Psalm 4-6

English Standard Version

Answer Me When I Call

To the ^(A)choirmaster: with ^(B)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my ^(C)righteousness!
You have ^(D)given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

²O men,^[a] how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after ^(E)lies? Selah
³But know that the Lord has ^(F)set apart ^(G)the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴^(H)Be angry,^[b] and do not sin;
^(I)ponder in your own hearts ^(J)on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵Offer ^(K)right sacrifices,
and put your ^(L)trust in the Lord.

⁶There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
^(M)Lift up ^(N)the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
⁷You have put ^(O)more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸In peace I will both ^(P)lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me ^(Q)dwell in safety.

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my ^(R)groaning.
²Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my ^(S)King and my God,
    for ^(T)to you do I pray.
³O Lord, in ^(U)the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you^[c] and ^(V)watch.

⁴For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
⁵The ^(W)boastful shall not ^(X)stand before your eyes;
    you ^(Y)hate all evildoers.
⁶You destroy those who speak ^(Z)lies;
    the Lord abhors ^(AA)the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will ^(AB)bow down ^(AC)toward your ^(AD)holy temple
    in the fear of you.
⁸^(AE)Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    ^(AF)make your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is ^(AG)destruction;
^(AH)their throat is ^(AI)an open grave;
    they ^(AJ)flatter with their tongue.
¹⁰^(AK)Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them ^(AL)fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who ^(AM)take refuge in you ^(AN)rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may ^(AO)exult in you.
¹²For you ^(AP)bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you ^(AQ)cover him with favor as with ^(AR)a shield.

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to ^(AS)The Sheminith.^[d] A Psalm of David.

6 O Lord, ^(AT)rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor ^(AU)discipline me in your wrath.
²Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    ^(AV)heal me, O Lord, ^(AW)for my bones are troubled.
³My ^(AX)soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O Lord—^(AY)how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵For in ^(AZ)death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

⁶I am ^(BA)weary with my ^(BB)moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷My ^(BC)eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

⁸^(BD)Depart from me, all you ^(BE)workers of evil,
    for the Lord ^(BF)has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹The Lord has heard my ^(BG)plea;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall ^(BH)turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Footnotes

Psalm 4:2 Or O men of rank
Psalm 4:4 Or Be agitated
Psalm 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you
Psalm 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

Acts 16:16-40

English Standard Version

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶As we were going to ^(A)the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ^(B)a spirit of ^(C)divination and ^(D)brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷She followed Paul and us, ^(E)crying out, “These men are ^(F)servants of ^(G)the Most High God, who proclaim to you ^(H)the way of salvation.” ¹⁸And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ^(I)“I command you ^(J)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And ^(K)it came out that very hour.

¹⁹But ^(L)when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and ^(M)dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. ²¹They ^(N)advocate customs that are not lawful for us ^(O)as Romans to accept or practice.” ²²The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders ^(P)to beat them with rods. ²³And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. ²⁴Having received this order, he put them into the inner ^(Q)prison and fastened their feet in ^(R)the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

²⁵^(S)About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶and suddenly ^(T)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately ^(U)all the doors were opened, and ^(V)everyone's bonds were unfastened. ²⁷When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and ^(W)was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹And the jailer^[a] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he ^(X)fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, ^(Y)what must I do to be ^(Z)saved?” ³¹And they said, ^(AA)“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you ^(AB)and your household.” ³²And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³And he took them ^(AC)the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he ^(AD)was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he ^(AE)rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

³⁵But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” ³⁶And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, ^(AF)uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸The police reported these words to the magistrates, and ^(AG)they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and ^(AH)asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰So they went out of the prison and visited ^(AI)Lydia. And when they had seen ^(AJ)the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.