Psalm 29-30
Amplified Bible
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 [a]Ascribe to the Lord, O [b]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness].
3
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord rakes flames of fire (lightning).
8
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9
The voice of the Lord [c]makes the doe labor and give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”
10
The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
11
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.
A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House (Temple). A Psalm of David.
30 I will extol and praise You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2
O Lord my God,
I cried to You for help, and You have healed me.
3
O Lord, You have brought my life up from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead);
You have kept me alive, so that I would not go down to the pit (grave).
4
Sing to the Lord, O you His godly ones,
And give thanks at the mention of His holy name.
5
For His anger is but for a moment,
[d]His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may endure for a night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.(A)
6
As for me, in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be moved.”
7
By Your favor and grace, O Lord, you have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was horrified.
8
I called to You, O Lord,
And to the Lord I made supplication (specific request).
9
“What profit is there in my blood (death), if I go down to the pit (grave)?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness [to man]?
10
“Hear, O Lord, be gracious and show favor to me;
O Lord, be my helper.”
11
You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12
That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 29:1 This psalm has been called “The Song of the Thunderstorm,” a glorious psalm of praise sung during an earthshaking tempest which reminds the psalmist of the time of Noah and the deluge (see v 10).
- Psalm 29:1 The ancient rabbis interpreted this as referring to the patriarchs. Today many scholars regard this as a reference to God’s angels.
- Psalm 29:9 Or makes the oaks shake.
- Psalm 30:5 Or in His favor is life.
Acts 23:1-15
Amplified Bible
Paul before the Council
23 Then Paul, looking intently at the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), said, “Kinsmen, I have lived my life before God with a perfectly good conscience until this very day.” 2 [At this] the high priest [a]Ananias ordered those who stood beside him to strike Paul on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you [b]whitewashed wall! Do you actually sit to judge me according to the Law, and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But those who stood near Paul said, “Are you insulting the high priest of God?” 5 Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he was [c]high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”(A)
6 But recognizing that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began affirming loudly in the Council chamber, “Kinsmen, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, an angry dispute erupted between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the [whole crowded] assembly was divided [into two factions]. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no [such thing as a] resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees [speak out freely and] acknowledge [their belief in] them all. 9 Then a great uproar occurred, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and began to argue heatedly [in Paul’s favor], saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has [really] spoken to him?” 10 And as the dissension became even greater, the commander, fearing that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered the troops to go down and forcibly take him from them, and bring him to the barracks.
11 On the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Be brave; for as you have solemnly and faithfully witnessed about Me at Jerusalem, so you must also testify at Rome.”
A Conspiracy to Kill Paul
12 Now when day came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath (curse), saying that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty [men] who formed this plot [and swore this oath]. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything [neither food nor drink] until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you, along with the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), notify the commander to bring Paul down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But we are ready to kill him before he comes near [the place].”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 23:2 Ananias served as high priest from a.d. 47-59. He was a violent man who had close ties to Rome and was assassinated by his own people about a.d. 66.
- Acts 23:3 Paul probably is referring to the outside wall of a tomb, which was considered ritually unclean and polluted. Tombs were usually whitewashed on the outside so that passers-by could see them more clearly and avoid contact with them.
- Acts 23:5 Under Roman domination, high priests did not serve for life but were replaced from time to time. Paul had not been updated on the current status of the office.
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