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22 Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He became a powerful man in words and in the things he did. 23 When he was forty years old, he thought he should visit his brothers, the Jews. 24 He saw one of the Jews being hurt. Moses helped the Jew and killed the man from Egypt. 25 He thought his people would understand. He thought they knew God would let them go free by his help. But the people did not understand.

26 “The next day Moses came to some Jews who were fighting. He tried to get them to stop. Moses said to the Jews, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you hurt each other?’ 27 One was beating his neighbor. He pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you could say who is guilty? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the man from Egypt yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard that, he went as fast as he could to the country of Midian where he was a stranger. While he was there, he became the father of two sons. 30 Forty years passed and Moses was near Mount Sinai where no people live. There he saw an angel in the fire of a burning bush. 31 He was surprised and wondered when he saw it. He went up close to see it better. Then he heard the voice of the Lord speak to him. 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ Moses shook! He was so afraid he did not look at the bush.

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take your shoes off your feet! The place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen My people suffer in the country of Egypt and I have heard their cries. I have come down to let them go free. So come now, I will send you back to Egypt.’

35 “The people had put Moses aside. They said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you are the one to say what is right or wrong?’ But God made this man a leader. Moses was the one who brought them out of the country of Egypt. This was done by the help of the angel who was in the burning bush. 36 This man led them. He did powerful works in Egypt and at the Red Sea. For forty years he led them in the desert.

37 “Moses said to the Jews, ‘God will give you one who speaks for Him like me from among your brothers.’ 38 This is the man who was with the Jewish nation in the desert. The angel talked to him on Mount Sinai. Moses told it to our early fathers. He also received the living Words of God to give to us.

39 “Our early fathers would not listen to him. They did not obey him. In their hearts they wanted to go back to the country of Egypt. 40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us. We do not know what has happened to this Moses who led us out of Egypt.’

41 “In those days they made a calf of gold. They put gifts down in front of their god in worship. They were happy with what they had made with their hands. 42 But God turned from them and let them worship the stars of heaven. This is written in the book of the early preachers, ‘Nation of Jews, was it to Me you gave gifts of sheep and cattle on the altar for forty years in the desert? 43 No, you set up the tent to worship the god of Molock and the star of your god Rompha. You made gods to worship them. I will carry you away to the other side of the country of Babylon.’ (A)

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22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians(A) and was powerful in speech and action.

23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?(B) 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’[a] 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.(C)

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 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:(D) 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers,(E) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’[b] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.(F)

33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.(G) 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’[c](H)

35 “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’(I) He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out of Egypt(J) and performed wonders and signs(K) in Egypt, at the Red Sea(L) and for forty years in the wilderness.(M)

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’[d](N) 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel(O) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;(P) and he received living words(Q) to pass on to us.(R)

39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(S) 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’[e](T) 41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.(U) 42 But God turned away from them(V) and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.(W) This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
43 You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile’[f](X) beyond Babylon.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 7:28 Exodus 2:14
  2. Acts 7:32 Exodus 3:6
  3. Acts 7:34 Exodus 3:5,7,8,10
  4. Acts 7:37 Deut. 18:15
  5. Acts 7:40 Exodus 32:1
  6. Acts 7:43 Amos 5:25-27 (see Septuagint)