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Psalm 35

Of David.

 ² Take up shield and buckler;
       arise and come to my aid.

 ³ Brandish spear and javelin ^[a]
       against those who pursue me.
       Say to my soul,
       "I am your salvation."

 ⁴ May those who seek my life
       be disgraced and put to shame;
       may those who plot my ruin
       be turned back in dismay.

 ⁵ May they be like chaff before the wind,
       with the angel of the LORD driving them away;

 ⁶ may their path be dark and slippery,
       with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

 ⁷ Since they hid their net for me without cause
       and without cause dug a pit for me,

 ⁸ may ruin overtake them by surprise—
       may the net they hid entangle them,
       may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

 ⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
       and delight in his salvation.

 ¹⁰ My whole being will exclaim,
       "Who is like you, O LORD ?
       You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
       the poor and needy from those who rob them."

 ¹¹ Ruthless witnesses come forward;
       they question me on things I know nothing about.

 ¹² They repay me evil for good
       and leave my soul forlorn.

 ¹³ Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
       and humbled myself with fasting.
       When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

 ¹⁴ I went about mourning
       as though for my friend or brother.
       I bowed my head in grief
       as though weeping for my mother.

 ¹⁵ But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
       attackers gathered against me when I was unaware.
       They slandered me without ceasing.

 ¹⁶ Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked ^[b] ;
       they gnashed their teeth at me.

 ¹⁷ O Lord, how long will you look on?
       Rescue my life from their ravages,
       my precious life from these lions.

 ¹⁸ I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
       among throngs of people I will praise you.

 ¹⁹ Let not those gloat over me
       who are my enemies without cause;
       let not those who hate me without reason
       maliciously wink the eye.

 ²⁰ They do not speak peaceably,
       but devise false accusations
       against those who live quietly in the land.

 ²¹ They gape at me and say, "Aha! Aha!
       With our own eyes we have seen it."

 ²² O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent.
       Do not be far from me, O Lord.

 ²³ Awake, and rise to my defense!
       Contend for me, my God and Lord.

 ²⁴ Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God;
       do not let them gloat over me.

 ²⁵ Do not let them think, "Aha, just what we wanted!"
       or say, "We have swallowed him up."

 ²⁶ May all who gloat over my distress
       be put to shame and confusion;
       may all who exalt themselves over me
       be clothed with shame and disgrace.

 ²⁷ May those who delight in my vindication
       shout for joy and gladness;
       may they always say, "The LORD be exalted,
       who delights in the well-being of his servant."

 ²⁸ My tongue will speak of your righteousness
       and of your praises all day long.

Psalm 36

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.

 ² For in his own eyes he flatters himself
       too much to detect or hate his sin.

 ³ The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
       he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

 ⁴ Even on his bed he plots evil;
       he commits himself to a sinful course
       and does not reject what is wrong.

 ⁵ Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
       your faithfulness to the skies.

 ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
       your justice like the great deep.
       O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

 ⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love!
       Both high and low among men
       find ^[d] refuge in the shadow of your wings.

 ⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;
       you give them drink from your river of delights.

 ⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
       in your light we see light.

 ¹⁰ Continue your love to those who know you,
       your righteousness to the upright in heart.

 ¹¹ May the foot of the proud not come against me,
       nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

 ¹² See how the evildoers lie fallen—
       thrown down, not able to rise!

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Acts 25

The Trial Before Festus

 ⁶After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. ⁷When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.

 ⁸Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

 ⁹Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"

 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, 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!"

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

Festus Consults King Agrippa

 ¹⁶"I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. 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. 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 with him about their own religion 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. ²¹When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."

 ²²Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."

Paul Before Agrippa