Acts 7:45-57

⁴⁵Later on, other ancestors of ours carried that tent with them when Joshua led them into this land. That was during the time that they took this land for themselves, when God forced the people who previously lived here to leave. So the Israelis were able to possess this land. The tent remained in this land and was still here when King David ruled.

⁴⁶David pleased God, and he asked God to let him build a house where he and all of our Israeli people could worship God.

⁴⁷But instead, God let David's son Solomon build a house where people could worship God.”

⁴⁸“However, we(inc) know that God is greater than everything, and he does not live in houses that people SYN have made. It is like the prophet Isaiah wrote. He wrote these words that God had spoken:

⁴⁹Heaven is ◄my throne/the place from which I rule the entire universe►, and the earth is ◄my footstool/ merely like a stool on which I may rest my feet►. I myself SYN have made everything both in heaven and on the earth. So you human beings, ◄ you really cannot build a house that would be adequate for me!/do you think you can build a house that would be appropriate for me?► RHQ You cannot RHQ make a place good enough for me to live in!”

⁵¹“You people are extremely stubborn MET, not wanting to obey God or listen MTY to him! You are exactly like your ancestors! You always resist the Holy Spirit as they did!

⁵²Your ancestors caused RHQ every prophet to suffer, including Moses. They even killed those who long ago announced that the Messiah would come, the one who always did what pleased God. And the Messiah has come! He is the one whom you recently turned over to his enemies and insisted that they kill him!

⁵³You are the people who have received God's laws. Those were laws that God caused angels to give to our ancestors. However, incredibly, you have not obeyed them!”

⁵⁴When the Jewish Council members and others there heard all that Stephen said, they became very angry. They were grinding their teeth together because they were so angry at him!

⁵⁵But the Holy Spirit completely controlled Stephen. He looked up into heaven and saw a dazzling light from God, and he saw Jesus standing at God's right side.

⁵⁶“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open, and I see the one who came from heaven standing at God's right side!”

⁵⁷When the Jewish Council members and others heard that, they shouted loudly. They put their hands over their ears so that they could not hear Stephen, and immediately they all rushed at him.