Psalm 38-40

English Standard Version

Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, ^(A)for the memorial offering.

38 O Lord, ^(B)rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
²For your ^(C)arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand ^(D)has come down on me.

³There is ^(E)no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my ^(F)bones
    because of my sin.
⁴For my ^(G)iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds stink and fester
    because of my foolishness,
⁶I am ^(H)utterly bowed down and ^(I)prostrate;
    all the day I ^(J)go about mourning.
⁷For my sides are filled with burning,
    and there is ^(K)no soundness in my flesh.
⁸I am feeble and crushed;
    I ^(L)groan because of the tumult of my heart.

⁹O Lord, all my longing is before you;
    my ^(M)sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
    and ^(N)the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹My ^(O)friends and companions ^(P)stand aloof from my ^(Q)plague,
    and my nearest kin ^(R)stand far off.

¹²Those who seek my life ^(S)lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt ^(T)speak of ruin
and meditate ^(U)treachery all day long.

¹³But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like ^(V)a mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no ^(W)rebukes.

¹⁵But for ^(X)you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
¹⁶For I said, “Only ^(Y)let them not rejoice over me,
who ^(Z)boast against me when my ^(AA)foot slips!”

¹⁷For I am ^(AB)ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever before me.
¹⁸I ^(AC)confess my iniquity;
    I am ^(AD)sorry for my sin.
¹⁹But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me ^(AE)wrongfully.
²⁰Those who ^(AF)render me evil for good
    ^(AG)accuse me because I ^(AH)follow after good.

²¹Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not ^(AI)far from me!
²²^(AJ)Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my ^(AK)salvation!

What Is the Measure of My Days?

To the choirmaster: to ^(AL)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

39 I said, “I will ^(AM)guard my ways,
    that I ^(AN)may not sin with my tongue;
I will ^(AO)guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
²I was ^(AP)mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
³    My ^(AQ)heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴“O Lord, ^(AR)make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
⁵Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and ^(AS)my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely ^(AT)all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
⁶    Surely a man ^(AU)goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing^[a] they are in turmoil;
    man ^(AV)heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

⁷“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    ^(AW)My hope is in you.
⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    ^(AX)Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
⁹^(AY)I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
    ^(AZ)for it is you who have done it.
¹⁰^(BA)Remove your stroke from me;
    I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
¹¹When you discipline a man
    with ^(BB)rebukes for sin,
you ^(BC)consume like a ^(BD)moth what is dear to him;
    ^(BE)surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

¹²^(BF)“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am ^(BG)a sojourner with you,
    ^(BH)a guest, like all my fathers.
¹³^(BI)Look away from me, that I may smile again,
    ^(BJ)before I depart and ^(BK)am no more!”

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

40 I ^(BL)waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and ^(BM)heard my cry.
²He drew me up from ^(BN)the pit of destruction,
    out of ^(BO)the miry bog,
and ^(BP)set my feet upon a rock,
    ^(BQ)making my steps secure.
³He put ^(BR)a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will ^(BS)see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

⁴Blessed is the man who ^(BT)makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who ^(BU)go astray after a lie!
⁵You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your ^(BV)wondrous deeds and your ^(BW)thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are ^(BX)more than can be told.

⁶^(BY)In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
    but you have given me an open ^(BZ)ear.^[b]
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written ^(CA)of me:
⁸^(CB)I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is ^(CC)within my heart.”

⁹I have told the glad news of deliverance^[c]
    in ^(CD)the great congregation;
behold, I have not ^(CE)restrained my lips,
    ^(CF)as you know, O Lord.
¹⁰I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

¹¹As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your ^(CG)steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!
¹²For evils have ^(CH)encompassed me
    beyond number;
my ^(CI)iniquities have overtaken me,
    and I cannot ^(CJ)see;
they are ^(CK)more than the hairs of my head;
    my heart ^(CL)fails me.

¹³^(CM)Be pleased, O Lord, to ^(CN)deliver me!
    O Lord, ^(CO)make haste to help me!
¹⁴^(CP)Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be ^(CQ)turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
¹⁵Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who ^(CR)say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

¹⁶But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    ^(CS)say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
¹⁷As for me, I am ^(CT)poor and needy,
    but ^(CU)the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!

Footnotes

Psalm 39:6 Hebrew Surely as a breath
Psalm 40:6 Hebrew ears you have dug for me
Psalm 40:9 Hebrew righteousness; also verse 10

Acts 23:12-35

English Standard Version

A Plot to Kill Paul

¹²When it was day, ^(A)the Jews made a plot and ^(B)bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. ¹⁴They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. ¹⁵Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered ^(C)the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul ^(D)the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” ¹⁹The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” ²⁰And he said, ^(E)“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. ²¹But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who ^(F)have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” ²²So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

²³Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.^[a] ²⁴Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to ^(G)Felix ^(H)the governor.” ²⁵And he wrote a letter to this effect:

²⁶“Claudius Lysias, to ^(I)his Excellency the governor Felix, ^(J)greetings. ²⁷^(K)This man was seized by the Jews and ^(L)was about to be killed by them ^(M)when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, ^(N)having learned that he was a Roman citizen. ²⁸And ^(O)desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. ²⁹I found that he was being accused ^(P)about questions of their law, but ^(Q)charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. ³⁰^(R)And when it was disclosed to me ^(S)that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ^(T)ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

³¹So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³²And on the next day they returned to ^(U)the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. ³³When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. ³⁴On reading the letter, he asked what ^(V)province he was from. And when he learned ^(W)that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵he said, “I will give you a hearing ^(X)when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's ^(Y)praetorium.