Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
(A)How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
(B)Enlighten my eyes,
(C)Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(D)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 The (E)fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

(F)The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
(G)They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And (H)do not call on the Lord?
There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his (I)refuge.

(J)Oh,[a] that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
(K)When the Lord brings back [b]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, (L)who may [c]abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the (M)truth in his heart;
He who (N)does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
(O)Nor does he [d]take up a reproach against his friend;
(P)In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord;
He who (Q)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things (R)shall never be moved.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14:7 Lit. Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?
  2. Psalm 14:7 Or His captive people
  3. Psalm 15:1 sojourn
  4. Psalm 15:3 receive

Psalm 13[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long,(A) Lord? Will you forget me(B) forever?
    How long will you hide your face(C) from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts(D)
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?(E)

Look on me(F) and answer,(G) Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes,(H) or I will sleep in death,(I)
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,(J)
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.(K)

But I trust in your unfailing love;(L)
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.(M)
I will sing(N) the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

Psalm 14(O)

For the director of music. Of David.

The fool[b] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(P)
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven(Q)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(R)
    any who seek God.(S)
All have turned away,(T) all have become corrupt;(U)
    there is no one who does good,(V)
    not even one.(W)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?(X)

They devour my people(Y) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(Z)
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.(AA)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!(AB)
    When the Lord restores(AC) his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

Lord, who may dwell(AD) in your sacred tent?(AE)
    Who may live on your holy mountain?(AF)

The one whose walk is blameless,(AG)
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth(AH) from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,(AI)
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
    but honors(AJ) those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath(AK) even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;(AL)
    who does not accept a bribe(AM) against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.(AN)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-6 is numbered 13:2-6.
  2. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.

The Riot at Ephesus

21 (A)When these things were accomplished, Paul (B)purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through (C)Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, (D)I must also see Rome.” 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, (E)Timothy and (F)Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.

23 And (G)about that time there arose a great commotion about (H)the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [a]Diana, brought (I)no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that (J)they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and [b]her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”

28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized (K)Gaius and (L)Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Then some of the [c]officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. 32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And (M)Alexander (N)motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”

35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess [d]Diana, and of the image which fell down from [e]Zeus? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of [f]your goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a [g]case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being [h]called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:24 Gr. Artemis
  2. Acts 19:27 NU she be deposed from her magnificence
  3. Acts 19:31 Asiarchs, rulers of Asia, the province
  4. Acts 19:35 Gr. Artemis
  5. Acts 19:35 heaven
  6. Acts 19:37 NU our
  7. Acts 19:38 Lit. matter
  8. Acts 19:40 Or charged with rebellion concerning today

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[a] to go to Jerusalem,(A) passing through Macedonia(B) and Achaia.(C) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(D) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(E) Timothy(F) and Erastus,(G) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(H) a little longer.

The Riot in Ephesus

23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(I) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.(J) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(K) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(L) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(M) 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(N) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(O) and Aristarchus,(P) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(Q) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(R) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(S) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(T) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(U)

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(V) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(W) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(X) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(Y) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit