Psalm 43^[a]

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai^(A) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,^(B) an exile from your homeland. ²⁰ You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander^(C) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”^[a](D)

²¹ But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”^(E)

²² David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

²³ The whole countryside wept aloud^(F) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,^(G) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Zadok^(H) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark^(I) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar^(J) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place^(K) again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.^(L)”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^(M) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^(N) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸ I will wait at the fords^(O) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping^(P) as he went; his head^(Q) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel^(R) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³² When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai^(S) the Arkite^(T) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust^(U) on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden^(V) to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^(W) then you can help me by frustrating^(X) Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵ Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.^{(Y) 36} Their two sons, Ahimaaz^(Z) son of Zadok and Jonathan^(AA) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai,^(AB) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom^(AC) was entering the city.

Paul Speaks to the Crowd^(A)

³⁷ As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,^(B) he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. ³⁸ “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness^(C) some time ago?”^(D)

³⁹ Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus^(E) in Cilicia,^(F) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned^(G) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic^[a]:^(H) 22 ¹ “Brothers and fathers,^(I) listen now to my defense.”

² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(J) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³ “I am a Jew,^(K) born in Tarsus^(L) of Cilicia,^(M) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(N) Gamaliel^(O) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(P) I was just as zealous^(Q) for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted^(R) the followers of this Way^(S) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^{(T) 5} as the high priest and all the Council^(U) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(V) in Damascus,^(W) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^{(X) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Y) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light,^(Z) but they did not understand the voice^(AA) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^{(AB) 11} My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(AC)

¹² “A man named Ananias came to see me.^(AD) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^{(AE) 13} He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(AF) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(AG) the Righteous One^(AH) and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be his witness^(AI) to all people of what you have seen^(AJ) and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized^(AK) and wash your sins away,^(AL) calling on his name.’^(AM)

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight^(A)

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,^(B) he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David,^(C) have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi,^(D) I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”^(E) Immediately he received his sight and followed^(F) Jesus along the road.