The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with (A)stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David, (B)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

54 O God, save me by your (C)name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
O God, (D)hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

(E)For (F)strangers[b] have risen against me;
    ruthless men (G)seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves. Selah

Behold, (H)God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your (I)faithfulness (J)put an end to them.

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, (K)for it is good.
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has (L)looked in triumph on my enemies.

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

To the choirmaster: with (M)stringed instruments. A Maskil[c] of David.

55 (N)Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless (O)in my complaint and I (P)moan,
because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they (Q)drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

My heart is in anguish within me;
    (R)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and (S)horror (T)overwhelms me.
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
(U)yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter
    from (V)the raging wind and tempest.”

Destroy, O Lord, (W)divide their tongues;
    for I see (X)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and (Y)iniquity and trouble are within it;
11     ruin is in its midst;
(Z)oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who (AA)deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
13 (AB)But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in (AC)the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol (AD)alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

16 But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
17 (AE)Evening and (AF)morning and at (AG)noon
    I (AH)utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for (AI)many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is (AJ)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not (AK)change
    and do not fear God.

20 My companion[d] (AL)stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
21 His (AM)speech was (AN)smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were (AO)drawn swords.

22 (AP)Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
(AQ)he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, (AR)will cast them down
    into (AS)the pit of destruction;
men of (AT)blood and treachery
    shall not (AU)live out half their days.
But I will (AV)trust in you.

In God I Trust

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A (AW)Miktam[e] of David, when the (AX)Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 (AY)Be gracious to me, O God, for man (AZ)tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
    I (BA)put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; (BB)I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;[f]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They (BC)stir up strife, they (BD)lurk;
    they (BE)watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
For their crime will they escape?
    (BF)In wrath (BG)cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;[g]
    (BH)put my tears in your bottle.
    (BI)Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
    (BJ)in the day when I call.
    This I know, that[h] (BK)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; (BL)I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

12 I must perform my (BM)vows to you, O God;
    I will (BN)render thank offerings to you.
13 (BO)For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
(BP)that I may walk before God
    (BQ)in the light of life.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)
  3. Psalm 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  4. Psalm 55:20 Hebrew He
  5. Psalm 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  6. Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
  7. Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
  8. Psalm 56:9 Or because

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

21 And when (A)we had parted from them and set sail, we (B)came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.[a] And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And (C)through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, (D)accompanied us until we were outside the city. And (E)kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted (F)the brothers[b] and stayed with them for one day. On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of (G)Philip (H)the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, (I)who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named (J)Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he (K)took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, (L)“Thus says the Holy Spirit, (M)‘This is how the Jews[c] at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and (N)deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there (O)urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, (P)“What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For (Q)I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem (R)for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, (S)we ceased and said, (T)“Let the will of the Lord be done.”

15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Paul Visits James

17 When we had come to Jerusalem, (U)the brothers received us gladly.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 21:1 Some manuscripts add and Myra
  2. Acts 21:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 17
  3. Acts 21:11 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time

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