Acts 28:1-16

New King James Version

Paul’s Ministry on Malta

28 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that ^(A)the island was called Malta. ²And the ^(B)natives^[a] showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. ³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. ⁴So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” ⁵But he shook off the creature into the fire and ^(C)suffered no harm. ⁶However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and ^(D)said that he was a god.

⁷In that region there was an estate of the ^[b]leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. ⁸And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and ^(E)prayed, and ^(F)he laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. ¹⁰They also honored us in many ^(G)ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were ^(H)necessary.

Arrival at Rome

¹¹After three months we sailed in ^(I)an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the ^[c]Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. ¹²And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. ¹³From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, ¹⁴where we found ^(J)brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. ¹⁵And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

¹⁶Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but ^(K)Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

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Footnotes

Acts 28:2 Lit. barbarians
Acts 28:7 Magistrate
Acts 28:11 Gr. Dioskouroi, Zeus’s sons Castor and Pollux

Psalm 26-29

New King James Version

A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption

A Psalm of David.

26 Vindicate ^(A)me, O Lord,
For I have ^(B)walked in my integrity.
^(C)I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
²^(D)Examine me, O Lord, and ^[a]prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
³For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And ^(E)I have walked in Your truth.
⁴I have not ^(F)sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
⁵I have ^(G)hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
⁷That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
⁸Lord, ^(H)I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place ^[b]where Your glory dwells.

⁹^(I)Do^[c] not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of ^(J)bribes.

¹¹But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
¹²^(K)My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my ^(L)light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The ^(M)Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
²When the wicked came against me
To ^(N)eat^[d] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³^(O)Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴^(P)One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may ^(Q)dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the ^[e]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵For ^(R)in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall ^(S)set me high upon a rock.

⁶And now ^(T)my head shall be ^[f]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of ^[g]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
⁹^(U)Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
¹⁰^(V)When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹^(W)Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
¹²Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For ^(X)false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
¹³I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
^(Y)In the land of the living.

¹⁴^(Z)Wait^[h] on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Rejoicing in Answered Prayer

A Psalm of David.

28 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
^(AA)Do not be silent to me,
^(AB)Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
²Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
^(AC)When I lift up my hands ^(AD)toward Your holy sanctuary.

³Do not ^[i]take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
^(AE)Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
⁴^(AF)Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.
⁵Because ^(AG)they do not regard the works of the Lord,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.

⁶Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
⁷The Lord is ^(AH)my strength and my shield;
My heart ^(AI)trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

⁸The Lord is ^[j]their strength,
And He is the ^(AJ)saving refuge of His ^[k]anointed.
⁹Save Your people,
And bless ^(AK)Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
^(AL)And bear them up forever.

Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty

A Psalm of David.

29 Give^[l] ^(AM)unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
²^[m]Give unto the Lord the glory ^[n]due to His name;
Worship the Lord in ^(AN)the ^[o]beauty of holiness.

³The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
^(AO)The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

⁵The voice of the Lord breaks ^(AP)the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶^(AQ)He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and ^(AR)Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷The voice of the Lord ^[p]divides the flames of fire.

⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of ^(AS)Kadesh.
⁹The voice of the Lord makes the ^(AT)deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

¹⁰The ^(AU)Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And ^(AV)the Lord sits as King forever.
¹¹^(AW)The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.