Acts 7:9–36

9 “The patriarchs abecame jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,

10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and agranted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

11 “Now aa famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers 1could find no food.

12 “But awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time.

13 “On the second visit aJoseph 1made himself known to his brothers, and bJoseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh.

14 “Then aJoseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, bseventy-five 1cpersons in all.

15 “And aJacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died.

16 “From there they were removed to 1aShechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of 2Hamor in 1Shechem.

17 “But as the atime of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, bthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

18 until athere arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

19 “It was he who took ashrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would 1bexpose their infants and they would not survive.

20 “It was at this time that aMoses was born; and he was lovely 1in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home.

21 “And after he had been set outside, aPharaoh’s daughter 1took him away and nurtured him as her own son.

22 “Moses was educated in all athe learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.

23 “But when he was approaching the age of forty, ait entered his 1mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

24 “And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

25 “And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them 1deliverance 2through him, but they did not understand.

26 “aOn the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’

27 “But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘aWho made you a ruler and judge over us?

28 ‘aYou do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’

29 “At this remark, aMoses fled and became an alien in the land of 1Midian, where he bbecame the father of two sons.

30 “After forty years had passed, aan angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

31 “When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord:

32 ‘aI am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look.

33 “aBut the Lord said to him, ‘bTake off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

34 ‘aI have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; 1bcome now, and I will send you to Egypt.’

35 “This Moses whom they adisowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God 1sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the 2help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

36 “aThis man led them out, performing bwonders and 1signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the cwilderness for forty years.