Psalm 70-71

New International Version

Psalm 70^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

¹Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.^(B)

²May those who want to take my life^(C)
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.^(D)
³May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”^(E)
    turn back because of their shame.
⁴But may all who seek you^(F)
    rejoice and be glad^(G) in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”^(H)

⁵But as for me, I am poor and needy;^(I)
come quickly to me,^(J) O God.
You are my help^(K) and my deliverer;^(L)
Lord, do not delay.^(M)

Psalm 71^(N)

¹In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;^(O)
    let me never be put to shame.^(P)
²In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear^(Q) to me and save me.
³Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.^(R)
⁴Deliver^(S) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,^(T)
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.^(U)

⁵For you have been my hope,^(V) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence^(W) since my youth.
⁶From birth^(X) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.^(Y)
    I will ever praise^(Z) you.
⁷I have become a sign^(AA) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.^(AB)
⁸My mouth^(AC) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor^(AD) all day long.

⁹Do not cast^(AE) me away when I am old;^(AF)
    do not forsake^(AG) me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰For my enemies^(AH) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill^(AI) me conspire^(AJ) together.
¹¹They say, “God has forsaken^(AK) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue^(AL) him.”
¹²Do not be far^(AM) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help^(AN) me.
¹³May my accusers^(AO) perish in shame;^(AP)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.^(AQ)

¹⁴As for me, I will always have hope;^(AR)
I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵My mouth will tell^(AS) of your righteous deeds,^(AT)
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
¹⁶I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,^(AU) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷Since my youth, God, you have taught^(AV) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.^(AW)
¹⁸Even when I am old and gray,^(AX)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power^(AY) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.^(AZ)

¹⁹Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,^(BA)
    you who have done great things.^(BB)
    Who is like you, God?^(BC)
²⁰Though you have made me see troubles,^(BD)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore^(BE) my life again;
from the depths of the earth^(BF)
    you will again bring me up.
²¹You will increase my honor^(BG)
    and comfort^(BH) me once more.

²²I will praise you with the harp^(BI)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,^(BJ)
    Holy One of Israel.^(BK)
²³My lips will shout for joy^(BL)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.^(BM)
²⁴My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,^(BN)
for those who wanted to harm me^(BO)
    have been put to shame and confusion.^(BP)

Footnotes

Psalm 70:1 In Hebrew texts 70:1-5 is numbered 70:2-6.

Acts 25

New International Version

Paul’s Trial Before Festus

25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus^(A) went up from Caesarea^(B) to Jerusalem, ²where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.^(C) ³They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.^(D) ⁴Festus answered, “Paul is being held^(E) at Caesarea,^(F) and I myself am going there soon. ⁵Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

⁶After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court^(G) and ordered that Paul be brought before him.^(H) ⁷When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,^(I) but they could not prove them.^(J)

⁸Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple^(K) or against Caesar.”

⁹Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,^(L) said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”^(M)

¹⁰Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,^(N) as you yourself know very well. ¹¹If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”^(O)

¹²After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults King Agrippa

¹³A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea^(P) to pay their respects to Festus. ¹⁴Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.^(Q) ¹⁵When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him^(R) and asked that he be condemned.

¹⁶“I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.^(S) ¹⁷When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.^(T) ¹⁸When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. ¹⁹Instead, they had some points of dispute^(U) with him about their own religion^(V) and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. ²⁰I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges.^(W) ²¹But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”^(X)

²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”^(Y)

Paul Before Agrippa^(Z)

²³The next day Agrippa and Bernice^(AA) came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community^(AB) has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.^(AC) ²⁵I found he had done nothing deserving of death,^(AD) but because he made his appeal to the Emperor^(AE) I decided to send him to Rome. ²⁶But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. ²⁷For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”