Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to iDo Not Destroy. A jMiktam1 of David, when he fled from Saul, in kthe cave.
1 lBe merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul mtakes refuge;
in nthe shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
otill the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who pfulfills his purpose for me.
3 qHe will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame rhim who tramples on me. Selah
sGod will send out this steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of ulions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose vteeth are spears and arrows,
whose wtongues are sharp swords.
5 xBe exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set ya net for my steps;
my soul was zbowed down.
They adug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 bMy heart is csteadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, fO harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your gsteadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 xBe exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to hDo Not Destroy. A iMiktam3 of David.
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?4
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands jdeal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are kestranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 lThey have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it mdoes not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, nbreak the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them ovanish like water that runs away;
when he paims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail othat dissolves into slime,
like qthe stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of rthorns,
10 tThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will ubathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is va reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who wjudges on earth.”
Deliver Me from My Enemies
To the choirmaster: according to xDo Not Destroy. A yMiktam6 of David, zwhen Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
1 aDeliver me from my enemies, O my God;
bprotect me from those who crise up against me;
2 deliver me from dthose who work evil,
and save me from ebloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they flie in wait for my life;
fierce men gstir up strife against me.
hFor no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
iAwake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, jLord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they kcome back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, lbellowing with their mouths
with mswords in their lips—
8 But you, O Lord, olaugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are pmy fortress.
10 qMy God in his steadfast love8 rwill meet me;
God will let me slook in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter9 by your power and tbring them down,
O Lord, our ushield!
12 For vthe sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 wconsume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may xknow that God rules over Jacob
to ythe ends of the earth. Selah
14 zEach evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They awander about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me ba fortress
and ca refuge in dthe day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, bare my fortress,
ethe God who shows me steadfast love.
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to mJames, and all nthe elders were present. 19 After greeting them, ohe related one by one pthe things that God had done among the Gentiles through his qministry. 20 And when they heard it, they rglorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all szealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all tthe Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, utelling them vnot to circumcise their children or wwalk according to xour customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men ywho are under a vow; 24 take these men and zpurify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, yso that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, awe have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled,1 and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day zhe purified himself along with them and bwent into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and cthe offering presented for each one of them.
Paul Arrested in the Temple
27 When cthe seven days were almost completed, dthe Jews from Asia, eseeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who fis teaching everyone everywhere against the people and gthe law and gthis place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and hhas defiled gthis holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen iTrophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and jdragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 jAnd as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of kthe cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 lHe at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him mto be bound nwith two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 oSome in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into pthe barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, q“Away with him!”
Paul Speaks to the People
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not rthe Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out sinto the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, t“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, umotioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in vthe Hebrew language,2 saying:
