Psalm 20-22

New International Version

Psalm 20^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;^(A)
    may the name of the God of Jacob^(B) protect you.^(C)
²May he send you help^(D) from the sanctuary^(E)
    and grant you support^(F) from Zion.^(G)
³May he remember^(H) all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.^[b]^(I)
⁴May he give you the desire of your heart^(J)
    and make all your plans succeed.^(K)
⁵May we shout for joy^(L) over your victory
    and lift up our banners^(M) in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.^(N)

⁶Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.^(O)
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.^(P)
⁷Some trust in chariots^(Q) and some in horses,^(R)
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.^(S)
⁸They are brought to their knees and fall,^(T)
    but we rise up^(U) and stand firm.^(V)
⁹Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us^(W) when we call!

Psalm 21^[c]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.^(X)
How great is his joy in the victories you give!^(Y)

²You have granted him his heart’s desire^(Z)
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.^[d]
³You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold^(AA) on his head.^(AB)
⁴He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
    length of days, for ever and ever.^(AC)
⁵Through the victories^(AD) you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.^(AE)
⁶Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy^(AF) of your presence.^(AG)
⁷For the king trusts in the Lord;^(AH)
    through the unfailing love^(AI) of the Most High^(AJ)
    he will not be shaken.^(AK)

⁸Your hand will lay hold^(AL) on all your enemies;
    your right hand will seize your foes.
⁹When you appear for battle,
    you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and his fire will consume them.^(AM)
¹⁰You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.^(AN)
¹¹Though they plot evil^(AO) against you
    and devise wicked schemes,^(AP) they cannot succeed.
¹²You will make them turn their backs^(AQ)
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

¹³Be exalted^(AR) in your strength, Lord;^(AS)
we will sing and praise your might.

Psalm 22^[e]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?^(AT)
    Why are you so far^(AU) from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?^(AV)
²My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,^(AW)
    by night,^(AX) but I find no rest.^[f]

³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;^(AY)
    you are the one Israel praises.^[g]^(AZ)
⁴In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.^(BA)
⁵To you they cried out^(BB) and were saved;
    in you they trusted^(BC) and were not put to shame.^(BD)

⁶But I am a worm^(BE) and not a man,
    scorned by everyone,^(BF) despised^(BG) by the people.
⁷All who see me mock me;^(BH)
    they hurl insults,^(BI) shaking their heads.^(BJ)
⁸“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.^(BK)
Let him deliver him,^(BL)
    since he delights^(BM) in him.”

⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb;^(BN)
you made me trust^(BO) in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰From birth^(BP) I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹Do not be far from me,^(BQ)
for trouble is near^(BR)
and there is no one to help.^(BS)

¹²Many bulls^(BT) surround me;^(BU)
    strong bulls of Bashan^(BV) encircle me.
¹³Roaring lions^(BW) that tear their prey^(BX)
    open their mouths wide^(BY) against me.
¹⁴I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.^(BZ)
My heart has turned to wax;^(CA)
    it has melted^(CB) within me.
¹⁵My mouth^[h] is dried up like a potsherd,^(CC)
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;^(CD)
    you lay me in the dust^(CE) of death.

¹⁶Dogs^(CF) surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce^[i]^(CG) my hands and my feet.
¹⁷All my bones are on display;
    people stare^(CH) and gloat over me.^(CI)
¹⁸They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots^(CJ) for my garment.^(CK)

¹⁹But you, Lord, do not be far from me.^(CL)
    You are my strength;^(CM) come quickly^(CN) to help me.^(CO)
²⁰Deliver me from the sword,^(CP)
    my precious life^(CQ) from the power of the dogs.^(CR)
²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;^(CS)
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.^(CT)

²²I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly^(CU) I will praise you.^(CV)
²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!^(CW)
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!^(CX)
    Revere him,^(CY) all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴For he has not despised^(CZ) or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;^(DA)
he has not hidden his face^(DB) from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.^(DC)

²⁵From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;^(DD)
    before those who fear you^[j] I will fulfill my vows.^(DE)
²⁶The poor will eat^(DF) and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—^(DG)
    may your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth^(DH)
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,^(DI)
²⁸for dominion belongs to the Lord^(DJ)
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the rich^(DK) of the earth will feast and worship;^(DL)
    all who go down to the dust^(DM) will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.^(DN)
³⁰Posterity^(DO) will serve him;
    future generations^(DP) will be told about the Lord.
³¹They will proclaim his righteousness,^(DQ)
    declaring to a people yet unborn:^(DR)
    He has done it!^(DS)

Footnotes

Psalm 20:1 In Hebrew texts 20:1-9 is numbered 20:2-10.
Psalm 20:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-13 is numbered 21:2-14.
Psalm 21:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1-31 is numbered 22:2-32.
Psalm 22:2 Or night, and am not silent
Psalm 22:3 Or Yet you are holy, / enthroned on the praises of Israel
Psalm 22:15 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text strength
Psalm 22:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text me, / like a lion
Psalm 22:25 Hebrew him

Acts 13:26-52

New International Version

²⁶“Fellow children of Abraham^(A) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(B) has been sent. ²⁷The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus,^(C) yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets^(D) that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.^(E) ²⁹When they had carried out all that was written about him,^(F) they took him down from the cross^(G) and laid him in a tomb.^(H) ³⁰But God raised him from the dead,^(I) ³¹and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.^(J) They are now his witnesses^(K) to our people.

³²“We tell you the good news:^(L) What God promised our ancestors^(M) ³³he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.^(N) As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son;
today I have become your father.’^[a]^(O)

³⁴God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’^[b]^(P)

³⁵So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’^[c]^(Q)

³⁶“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;^(R) he was buried with his ancestors^(S) and his body decayed. ³⁷But the one whom God raised from the dead^(T) did not see decay.

³⁸“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.^(U) ³⁹Through him everyone who believes^(V) is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.^(W) ⁴⁰Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁴¹“‘Look, you scoffers,
    wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
    that you would never believe,
    even if someone told you.’^[d]”^(X)

⁴²As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,^(Y) the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. ⁴³When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.^(Z)

⁴⁴On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying^(AA) and heaped abuse^(AB) on him.

⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.^(AC) Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.^(AD) ⁴⁷For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you^[e] a light for the Gentiles,^(AE)
that you^[f] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’^[g]”^(AF)

⁴⁸When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;^(AG) and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹The word of the Lord^(AH) spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.^(AI) ⁵¹So they shook the dust off their feet^(AJ) as a warning to them and went to Iconium.^(AK) ⁵²And the disciples^(AL) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.^(AM)