Psalm 54-56

New International Version

Psalm 54^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David. When the Ziphites^(A) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

¹Save me^(B), O God, by your name;^(C)
vindicate me by your might.^(D)
²Hear my prayer, O God;^(E)
listen to the words of my mouth.

³Arrogant foes are attacking me;^(F)
ruthless people^(G) are trying to kill me^(H)—
people without regard for God.^[c]^(I)

⁴Surely God is my help;^(J)
the Lord is the one who sustains me.^(K)

⁵Let evil recoil^(L) on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness^(M) destroy them.

⁶I will sacrifice a freewill offering^(N) to you;
I will praise^(O) your name, Lord, for it is good.^(P)
⁷You have delivered me^(Q) from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.^(R)

Psalm 55^[d]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[e] of David.

¹Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea;^(S)
²    hear me and answer me.^(T)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught^(U)
³    because of what my enemy is saying,
    because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me^(V)
    and assail^(W) me in their anger.^(X)

⁴My heart is in anguish^(Y) within me;
    the terrors^(Z) of death have fallen on me.
⁵Fear and trembling^(AA) have beset me;
    horror^(AB) has overwhelmed me.
⁶I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;^[f]^(AC)
⁸I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(AD)
    far from the tempest and storm.^(AE)”

⁹Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(AF)
    for I see violence and strife^(AG) in the city.^(AH)
¹⁰Day and night they prowl^(AI) about on its walls;
    malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹Destructive forces^(AJ) are at work in the city;
    threats and lies^(AK) never leave its streets.

¹²If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
¹³But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,^(AL)
¹⁴with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(AM)
    at the house of God,^(AN)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

¹⁵Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(AO)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(AP)
for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷Evening,^(AQ) morning^(AR) and noon^(AS)
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸He rescues me unharmed
    from the battle waged against me,
    even though many oppose me.
¹⁹God, who is enthroned from of old,^(AT)
    who does not change—
he will hear^(AU) them and humble them,
    because they have no fear of God.^(AV)

²⁰My companion attacks his friends;^(AW)
    he violates his covenant.^(AX)
²¹His talk is smooth as butter,^(AY)
    yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(AZ)
    yet they are drawn swords.^(BA)

²²Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;^(BB)
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.^(BC)
²³But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit^(BD) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(BE)
    will not live out half their days.^(BF)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(BG)

Psalm 56^[g]

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.^[h] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

¹Be merciful to me,^(BH) my God,
    for my enemies are in hot pursuit;^(BI)
    all day long they press their attack.^(BJ)
²My adversaries pursue me all day long;^(BK)
    in their pride many are attacking me.^(BL)

³When I am afraid,^(BM) I put my trust in you.^(BN)
⁴ In God, whose word I praise—^(BO)
in God I trust and am not afraid.^(BP)
What can mere mortals do to me?^(BQ)

⁵All day long they twist my words;^(BR)
    all their schemes are for my ruin.
⁶They conspire,^(BS) they lurk,
    they watch my steps,^(BT)
    hoping to take my life.^(BU)
⁷Because of their wickedness do not^[i] let them escape;^(BV)
    in your anger, God, bring the nations down.^(BW)

⁸Record my misery;
    list my tears on your scroll^[j]^(BX)—
    are they not in your record?^(BY)
⁹Then my enemies will turn back^(BZ)
    when I call for help.^(CA)
    By this I will know that God is for me.^(CB)

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
¹¹in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?

¹²I am under vows^(CC) to you, my God;
    I will present my thank offerings to you.
¹³For you have delivered me from death^(CD)
    and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
    in the light of life.^(CE)

Footnotes

Psalm 54:1 In Hebrew texts 54:1-7 is numbered 54:3-9.
Psalm 54:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 54:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.
Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not.
Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin

Acts 21:1-17

New International Version

On to Jerusalem

21 After we^(A) had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ²We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia,^(B) went on board and set sail. ³After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria.^(C) We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴We sought out the disciples^(D) there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit^(E) they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.^(F) ⁶After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

⁷We continued our voyage from Tyre^(G) and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters^(H) and stayed with them for a day. ⁸Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea^(I) and stayed at the house of Philip^(J) the evangelist,^(K) one of the Seven. ⁹He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.^(L)

¹⁰After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus^(M) came down from Judea. ¹¹Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says,^(N) ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind^(O) the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”^(P)

¹²When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die^(Q) in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”^(R) ¹⁴When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up^(S) and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”^(T)

¹⁵After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.^(U) ¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea^(V) accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus^(W) and one of the early disciples.