“ The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery.

这以色列民的神拣选了我们的祖宗，当民寄居埃及的时候抬举他们，用大能的手领他们出来；

这以色列民的上帝拣选了我们的祖宗，当百姓寄居埃及的时候抬举他们，用大能的手领他们从那地出来。

这以色列民的神拣选了我们的祖宗，当百姓寄居埃及的时候抬举他们，用大能的手领他们从那地出来。

以色列的上帝拣选了我们的祖先，让他们在埃及寄居期间人丁兴旺成为大族，后来祂伸出臂膀带领他们离开埃及。

以色列民的神，拣选了我们的祖先；当他们在埃及地寄居的时候，神抬举这民，用大能（“大能”原文作“高”）的膀臂，把他们从那地领出来；

这以色列民族的神拣选了我们的祖先，当他们寄居在埃及地的时候，高举他们，并用大能的膀臂带领他们从那里出来。

這以色列民的神揀選了我們的祖宗，當民寄居埃及的時候擡舉他們，用大能的手領他們出來；

這以色列民的上帝揀選了我們的祖宗，當百姓寄居埃及的時候抬舉他們，用大能的手領他們從那地出來。

這以色列民的神揀選了我們的祖宗，當百姓寄居埃及的時候抬舉他們，用大能的手領他們從那地出來。

以色列的上帝揀選了我們的祖先，讓他們在埃及寄居期間人丁興旺成為大族，後來祂伸出臂膀帶領他們離開埃及。

以色列民的神，揀選了我們的祖先；當他們在埃及地寄居的時候，神抬舉這民，用大能（“大能”原文作“高”）的膀臂，把他們從那地領出來；

這人民以色列的上帝揀選了我們的祖宗，當人民僑居在埃及的時候、抬舉他們，用伸高的膀臂領他們從那裏出來。

這以色列民族的神揀選了我們的祖先，當他們寄居在埃及地的時候，高舉他們，並用大能的膀臂帶領他們從那裡出來。

此以色列民之上帝、選我列祖、且當民旅埃及時拔之、舉手引之出、

昔以色列民之上帝選我祖、後旅於埃及、上帝又拔之、舉手率之出其地、

昔以色列民之天主、選我列祖、及民旅於伊及時、天主舉之、施展大力、施展大力原文作以高舉之臂導出其地、

義塞人之天主簡選吾列祖。護佑斯民於羈旅埃及之日、後復運其神臂、引之以出、

The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;

The God of Israel chose our people who lived long ago. He blessed them greatly while they were in Egypt. With his mighty power he led them out of that country.

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it.

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.

The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay as foreigners in the country of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

The God of this people chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it.

For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.“ The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

Then Israel arrived in Egypt; Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies.

This was Stephen’s reply:“ Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.God told him,‘ Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.“ But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants— even though he had no children yet.God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.‘ But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said,‘ and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’“ God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.“ These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with himand rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.“ But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food.Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons— our ancestors— to buy some.The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy five persons in all.So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors.Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.“ As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.“ At that time Moses was born— a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months.When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son.Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.“ One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel.He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian.Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.“ The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker.‘ Men,’ he said,‘ you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’“ But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside.‘ Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked.‘ Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.“ Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him,‘ I am the God of your ancestors— the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.“ Then the Lord said to him,‘ Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’“ So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded,‘ Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.“ Moses himself told the people of Israel,‘ God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life giving words to pass on to us.“ But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.They told Aaron,‘ Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,‘ Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?No, you carried your pagan gods— the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’“ Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses.Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.“ David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.But it was Solomon who actually built it.However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,‘ Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord.‘ Could you build me such a resting place?Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’“ You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One— the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

“ I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

Remember that the Lord rescued you from the iron smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.

“ You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.“ You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land! And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like stones beneath the mighty waters.You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:“ I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him!The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!Pharaoh’s chariots and army he has hurled into the sea. The finest of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea.The deep waters gushed over them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.“ Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy.In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you. You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw.At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.“ The enemy boasted,‘ I will chase them and catch up with them. I will plunder them and consume them. I will flash my sword; my powerful hand will destroy them.’But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.“ Who is like you among the gods, O Lord— glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.“ With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.The peoples hear and tremble; anguish grips those who live in Philistia.The leaders of Edom are terrified; the nobles of Moab tremble. All who live in Canaan melt away;terror and dread fall upon them. The power of your arm makes them lifeless as stone until your people pass by, O Lord, until the people you purchased pass by.You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain— the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.The Lord will reign forever and ever!”When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground!Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.And Miriam sang this song:“ Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”

you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.He is the Lord our God. His justice is seen throughout the land.He always stands by his covenant— the commitment he made to a thousand generations.This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never ending covenant:“ I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”He said this when they were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.

Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever.He brought Israel out of Egypt. His faithful love endures forever.He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm. His faithful love endures forever.Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever.He led Israel safely through, His faithful love endures forever.but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever.

When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!

Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.

Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.Even so, he saved them— to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.He commanded the Red Sea to dry up. He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.So he rescued them from their enemies and redeemed them from their foes.Then the water returned and covered their enemies; not one of them survived.

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them.Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out,“ Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?Where is the one whose power was displayed when Moses lifted up his hand— the one who divided the sea before them, making himself famous forever?Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling.As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. You led your people, Lord, and gained a magnificent reputation.”

“ And in the future, your children will ask you,‘ What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them,‘ With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.

O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. InterludeWhen the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths.The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed.Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook.Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years, so you could possess the land of the Amorites.

Then the Lord told Moses,“ Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”And God said to Moses,“ I am Yahweh—‘ the Lord.’I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai—‘ God Almighty’— but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.“ Therefore, say to the people of Israel:‘ I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.Then the Lord said to Moses,“ Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.”“ But Lord!” Moses objected.“ My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker!”But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.These are the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel: The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben.

But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.He said to his people,“ Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.

They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan.For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams.He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them and hordes of frogs to ruin them.He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts.He destroyed their grapevines with hail and shattered their sycamore figs with sleet.He abandoned their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.He loosed on them his fierce anger— all his fury, rage, and hostility. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels.He turned his anger against them; he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives but ravaged them with the plague.He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness.He kept them safe so they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies.

You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt— things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day.“ You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror.

He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home, both people and animals.He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people.He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings—

I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

“ Yes,” says the Lord,“ I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt.”All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do for you. They will be embarrassed at their feeble power. They will cover their mouths in silent awe, deaf to everything around them.

It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Lord had said to Abram,“ Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

“ But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.

For he remembered his sacred promise to his servant Abraham.So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing.

Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.

This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”

“ Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘ The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, my servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.”

the miracles he did for their ancestors on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls!

Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power.

For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.

“ But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying,‘ You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.

But the Lord sent his servant Moses, along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians, and wonders in the land of Ham.The Lord blanketed Egypt in darkness, for they had defied his commands to let his people go.He turned their water into blood, poisoning all the fish.Then frogs overran the land and even invaded the king’s bedrooms.When the Lord spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians, and gnats swarmed across Egypt.He sent them hail instead of rain, and lightning flashed over the land.He ruined their grapevines and fig trees and shattered all the trees.He spoke, and hordes of locusts came— young locusts beyond number.They ate up everything green in the land, destroying all the crops in their fields.Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home, the pride and joy of each family.The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.Egypt was glad when they were gone, for they feared them greatly.The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.

When the Israelites escaped from Egypt— when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom.The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs?Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.