata a la ka a koroosi, a ye Maariyo diyaamukaŋo moyi ko, 32 ‘Nte le mu i mumuñolu la Alla ti, Iburayima la Alla, Isiyaaka la Alla, aniŋ Yaakuba la Alla.’ Musa jarajarata, a maŋ haañi faŋ ka a juubee. 33 Alla ko a ye ko, ‘I la samatoolu bondi, kaatu i be looriŋ dulaa meŋ to, dulaa senuŋo le mu. 34 I si a loŋ ko, ŋa n na moolu la tooroo je le, ì be meŋ kono Misira, aduŋ ŋa ì la kumboo kaŋo moyi le. N naata le, ka ì tankandi. Naa saayiŋ, m be i kii la Misira le.’
35 “Ì balanta ñiŋ Musa meŋ na ka a fo ko, ‘Jumaa le ye i ke maralilaa niŋ kiitiikuntulaa ti?’ Alla ye ate le kii ka a ke ì la maralilaa niŋ ì kanandirilaa ti ka bo niŋ malaayikoo buloo la, meŋ fintita a kaŋ yirindiŋo kono. 36 Musa le ye i bondi Misira. A ye kaawakuwolu niŋ taamanseeroolu ke Misira bankoo kaŋ, Kulunjumbe Baa to, aniŋ keñewuloo kono fo sanji taŋ naani. 37 Ñiŋ ne mu Musa ti, meŋ ko Banisirayilankoolu ye ko:
‘Alla be annabiyomoo wulindi la ali ye le, meŋ be ko m faŋo,
a be bo la ali faŋolu la moolu le kono.
38 “Ñiŋ Musa faŋo le tarata nuŋ moolu niŋ malaayikoo teema keñewuloo kono waatoo meŋ na, malaayikoo diyaamuta a ye Sinayi Konkoo kaŋ. Ate le ye kuma baluuriŋolu futandi m̀ mumuñolu la kafoo ma ka ì dii ntolu la. 39 Bari m̀ mumuñolu maŋ soŋ a ma, ì ye a jenkendi kara la, aduŋ ì sondomoolu muruta Misira bankoo kaŋ. 40 Bituŋ ì ko Haaruna ye ko, ‘Alloolu dadaa ǹ ye, mennu si ǹ ñaatonkayaa. Kaatu Musa meŋ ye m̀ bondi naŋ Misira, m̀ maŋ a loŋ, meŋ keta a la.’ 41 Wo to le ì ye ninsiriŋo dadaa. Ì ye sadaa bondi ñiŋ jalaŋo ye, aduŋ ì seewoota ñiŋ na, ì ye meŋ dadaa ì fansuŋ buloo la. 42 Wo kamma la Alla ye a koo dii ì la, a ye ì bula ka saŋo santo malafeŋolu batu, ko a be safeeriŋ annabiyomoolu la kitaaboo kono ñaameŋ:
‘Alitolu Banisirayilankoolu, ali ye sanji taŋ naanoo meŋ ke keñewuloo kono,
fo ali ye beeyaŋ sadaa* waraŋ siimaŋ sadaa naati nte le ye baŋ?
43 Hanii, bari ali niŋ ali la jalaŋolu taata.
Ali ye Moleki la tiriliisoo* koo,
ali ye Refani la looloo samba,
a niŋ feŋolu, ali ye mennu lese ka ì batu,
wo to m be ali bayi la le ka tambi Babiloni.’
44 “M̀ mumuñolu ye Tiriliisi Senuŋo* soto seedeyaa le ti keñewuloo kono. Alla meŋ ye yaamaroo dii a kuwo to, ate le ye misaaloo yitandi Musa la, aduŋ a dadaata wo le ñaama. 45 M̀ mumuñolu naata ñiŋ tiriliisoo samba naŋ ñiŋ bankoo kaŋ jaŋ waatoo meŋ na, Yosuwa ye ì ñaatonkayaa ka ñiŋ bankoo taa siyolu bulu, Alla ye mennu bayi ì ñaato. Wo tiriliisoo tuta jaŋ ne fo Mansa Dawuda la waatoo. 46 Alla la hiinoo tarata Dawuda fee, aduŋ a ye daaniroo ke le fo a si buŋo loo Yaakuba la Alla ye. 47 Bari Mansa Sulemani le ye buŋo loo Alla ye.
48 “Hani wo, Alla Mansa Tallaa buka sabati buŋolu kono, hadamadiŋolu ye mennu dadaa, ko annabiyomoo ye a fo ñaameŋ:
49 ‘Arijana le mu n na mansasiiraŋo ti,
aduŋ duniyaa le mu n siŋ looraŋo ti.
Ali be buŋo meŋ loo la n ye,
a be ke la muŋ buŋ siifaa le ti,
aduŋ n na dahaa dulaa be ke la muŋ dulaa siifaa le ti?
50 Fo a maŋ ke m faŋo buloo le ti,
meŋ ye ñiŋ feŋolu bee daa.’
51 “Alitolu moo kuŋ jaaroolu! Ali sondomoolu niŋ ali tuloolu sukita le. Ali ka tu balandiŋ Noora Kuliŋo ma le waati-wo-waati. Ali mumuñolu ka meŋ ke nuŋ, ali fanaa be wo le ke kaŋ. 52 Jumaa le sotota annabiyomoolu kono nuŋ, ali mumuñolu maŋ meŋ toora? Ì ye doolu faa, mennu ye Tilindiŋo la naa kankulaa ì ye. Aduŋ alitolu naata ñiŋ Tilindiŋo jamfaa, ali ye a faa. 53 Ali ye luwaa soto, malaayikoolu ye meŋ dii ali la, bari ali maŋ soŋ a la.”
Stifeni la faa
54 Kabiriŋ ì ye ñiŋ kumoolu moyi, ì jusoo bota. Bituŋ ì kamfaatoo ye i ñimmakiŋ. 55 Bari Stifeni meŋ be faariŋ Noora Kuliŋo la, a ye saŋo santo juubee. A ye Alla la semboo niŋ waroo je, aduŋ Yeesu be looriŋ Alla bulubaa karoo la. 56 Wo to le a ko, “A juubee, ŋa saŋo je yeleriŋ, aduŋ Moo Dinkewo* be looriŋ Alla bulubaa karoo la!” 57 Bari ì ye ì buloolu biti ì tuloolu to, ì wuuritoo borita a kaŋ. 58 Ì ye a bayi saatewo banta la. Ì ye a buŋ beroolu la jee ka a faa. Seedoolu ye ì la waramboolu landi duuma fondinkewo doo siŋolu daala, meŋ too mu Sawulu ti. 59 Kabiriŋ ì be Stifeni buŋ kaŋ, a duwaata ko, “M Maarii Yeesu, n niyo taa.” 60 Wo to le a ñoyita a kumbaliŋolu kaŋ. A sarita santo ko, “Maariyo, kana ñiŋ junuboo muta ì fee.” Kabiriŋ a ye ñiŋ fo, a niyo bota.
