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Praise to the Creator and Preserver.

33 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart—those with moral integrity and godly character].

Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully [on the strings] with a loud and joyful sound.

For the word of the Lord is right;
And all His work is done in faithfulness.

He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.


By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
And all their host by the breath of His mouth.(A)

He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear and worship the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 
The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.
11 
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The thoughts and plans of His heart through all generations.
12 
Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.(B)

13 
The Lord looks [down] from heaven;
He sees all the sons of man;
14 
From His dwelling place He looks closely
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
Who considers and understands all that they do.
16 
The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.
17 
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness,
19 
To rescue their lives from death
And keep them alive in famine.
20 
We wait [expectantly] for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 
For in Him our heart rejoices,
Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.
22 
Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
In proportion as we have [a]hoped in You.

The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.

A Psalm of David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him out, and he went away.

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
The humble and downtrodden will hear it and rejoice.

O [b]magnify the Lord with me,
And let us lift up His name together.


I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.(C)

They looked to Him and were radiant;
Their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him from all his troubles.

The [c]angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience],
And He rescues [each of] them.(D)


O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good;
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.(E)

O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones);
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10 
The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry,
But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
11 
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].
12 
Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 
Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 
Turn away from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

15 
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous [those with moral courage and spiritual integrity]
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.(F)
17 
When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears
And rescues them from all their distress and troubles.
18 
The Lord is near to the heartbroken
And He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

19 
Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous,
But the Lord rescues him from them all.
20 
He keeps all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.(G)
21 
Evil will cause the death of the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be held guilty and will be condemned.
22 
The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 33:22 I.e. placed our confidence.
  2. Psalm 34:3 The ancient rabbis applied this verse specifically to the saying of grace after a meal and instituted the practice of zimmum (“invitation”) as a religious duty for three or more men who had eaten together. They were to invite one another to say the blessing. One then said the blessing and the others were required to say “Amen” in voices no louder than that of the speaker of the blessing, based on the word together. It was also taught that all the participants in the blessing receive a reward from God.
  3. Psalm 34:7 See note Gen 16:7.

Psalm 33

Sing joyfully(A) to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting(B) for the upright(C) to praise him.
Praise the Lord with the harp;(D)
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.(E)
Sing to him a new song;(F)
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.(G)

For the word of the Lord is right(H) and true;(I)
    he is faithful(J) in all he does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;(K)
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.(L)

By the word(M) of the Lord the heavens were made,(N)
    their starry host(O) by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters(P) of the sea into jars[a];(Q)
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;(R)
    let all the people of the world(S) revere him.(T)
For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded,(U) and it stood firm.

10 The Lord foils(V) the plans(W) of the nations;(X)
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(Y) forever,
    the purposes(Z) of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,(AA)
    the people he chose(AB) for his inheritance.(AC)
13 From heaven the Lord looks down(AD)
    and sees all mankind;(AE)
14 from his dwelling place(AF) he watches
    all who live on earth—
15 he who forms(AG) the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.(AH)

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;(AI)
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse(AJ) is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes(AK) of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,(AL)
19 to deliver them from death(AM)
    and keep them alive in famine.(AN)

20 We wait(AO) in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,(AP)
    for we trust in his holy name.(AQ)
22 May your unfailing love(AR) be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 34[b][c]

Of David. When he pretended to be insane(AS) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

I will extol the Lord at all times;(AT)
    his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory(AU) in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.(AV)
Glorify the Lord(AW) with me;
    let us exalt(AX) his name together.

I sought the Lord,(AY) and he answered me;
    he delivered(AZ) me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;(BA)
    their faces are never covered with shame.(BB)
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.(BC)
The angel of the Lord(BD) encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers(BE) them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;(BF)
    blessed is the one who takes refuge(BG) in him.
Fear the Lord,(BH) you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.(BI)
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(BJ)
11 Come, my children, listen(BK) to me;
    I will teach you(BL) the fear of the Lord.(BM)
12 Whoever of you loves life(BN)
    and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue(BO) from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.(BP)
14 Turn from evil and do good;(BQ)
    seek peace(BR) and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord(BS) are on the righteous,(BT)
    and his ears are attentive(BU) to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against(BV) those who do evil,(BW)
    to blot out their name(BX) from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears(BY) them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close(BZ) to the brokenhearted(CA)
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,(CB)
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;(CC)
20 he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.(CD)

21 Evil will slay the wicked;(CE)
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue(CF) his servants;
    no one who takes refuge(CG) in him will be condemned.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap
  2. Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  3. Psalm 34:1 In Hebrew texts 34:1-22 is numbered 34:2-23.

Paul before Felix

24 Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down [from Jerusalem to Caesarea] with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus [acting as spokesman and counsel]. They presented to the governor their [formal] charges against Paul. After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began the complaint [against him], saying to the governor:

“Since through you we have attained great peace, and since by your foresight reforms are being carried out for this nation, in every way and in every place, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. But so that I do not weary you further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing. For we have found this man to be a public menace and one who [a]instigates dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the [heretical] [b]sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to desecrate the temple, but we took him into custody [c][and we intended to judge him by our Law, but Lysias the commander came, and with great force took him out of our hands, and ordered his accusers to come before you.] By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to determine [the truth about] these things with which we charge him.” The Jews also joined in the attack, declaring and insisting that these things were so.

10 When the governor nodded for him to speak, Paul answered,

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I make my defense cheerfully and with good courage. 11 As you can easily verify, it has been no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor elsewhere in the city did they find me carrying on a discussion or disputing with anybody or causing a crowd to gather. 13 Nor can they present evidence to you to prove what they now bring against me. 14 But I confess this to you, that according to [d]the Way, which they call a [divisive and heretical] sect, I do worship and serve the God of our fathers, [confidently] believing everything that is in accordance with the Law [of Moses] and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having [the same] hope in God which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of [the dead], both of the righteous and of the wicked. 16 In view of this, I also do my best and strive always to have a clear conscience before God and before men. 17 Now after several years I came [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people charitable contributions and offerings. 18 They found me in the temple presenting these offerings, after I had undergone [the rites of] purification, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor], 19 who ought to have been here before you to present their charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men tell what crime they found [me guilty of] when I stood before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), 21 other than for this one statement which I had shouted out as I stood among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”

22 But Felix, having a rather accurate understanding about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he ordered the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to let him have some freedom, and [he told the centurion] not to stop any of his friends from providing for his needs.

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife [e]Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control [honorable behavior, personal integrity], and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I find [a convenient] time I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping to get money from Paul [as a bribe]; so he continued to send for him quite often and talked with him. 27 But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded [in office] by [f]Porcius Festus; and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 24:5 Inciting rebellion was a serious crime under Roman law.
  2. Acts 24:5 The Romans had forbidden the establishment of any new religion.
  3. Acts 24:6 Early mss do not contain the remainder of v 6, v 7, nor the first part of v 8.
  4. Acts 24:14 See note 9:2. Paul was probably referring to Jesus Himself.
  5. Acts 24:24 Youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I.
  6. Acts 24:27 Festus served about two years as governor (procurator). He was regarded as a fairly capable governor, superior to both his predecessor and his successor.

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) When 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. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent(D) Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

“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) and even tried to desecrate the temple;(I) so we seized him. [7] [a] By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

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

10 When 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. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days(L) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My 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. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.(O) 14 However, 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) 15 and 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) 16 So 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. 18 I 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) 19 But 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) 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless 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)

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way,(AC) adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He 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)

24 Several 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) 25 As 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.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When 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

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