Psalm 49-50

New International Version

Psalm 49^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹Hear^(A) this, all you peoples;^(B)
    listen, all who live in this world,^(C)
²both low and high,^(D)
    rich and poor alike:
³My mouth will speak words of wisdom;^(E)
    the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.^(F)
⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb;^(G)
    with the harp^(H) I will expound my riddle:^(I)

⁵Why should I fear^(J) when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
⁶those who trust in their wealth^(K)
    and boast^(L) of their great riches?^(M)
⁷No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
⁸the ransom^(N) for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—^(O)
⁹so that they should live on^(P) forever
    and not see decay.^(Q)
¹⁰For all can see that the wise die,^(R)
    that the foolish and the senseless^(S) also perish,
    leaving their wealth^(T) to others.^(U)
¹¹Their tombs^(V) will remain their houses^[b] forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,^(W)
    though they had^[c] named^(X) lands after themselves.

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure;^(Y)
they are like the beasts that perish.^(Z)

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,^(AA)
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^[d]
¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined^(AB) to die;^(AC)
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail^(AD) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;^(AE)
    he will surely take me to himself.^(AF)
¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendor of their houses increases;
¹⁷for they will take nothing^(AG) with them when they die,
    their splendor will not descend with them.^(AH)
¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed—^(AI)
    and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them,^(AJ)
    who will never again see the light^(AK) of life.

²⁰People who have wealth but lack understanding^(AL)
are like the beasts that perish.^(AM)

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord,^(AN)
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.^(AO)
²From Zion,^(AP) perfect in beauty,^(AQ)
    God shines forth.^(AR)
³Our God comes^(AS)
    and will not be silent;^(AT)
a fire devours^(AU) before him,^(AV)
    and around him a tempest^(AW) rages.
⁴He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth,^(AX) that he may judge his people:^(AY)
⁵“Gather to me this consecrated people,^(AZ)
    who made a covenant^(BA) with me by sacrifice.”
⁶And the heavens proclaim^(BB) his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.^[e]^[f]^(BC)

⁷“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify^(BD) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.^(BE)
⁸I bring no charges^(BF) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,^(BG) which are ever before me.
⁹I have no need of a bull^(BH) from your stall
    or of goats^(BI) from your pens,^(BJ)
¹⁰for every animal of the forest^(BK) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.^(BL)
¹¹I know every bird^(BM) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields^(BN) are mine.
¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world^(BO) is mine, and all that is in it.^(BP)
¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴“Sacrifice thank offerings^(BQ) to God,
fulfill your vows^(BR) to the Most High,^(BS)
¹⁵and call^(BT) on me in the day of trouble;^(BU)
I will deliver^(BV) you, and you will honor^(BW) me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant^(BX) on your lips?^(BY)
¹⁷You hate^(BZ) my instruction
    and cast my words behind^(CA) you.
¹⁸When you see a thief, you join^(CB) with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.^(CC)
¹⁹You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.^(CD)
²⁰You sit and testify against your brother^(CE)
    and slander your own mother’s son.
²¹When you did these things and I kept silent,^(CF)
    you thought I was exactly^[g] like you.
But I now arraign^(CG) you
    and set my accusations^(CH) before you.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God,^(CI)
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:^(CJ)
²³Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless^[h] I will show my salvation.^(CK)”

Footnotes

Psalm 49:1 In Hebrew texts 49:1-20 is numbered 49:2-21.
Psalm 49:11 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew In their thoughts their houses will remain
Psalm 49:11 Or generations, / for they have
Psalm 49:13 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 15.
Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.

Acts 20:1-16

New International Version

Through Macedonia and Greece

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples^(A) and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.^(B) ²He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him^(C) just as he was about to sail for Syria,^(D) he decided to go back through Macedonia.^(E) ⁴He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus^(F) and Secundus from Thessalonica,^(G) Gaius^(H) from Derbe, Timothy^(I) also, and Tychicus^(J) and Trophimus^(K) from the province of Asia.^(L) ⁵These men went on ahead and waited for us^(M) at Troas.^(N) ⁶But we sailed from Philippi^(O) after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas,^(P) where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

⁷On the first day of the week^(Q) we came together to break bread.^(R) Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸There were many lamps in the upstairs room^(S) where we were meeting. ⁹Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰Paul went down, threw himself on the young man^(T) and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”^(U) ¹¹Then he went upstairs again and broke bread^(V) and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹²The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

¹³We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.^(W) ¹⁶Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus^(X) to avoid spending time in the province of Asia,^(Y) for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem,^(Z) if possible, by the day of Pentecost.^(AA)