ס Samekh

113 I hate double-minded people,(A)
    but I love your law.(B)
114 You are my refuge and my shield;(C)
    I have put my hope(D) in your word.
115 Away from me,(E) you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 Sustain me,(F) my God, according to your promise,(G) and I will live;
    do not let my hopes be dashed.(H)
117 Uphold me,(I) and I will be delivered;(J)
    I will always have regard for your decrees.(K)
118 You reject all who stray(L) from your decrees,
    for their delusions come to nothing.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;(M)
    therefore I love your statutes.(N)
120 My flesh trembles(O) in fear of you;(P)
    I stand in awe(Q) of your laws.

ע Ayin

121 I have done what is righteous and just;(R)
    do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant’s well-being;(S)
    do not let the arrogant oppress me.(T)
123 My eyes fail,(U) looking for your salvation,(V)
    looking for your righteous promise.(W)
124 Deal with your servant according to your love(X)
    and teach me your decrees.(Y)
125 I am your servant;(Z) give me discernment
    that I may understand your statutes.(AA)
126 It is time for you to act, Lord;
    your law is being broken.(AB)
127 Because I love your commands(AC)
    more than gold,(AD) more than pure gold,(AE)
128 and because I consider all your precepts right,(AF)
    I hate every wrong path.(AG)

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When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing,(A) with joyful songs and with timbrels(B) and lyres. As they danced, they sang:(C)

“Saul has slain his thousands,
    and David his tens(D) of thousands.”

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?(E) And from that time on Saul kept a close(F) eye on David.

10 The next day an evil[a] spirit(G) from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre,(H) as he usually(I) did. Saul had a spear(J) in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself,(K) “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded(L) him twice.(M)

12 Saul was afraid(N) of David, because the Lord(O) was with(P) David but had departed from(Q) Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led(R) the troops in their campaigns.(S) 14 In everything he did he had great success,(T) because the Lord was with(U) him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.(V)

17 Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter(W) Merab. I will give her to you in marriage;(X) only serve me bravely and fight the battles(Y) of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself,(Z) “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”

18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I,(AA) and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?(AB) 19 So[b] when the time came for Merab,(AC) Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.(AD)

20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal(AE) was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.(AF) 21 “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare(AG) to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”

22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”

23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law?(AH) I’m only a poor man and little known.”

24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price(AI) for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge(AJ) on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan(AK) was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal(AL) in marriage.

28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal(AM) loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid(AN) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success(AO) than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:10 Or a harmful
  2. 1 Samuel 18:19 Or However,

The Storm

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,(A) called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat(B) secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground(C) on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[a] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.(D) 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice(E) not to sail from Crete;(F) then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage,(G) because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel(H) of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve(I) stood beside me(J) 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;(K) and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’(L) 25 So keep up your courage,(M) men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.(N) 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground(O) on some island.”(P)

The Shipwreck

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[b] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[c] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[d] deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat(Q) down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”(R) 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”(S) 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it(T) and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged(U) and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:17 Or the sails
  2. Acts 27:27 In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.
  3. Acts 27:28 Or about 37 meters
  4. Acts 27:28 Or about 27 meters

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