Psalm 43-45

New International Version

Psalm 43^[a]

¹Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause^(A)
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me^(B) from those who are
    deceitful and wicked.^(C)
²You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected^(D) me?
Why must I go about mourning,^(E)
    oppressed by the enemy?^(F)
³Send me your light^(G) and your faithful care,^(H)
    let them lead me;^(I)
let them bring me to your holy mountain,^(J)
    to the place where you dwell.^(K)
⁴Then I will go^(L) to the altar^(M) of God,
    to God, my joy^(N) and my delight.^(O)
I will praise you with the lyre,^(P)
    O God, my God.

⁵Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.^(Q)

Psalm 44^[b]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[c]

¹We have heard it with our ears,^(R) O God;
    our ancestors have told us^(S)
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago.^(T)
²With your hand you drove out^(U) the nations
    and planted^(V) our ancestors;
you crushed^(W) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.^(X)
³It was not by their sword^(Y) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,^(Z) your arm,^(AA)
    and the light^(AB) of your face, for you loved^(AC) them.

⁴You are my King^(AD) and my God,^(AE)
    who decrees^[d] victories^(AF) for Jacob.
⁵Through you we push back^(AG) our enemies;
    through your name we trample^(AH) our foes.
⁶I put no trust in my bow,^(AI)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
⁷but you give us victory^(AJ) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.^(AK)
⁸In God we make our boast^(AL) all day long,^(AM)
    and we will praise your name forever.^[e]^(AN)

⁹But now you have rejected^(AO) and humbled us;^(AP)
    you no longer go out with our armies.^(AQ)
¹⁰You made us retreat^(AR) before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered^(AS) us.
¹¹You gave us up to be devoured like sheep^(AT)
    and have scattered us among the nations.^(AU)
¹²You sold your people for a pittance,^(AV)
    gaining nothing from their sale.

¹³You have made us a reproach^(AW) to our neighbors,^(AX)
    the scorn^(AY) and derision^(AZ) of those around us.
¹⁴You have made us a byword^(BA) among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads^(BB) at us.
¹⁵I live in disgrace^(BC) all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame^(BD)
¹⁶at the taunts^(BE) of those who reproach and revile^(BF) me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.^(BG)

¹⁷All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten^(BH) you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸Our hearts had not turned^(BI) back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹But you crushed^(BJ) us and made us a haunt for jackals;^(BK)
    you covered us over with deep darkness.^(BL)

²⁰If we had forgotten^(BM) the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,^(BN)
²¹would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?^(BO)
²²Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep^(BP) to be slaughtered.^(BQ)

²³Awake,^(BR) Lord! Why do you sleep?^(BS)
Rouse yourself!^(BT) Do not reject us forever.^(BU)
²⁴Why do you hide your face^(BV)
and forget^(BW) our misery and oppression?^(BX)

²⁵We are brought down to the dust;^(BY)
our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶Rise up^(BZ) and help us;
rescue^(CA) us because of your unfailing love.^(CB)

Psalm 45^[f]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[g] A wedding song.^(CC)

¹My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

²You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,^(CD)
since God has blessed you forever.^(CE)

³Gird your sword^(CF) on your side, you mighty one;^(CG)
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.^(CH)
⁴In your majesty ride forth victoriously^(CI)
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;^(CJ)
    let your right hand^(CK) achieve awesome deeds.^(CL)
⁵Let your sharp arrows^(CM) pierce the hearts^(CN) of the king’s enemies;^(CO)
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶Your throne, O God,^[h] will last for ever and ever;^(CP)
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁷You love righteousness^(CQ) and hate wickedness;^(CR)
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing^(CS) you with the oil of joy.^(CT)
⁸All your robes are fragrant^(CU) with myrrh^(CV) and aloes^(CW) and cassia;^(CX)
    from palaces adorned with ivory^(CY)
    the music of the strings^(CZ) makes you glad.
⁹Daughters of kings^(DA) are among your honored women;
    at your right hand^(DB) is the royal bride^(DC) in gold of Ophir.^(DD)

¹⁰Listen, daughter,^(DE) and pay careful attention:^(DF)
    Forget your people^(DG) and your father’s house.
¹¹Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;^(DH)
    honor^(DI) him, for he is your lord.^(DJ)
¹²The city of Tyre^(DK) will come with a gift,^[i]^(DL)
    people of wealth will seek your favor.
¹³All glorious^(DM) is the princess within her chamber;
    her gown is interwoven with gold.^(DN)
¹⁴In embroidered garments^(DO) she is led to the king;^(DP)
    her virgin companions^(DQ) follow her—
    those brought to be with her.
¹⁵Led in with joy and gladness,^(DR)
    they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes^(DS) throughout the land.

¹⁷I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;^(DT)
therefore the nations will praise you^(DU) for ever and ever.^(DV)

Footnotes

Psalm 43:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.
Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 45:1 In Hebrew texts 45:1-17 is numbered 45:2-18.
Psalm 45:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 45:6 Here the king is addressed as God’s representative.
Psalm 45:12 Or A Tyrian robe is among the gifts

Acts 19:1-20

New International Version

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos^(A) was at Corinth,^(B) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(C) There he found some disciples ²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit^(D) when^[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴Paul said, “John’s baptism^(E) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(F) ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^(G) ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them,^(H) the Holy Spirit came on them,^(I) and they spoke in tongues^[b]^(J) and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.

⁸Paul entered the synagogue^(K) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^(L) ⁹But some of them^(M) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(N) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(O) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This went on for two years,^(P) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(Q) heard the word of the Lord.^(R)

¹¹God did extraordinary miracles^(S) through Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured^(T) and the evil spirits left them.

¹³Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits^(U) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus^(V) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(W) they were all seized with fear,^(X) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^[c] ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord^(Y) spread widely and grew in power.^(Z)