Psalm 26-28

New International Version

Psalm 26

Of David.

¹Vindicate me,^(A) Lord,
    for I have led a blameless life;^(B)
I have trusted^(C) in the Lord
    and have not faltered.^(D)
²Test me,^(E) Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind;^(F)
³for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love^(G)
    and have lived^(H) in reliance on your faithfulness.^(I)

⁴I do not sit^(J) with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.^(K)
⁵I abhor^(L) the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.
⁶I wash my hands in innocence,^(M)
    and go about your altar, Lord,
⁷proclaiming aloud your praise^(N)
    and telling of all your wonderful deeds.^(O)

⁸Lord, I love^(P) the house where you live,
    the place where your glory dwells.^(Q)
⁹Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
    my life with those who are bloodthirsty,^(R)
¹⁰in whose hands are wicked schemes,^(S)
    whose right hands are full of bribes.^(T)
¹¹I lead a blameless life;
    deliver me^(U) and be merciful to me.

¹²My feet stand on level ground;^(V)
in the great congregation^(W) I will praise the Lord.

Psalm 27

Of David.

¹The Lord is my light^(X) and my salvation^(Y)—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold^(Z) of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?^(AA)

²When the wicked advance against me
    to devour^[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.^(AB)
³Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;^(AC)
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.^(AD)

⁴One thing^(AE) I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,^(AF)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵For in the day of trouble^(AG)
    he will keep me safe^(AH) in his dwelling;
he will hide me^(AI) in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.^(AJ)

⁶Then my head will be exalted^(AK)
above the enemies who surround me;^(AL)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice^(AM) with shouts of joy;^(AN)
I will sing^(AO) and make music^(AP) to the Lord.

⁷Hear my voice^(AQ) when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.^(AR)
⁸My heart says of you, “Seek his face!^(AS)”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹Do not hide your face^(AT) from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;^(AU)
    you have been my helper.^(AV)
Do not reject me or forsake^(AW) me,
    God my Savior.^(AX)
¹⁰Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹Teach me your way,^(AY) Lord;
    lead me in a straight path^(AZ)
    because of my oppressors.^(BA)
¹²Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses^(BB) rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord^(BC)
    in the land of the living.^(BD)
¹⁴Wait^(BE) for the Lord;
    be strong^(BF) and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 28

Of David.

¹To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear^(BG) to me.
For if you remain silent,^(BH)
    I will be like those who go down to the pit.^(BI)
²Hear my cry for mercy^(BJ)
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands^(BK)
    toward your Most Holy Place.^(BL)

³Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
    but harbor malice in their hearts.^(BM)
⁴Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done^(BN)
    and bring back on them what they deserve.^(BO)

⁵Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
and what his hands have done,^(BP)
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,^(BQ)
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.^(BR)
⁷The Lord is my strength^(BS) and my shield;
    my heart trusts^(BT) in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,^(BU)
    and with my song I praise him.^(BV)

⁸The Lord is the strength^(BW) of his people,
a fortress of salvation^(BX) for his anointed one.^(BY)
⁹Save your people^(BZ) and bless your inheritance;^(CA)
be their shepherd^(CB) and carry them^(CC) forever.

Footnotes

Psalm 27:2 Or slander

Acts 15:1-21

New International Version

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(A) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(B) “Unless you are circumcised,^(C) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(D) you cannot be saved.” ²This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(E) to see the apostles and elders^(F) about this question. ³The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia^(G) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.^(H) This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.^(I)

⁵Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(J) of the Pharisees^(K) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(L)

⁶The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^(M) ⁸God, who knows the heart,^(N) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(O) just as he did to us. ⁹He did not discriminate between us and them,^(P) for he purified their hearts by faith.^(Q) ¹⁰Now then, why do you try to test God^(R) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke^(S) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹No! We believe it is through the grace^(T) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹²The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(U) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^(V) ¹³When they finished, James^(W) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^(X) ¹⁵The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶“‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
¹⁷that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’^[b]^(Y)—
¹⁸    things known from long ago.^[c]^(Z)

¹⁹“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(AA) from sexual immorality,^(AB) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^(AC) ²¹For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(AD)

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Footnotes

Acts 15:14 Greek Simeon, a variant of Simon; that is, Peter
Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint)
Acts 15:18 Some manuscripts things’— / ¹⁸the Lord’s work is known to him from long ago