Psalm 56-58

English Standard Version

In God I Trust

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A ^(A)Miktam^[a] of David, when the ^(B)Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 ^(C)Be gracious to me, O God, for man ^(D)tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
²my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
³When I am afraid,
    I ^(E)put my trust in you.
⁴In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; ^(F)I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

⁵All day long they injure my cause;^[b]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶They ^(G)stir up strife, they ^(H)lurk;
    they ^(I)watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
⁷For their crime will they escape?
    ^(J)In wrath ^(K)cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸You have kept count of my tossings;^[c]
    ^(L)put my tears in your bottle.
    ^(M)Are they not in your book?
⁹Then my enemies will turn back
    ^(N)in the day when I call.
    This I know, that^[d] ^(O)God is for me.
¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹in God I trust; ^(P)I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

¹²I must perform my ^(Q)vows to you, O God;
    I will ^(R)render thank offerings to you.
¹³^(S)For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
^(T)that I may walk before God
    ^(U)in the light of life.

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(V)Do Not Destroy. A ^(W)Miktam^[e] of David, when he fled from Saul, in ^(X)the cave.

57 ^(Y)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul ^(Z)takes refuge;
in ^(AA)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    ^(AB)till the storms of destruction pass by.
²I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who ^(AC)fulfills his purpose for me.
³^(AD)He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame ^(AE)him who tramples on me. Selah
^(AF)God will send out ^(AG)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴My soul is in the midst of ^(AH)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose ^(AI)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose ^(AJ)tongues are sharp swords.

⁵^(AK)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶They set ^(AL)a net for my steps;
    my soul was ^(AM)bowed down.
They ^(AN)dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷^(AO)My heart is ^(AP)steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
⁸    ^(AQ)Awake, ^(AR)my glory!^[f]
Awake, ^(AS)O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰For your ^(AT)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹^(AU)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(AV)Do Not Destroy. A ^(AW)Miktam^[g] of David.

58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?^[h]
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
²No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands ^(AX)deal out violence on earth.

³The wicked are ^(AY)estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
⁴^(AZ)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
⁵so that it ^(BA)does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.

⁶O God, ^(BB)break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
⁷Let them ^(BC)vanish like water that runs away;
    when he ^(BD)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
⁸Let them be like the snail ^(BE)that dissolves into slime,
    like ^(BF)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
⁹Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of ^(BG)thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he ^(BH)sweep them away!^[i]

¹⁰^(BI)The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will ^(BJ)bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹Mankind will say, “Surely there is ^(BK)a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who ^(BL)judges on earth.”

Footnotes

Psalm 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
Psalm 56:9 Or because
Psalm 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 57:8 Or my whole being
Psalm 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 58:1 Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)
Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

Acts 28:1-15

English Standard Version

Paul on Malta

28 After we were brought safely through, ^(A)we then learned that ^(B)the island was called Malta. ²^(C)The native people^[a] showed us unusual ^(D)kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴When ^(E)the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ^(F)“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, ^(G)Justice^[b] has not allowed him to live.” ⁵He, however, ^(H)shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, ^(I)they changed their minds and ^(J)said that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and ^(K)prayed, and ^(L)putting his hands on him, healed him. ⁹And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰They also honored us greatly,^[c] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

¹¹After three months we set sail in ^(M)a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods^[d] as a figurehead. ¹²Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. ¹³And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴There we found ^(N)brothers^[e] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵And ^(O)the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, ^(P)Paul thanked God and took courage.