Psalm 35-36

New International Version

Psalm 35

Of David.

¹Contend,^(A) Lord, with those who contend with me;
    fight^(B) against those who fight against me.
²Take up shield^(C) and armor;
    arise^(D) and come to my aid.^(E)
³Brandish spear^(F) and javelin^[a]^(G)
    against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
    “I am your salvation.^(H)”

⁴May those who seek my life^(I)
    be disgraced^(J) and put to shame;^(K)
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back^(L) in dismay.
⁵May they be like chaff^(M) before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord^(N) driving them away;
⁶may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷Since they hid their net^(O) for me without cause^(P)
    and without cause dug a pit^(Q) for me,
⁸may ruin overtake them by surprise—^(R)
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit,^(S) to their ruin.
⁹Then my soul will rejoice^(T) in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.^(U)
¹⁰My whole being will exclaim,
    “Who is like you,^(V) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong^(W) for them,
    the poor and needy^(X) from those who rob them.”

¹¹Ruthless witnesses^(Y) come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹²They repay me evil for good^(Z)
    and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth^(AA)
    and humbled myself with fasting.^(AB)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
¹⁴    I went about mourning^(AC)
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;^(AD)
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered^(AE) me without ceasing.
¹⁶Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;^[b]^(AF)
    they gnashed their teeth^(AG) at me.

¹⁷How long,^(AH) Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my precious life^(AI) from these lions.^(AJ)
¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly;^(AK)
    among the throngs^(AL) I will praise you.^(AM)
¹⁹Do not let those gloat over me
    who are my enemies^(AN) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason^(AO)
    maliciously wink the eye.^(AP)
²⁰They do not speak peaceably,
    but devise false accusations^(AQ)
    against those who live quietly in the land.
²¹They sneer^(AR) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!^(AS)
    With our own eyes we have seen it.”

²²Lord, you have seen^(AT) this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far^(AU) from me, Lord.
²³Awake,^(AV) and rise^(AW) to my defense!
    Contend^(AX) for me, my God and Lord.
²⁴Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
    do not let them gloat^(AY) over me.
²⁵Do not let them think, “Aha,^(AZ) just what we wanted!”
    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”^(BA)

²⁶May all who gloat^(BB) over my distress^(BC)
    be put to shame^(BD) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me^(BE)
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
²⁷May those who delight in my vindication^(BF)
    shout for joy^(BG) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
    who delights^(BH) in the well-being of his servant.”^(BI)

²⁸My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,^(BJ)
your praises all day long.^(BK)

Psalm 36^[c]

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

¹I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:^[d]^(BL)
There is no fear^(BM) of God
before their eyes.^(BN)

²In their own eyes they flatter themselves
    too much to detect or hate their sin.^(BO)
³The words of their mouths^(BP) are wicked and deceitful;^(BQ)
    they fail to act wisely^(BR) or do good.^(BS)
⁴Even on their beds they plot evil;^(BT)
    they commit themselves to a sinful course^(BU)
    and do not reject what is wrong.^(BV)

⁵Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness^(BW) to the skies.^(BX)
⁶Your righteousness^(BY) is like the highest mountains,^(BZ)
    your justice like the great deep.^(CA)
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.^(CB)
⁷How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!^(CC)
    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.^(CD)
⁸They feast on the abundance of your house;^(CE)
    you give them drink from your river^(CF) of delights.^(CG)
⁹For with you is the fountain of life;^(CH)
    in your light^(CI) we see light.

¹⁰Continue your love^(CJ) to those who know you,^(CK)
    your righteousness to the upright in heart.^(CL)
¹¹May the foot of the proud not come against me,
    nor the hand of the wicked^(CM) drive me away.
¹²See how the evildoers lie fallen—
    thrown down, not able to rise!^(CN)

Notas al pie

Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,
Psalm 36:1 In Hebrew texts 36:1-12 is numbered 36:2-13.
Psalm 36:1 Or A message from God: The transgression of the wicked / resides in their hearts.

Acts 26

New International Version

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”^(A)

So Paul motioned with his hand^(B) and began his defense: ²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you^(C) today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,^(D) ³and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs^(E) and controversies.^(F) Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴“The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child,^(G) from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known me for a long time^(H) and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect^(I) of our religion, living as a Pharisee.^(J) ⁶And now it is because of my hope^(K) in what God has promised our ancestors^(L) that I am on trial today. ⁷This is the promise our twelve tribes^(M) are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.^(N) King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.^(O) ⁸Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?^(P)

⁹“I too was convinced^(Q) that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose^(R) the name of Jesus of Nazareth.^(S) ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people^(T) in prison,^(U) and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.^(V) ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,^(W) and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

¹²“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice^(X) saying to me in Aramaic,^[a]^(Y) ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶‘Now get up and stand on your feet.^(Z) I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.^(AA) ¹⁷I will rescue you^(AB) from your own people and from the Gentiles.^(AC) I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes^(AD) and turn them from darkness to light,^(AE) and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins^(AF) and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^(AG)

¹⁹“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient^(AH) to the vision from heaven. ²⁰First to those in Damascus,^(AI) then to those in Jerusalem^(AJ) and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles,^(AK) I preached that they should repent^(AL) and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.^(AM) ²¹That is why some Jews seized me^(AN) in the temple courts and tried to kill me.^(AO) ²²But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen^(AP)— ²³that the Messiah would suffer^(AQ) and, as the first to rise from the dead,^(AR) would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”^(AS)

²⁴At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind,^(AT) Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning^(AU) is driving you insane.”

²⁵“I am not insane, most excellent^(AV) Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶The king is familiar with these things,^(AW) and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”^(AX)

²⁹Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”^(AY)

³⁰The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice^(AZ) and those sitting with them. ³¹After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”^(BA)

³²Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free^(BB) if he had not appealed to Caesar.”^(BC)