Psalm 57-59

English Standard Version

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A ^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, when he fled from Saul, in ^(C)the cave.

57 ^(D)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul ^(E)takes refuge;
in ^(F)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    ^(G)till the storms of destruction pass by.
²I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who ^(H)fulfills his purpose for me.
³^(I)He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame ^(J)him who tramples on me. Selah
^(K)God will send out ^(L)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴My soul is in the midst of ^(M)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose ^(N)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose ^(O)tongues are sharp swords.

⁵^(P)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶They set ^(Q)a net for my steps;
    my soul was ^(R)bowed down.
They ^(S)dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷^(T)My heart is ^(U)steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
⁸    ^(V)Awake, ^(W)my glory!^[b]
Awake, ^(X)O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰For your ^(Y)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹^(Z)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(AA)Do Not Destroy. A ^(AB)Miktam^[c] of David.

58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?^[d]
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
²No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands ^(AC)deal out violence on earth.

³The wicked are ^(AD)estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
⁴^(AE)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
⁵so that it ^(AF)does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.

⁶O God, ^(AG)break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
⁷Let them ^(AH)vanish like water that runs away;
    when he ^(AI)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
⁸Let them be like the snail ^(AJ)that dissolves into slime,
    like ^(AK)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
⁹Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of ^(AL)thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he ^(AM)sweep them away!^[e]

¹⁰^(AN)The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will ^(AO)bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹Mankind will say, “Surely there is ^(AP)a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who ^(AQ)judges on earth.”

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to ^(AR)Do Not Destroy. A ^(AS)Miktam^[f] of David, ^(AT)when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59 ^(AU)Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
^(AV)protect me from those who ^(AW)rise up against me;
²deliver me from ^(AX)those who work evil,
and save me from ^(AY)bloodthirsty men.

³For behold, they ^(AZ)lie in wait for my life;
    fierce men ^(BA)stir up strife against me.
^(BB)For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
⁴    for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
^(BC)Awake, come to meet me, and see!
⁵    You, ^(BD)Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

⁶Each evening they ^(BE)come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
⁷There they are, ^(BF)bellowing with their mouths
    with ^(BG)swords in their lips—
    for ^(BH)“Who,” they think,^[g] “will hear us?”

⁸But you, O Lord, ^(BI)laugh at them;
    you hold all the nations in derision.
⁹O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are ^(BJ)my fortress.
¹⁰^(BK)My God in his steadfast love^[h] ^(BL)will meet me;
    God will let me ^(BM)look in triumph on my enemies.

¹¹Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter^[i] by your power and ^(BN)bring them down,
    O Lord, our ^(BO)shield!
¹²For ^(BP)the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
¹³    ^(BQ)consume them in wrath;
    consume them till they are no more,
that they may ^(BR)know that God rules over Jacob
    to ^(BS)the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴^(BT)Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
¹⁵They ^(BU)wander about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.

¹⁶But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me ^(BV)a fortress
    and ^(BW)a refuge in ^(BX)the day of my distress.
¹⁷O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, ^(BY)are my fortress,
    ^(BZ)the God who shows me steadfast love.

Footnotes

Psalm 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 57:8 Or my whole being
Psalm 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 58:1 Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)
Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
Psalm 59:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 59:7 Hebrew lacks they think
Psalm 59:10 Or The God who shows me steadfast love
Psalm 59:11 Or wander

Acts 21:18-40

English Standard Version

¹⁸On the following day Paul went in with us to ^(A)James, and all ^(B)the elders were present. ¹⁹After greeting them, ^(C)he related one by one ^(D)the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ^(E)ministry. ²⁰And when they heard it, they ^(F)glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all ^(G)zealous for the law, ²¹and they have been told about you that you teach all ^(H)the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, ^(I)telling them ^(J)not to circumcise their children or ^(K)walk according to ^(L)our customs. ²²What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men ^(M)who are under a vow; ²⁴take these men and ^(N)purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ^(O)so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. ²⁵But as for the Gentiles who have believed, ^(P)we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled,^[a] and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶Then Paul took the men, and the next day ^(Q)he purified himself along with them and ^(R)went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and ^(S)the offering presented for each one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

²⁷When ^(T)the seven days were almost completed, ^(U)the Jews from Asia, ^(V)seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who ^(W)is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and ^(X)the law and ^(Y)this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and ^(Z)has defiled ^(AA)this holy place.” ²⁹For they had previously seen ^(AB)Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and ^(AC)dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. ³¹^(AD)And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of ^(AE)the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³²^(AF)He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him ^(AG)to be bound ^(AH)with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. ³⁴^(AI)Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into ^(AJ)the barracks. ³⁵And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, ³⁶for the mob of the people followed, crying out, ^(AK)“Away with him!”

Paul Speaks to the People

³⁷As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸Are you not ^(AL)the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out ^(AM)into the wilderness?” ³⁹Paul replied, ^(AN)“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, ^(AO)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in ^(AP)the Hebrew language,^[b] saying: