Psalm 68-69

New International Version

Psalm 68^[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

¹May God arise,^(A) may his enemies be scattered;^(B)
    may his foes flee^(C) before him.
²May you blow them away like smoke—^(D)
    as wax melts^(E) before the fire,
    may the wicked perish^(F) before God.
³But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice^(G) before God;
    may they be happy and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,^(H)
    extol him who rides on the clouds^[b]^(I);
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.^(J)
⁵A father to the fatherless,^(K) a defender of widows,^(L)
    is God in his holy dwelling.^(M)
⁶God sets the lonely^(N) in families,^[c]^(O)
    he leads out the prisoners^(P) with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.^(Q)

⁷When you, God, went out^(R) before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness,^[d]^(S)
⁸the earth shook,^(T) the heavens poured down rain,^(U)
    before God, the One of Sinai,^(V)
    before God, the God of Israel.^(W)
⁹You gave abundant showers,^(X) O God;
    you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰Your people settled in it,
    and from your bounty,^(Y) God, you provided^(Z) for the poor.

¹¹The Lord announces the word,
    and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:^(AA)
¹²“Kings and armies flee^(AB) in haste;
    the women at home divide the plunder.^(AC)
¹³Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,^[e]^(AD)
    the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
    its feathers with shining gold.”
¹⁴When the Almighty^[f] scattered^(AE) the kings in the land,
    it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.^(AF)

¹⁵Mount Bashan,^(AG) majestic mountain,^(AH)
    Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
¹⁶why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
    at the mountain where God chooses^(AI) to reign,
    where the Lord himself will dwell forever?^(AJ)
¹⁷The chariots^(AK) of God are tens of thousands
    and thousands of thousands;^(AL)
    the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.^[g]
¹⁸When you ascended^(AM) on high,^(AN)
    you took many captives;^(AO)
    you received gifts from people,^(AP)
even from^[h] the rebellious^(AQ)—
    that you,^[i] Lord God, might dwell there.

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,^(AR)
    who daily bears our burdens.^(AS)
²⁰Our God is a God who saves;^(AT)
    from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.^(AU)
²¹Surely God will crush the heads^(AV) of his enemies,
    the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
²²The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
    I will bring them from the depths of the sea,^(AW)
²³that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,^(AX)
    while the tongues of your dogs^(AY) have their share.”

²⁴Your procession, God, has come into view,
    the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.^(AZ)
²⁵In front are the singers,^(BA) after them the musicians;^(BB)
    with them are the young women playing the timbrels.^(BC)
²⁶Praise God in the great congregation;^(BD)
    praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.^(BE)
²⁷There is the little tribe^(BF) of Benjamin,^(BG) leading them,
    there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
    and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.^(BH)

²⁸Summon your power,^(BI) God^[j];
    show us your strength,^(BJ) our God, as you have done^(BK) before.
²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings will bring you gifts.^(BL)
³⁰Rebuke the beast^(BM) among the reeds,^(BN)
    the herd of bulls^(BO) among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
    Scatter the nations^(BP) who delight in war.^(BQ)
³¹Envoys will come from Egypt;^(BR)
    Cush^[k]^(BS) will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,^(BT)
    sing praise^(BU) to the Lord,
³³to him who rides^(BV) across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
    who thunders^(BW) with mighty voice.^(BX)
³⁴Proclaim the power^(BY) of God,
    whose majesty^(BZ) is over Israel,
    whose power is in the heavens.
³⁵You, God, are awesome^(CA) in your sanctuary;^(CB)
    the God of Israel gives power and strength^(CC) to his people.^(CD)

Praise be to God!^(CE)

Psalm 69^[l]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹Save me, O God,
    for the waters^(CF) have come up to my neck.^(CG)
²I sink in the miry depths,^(CH)
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
³I am worn out calling for help;^(CI)
    my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,^(CJ)
    looking for my God.
⁴Those who hate me^(CK) without reason^(CL)
    outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,^(CM)
    those who seek to destroy me.^(CN)
I am forced to restore
    what I did not steal.

⁵You, God, know my folly;^(CO)
my guilt is not hidden from you.^(CP)

⁶Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    may those who hope in you
    not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
    may those who seek you
    not be put to shame because of me.
⁷For I endure scorn^(CQ) for your sake,^(CR)
    and shame covers my face.^(CS)
⁸I am a foreigner to my own family,
    a stranger to my own mother’s children;^(CT)
⁹for zeal for your house consumes me,^(CU)
    and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.^(CV)
¹⁰When I weep and fast,^(CW)
    I must endure scorn;
¹¹when I put on sackcloth,^(CX)
    people make sport of me.
¹²Those who sit at the gate^(CY) mock me,
    and I am the song of the drunkards.^(CZ)

¹³But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;^(DA)
in your great love,^(DB) O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴Rescue me from the mire,
    do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
    from the deep waters.^(DC)
¹⁵Do not let the floodwaters^(DD) engulf me
    or the depths swallow me up^(DE)
    or the pit close its mouth over me.^(DF)

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;^(DG)
    in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷Do not hide your face^(DH) from your servant;
    answer me quickly,^(DI) for I am in trouble.^(DJ)
¹⁸Come near and rescue me;
    deliver^(DK) me because of my foes.

¹⁹You know how I am scorned,^(DL) disgraced and shamed;
    all my enemies are before you.
²⁰Scorn has broken my heart
    and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
    for comforters,^(DM) but I found none.^(DN)
²¹They put gall in my food
    and gave me vinegar^(DO) for my thirst.^(DP)

²²May the table set before them become a snare;
    may it become retribution and^[m] a trap.^(DQ)
²³May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.^(DR)
²⁴Pour out your wrath^(DS) on them;
    let your fierce anger overtake them.
²⁵May their place be deserted;^(DT)
    let there be no one to dwell in their tents.^(DU)
²⁶For they persecute those you wound
    and talk about the pain of those you hurt.^(DV)
²⁷Charge them with crime upon crime;^(DW)
    do not let them share in your salvation.^(DX)
²⁸May they be blotted out of the book of life^(DY)
    and not be listed with the righteous.^(DZ)

²⁹But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.^(EA)

³⁰I will praise God’s name in song^(EB)
    and glorify him^(EC) with thanksgiving.
³¹This will please the Lord more than an ox,
    more than a bull with its horns and hooves.^(ED)
³²The poor will see and be glad^(EE)—
    you who seek God, may your hearts live!^(EF)
³³The Lord hears the needy^(EG)
    and does not despise his captive people.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and all that move in them,^(EH)
³⁵for God will save Zion^(EI)
    and rebuild the cities of Judah.^(EJ)
Then people will settle there and possess it;
³⁶    the children of his servants will inherit it,^(EK)
    and those who love his name will dwell there.^(EL)

Footnotes

Psalm 68:1 In Hebrew texts 68:1-35 is numbered 68:2-36.
Psalm 68:4 Or name, / prepare the way for him who rides through the deserts
Psalm 68:6 Or the desolate in a homeland
Psalm 68:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 19 and 32.
Psalm 68:13 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
Psalm 68:14 Hebrew Shaddai
Psalm 68:17 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lord is among them at Sinai in holiness
Psalm 68:18 Or gifts for people, / even
Psalm 68:18 Or they
Psalm 68:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned power for you
Psalm 68:31 That is, the upper Nile region
Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become

Acts 24

New International Version

Paul’s Trial Before Felix

24 Five days later the high priest Ananias^(A) went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges^(B) against Paul before the governor.^(C) ²When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. ³Everywhere and in every way, most excellent^(D) Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. ⁴But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

⁵“We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots^(E) among the Jews^(F) all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene^(G) sect^(H) ⁶and even tried to desecrate the temple;^(I) so we seized him. ^[7]^[a] ⁸By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

⁹The other Jews joined in the accusation,^(J) asserting that these things were true.

¹⁰When the governor^(K) motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. ¹¹You can easily verify that no more than twelve days^(L) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹²My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,^(M) or stirring up a crowd^(N) in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.^(O) ¹⁴However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors^(P) as a follower of the Way,^(Q) which they call a sect.^(R) I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,^(S) ¹⁵and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection^(T) of both the righteous and the wicked.^(U) ¹⁶So I strive always to keep my conscience clear^(V) before God and man.

¹⁷“After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor^(W) and to present offerings. ¹⁸I was ceremonially clean^(X) when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.^(Y) ¹⁹But there are some Jews from the province of Asia,^(Z) who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.^(AA) ²⁰Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— ²¹unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”^(AB)

²²Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way,^(AC) adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” ²³He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard^(AD) but to give him some freedom^(AE) and permit his friends to take care of his needs.^(AF)

²⁴Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.^(AG) ²⁵As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control^(AH) and the judgment^(AI) to come, Felix was afraid^(AJ) and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” ²⁶At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

²⁷When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,^(AK) but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews,^(AL) he left Paul in prison.^(AM)

Footnotes

Acts 24:7 Some manuscripts include here him, and we would have judged him in accordance with our law. ⁷But the commander Lysias came and took him from us with much violence, ⁸ordering his accusers to come before you.