Old/New Testament
Psalm 33
Praise to the Creator
1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;
praise from the upright is beautiful.(A)
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make music to him with a ten-stringed harp.(B)
3 Sing a new song to him;(C)
play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.(D)
4 For the word of the Lord is right,
and all his work is trustworthy.(E)
5 He loves righteousness and justice;(F)
the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.(G)
6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord,(H)
and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.(I)
7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap;[a]
he puts the depths into storehouses.(J)
8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.(K)
9 For he spoke, and it came into being;
he commanded, and it came into existence.(L)
10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations;
he thwarts the plans of the peoples.(M)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart from generation to generation.(N)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—
the people he has chosen to be his own possession!(O)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he observes everyone.(P)
14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth
from his dwelling place.(Q)
15 He forms the hearts of them all;
he considers all their works.(R)
16 A king is not saved by a large army;
a warrior will not be rescued by great strength.(S)
17 The horse is a false hope for safety;
it provides no escape by its great power.(T)
18 But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—
those who depend on his faithful love(U)
19 to rescue them from death
and to keep them alive in famine.(V)
20 We wait for the Lord;(W)
he is our help and shield.(X)
21 For our hearts rejoice in him(Y)
because we trust in his holy name.(Z)
22 May your faithful love rest on us, Lord,
for we put our hope in you.(AA)
Psalm 34
The Lord Delivers the Righteous
Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech,(AB) who drove him out, and he departed.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.(AC)
2 I will boast in the Lord;(AD)
the humble will hear and be glad.(AE)
3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me;(AF)
let us exalt his name together.(AG)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.(AH)
5 Those who look to him are[b] radiant with joy;(AI)
their faces will never be ashamed.(AJ)
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him from all his troubles.(AK)
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and rescues them.(AL)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.(AM)
How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!(AN)
9 You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord,
for those who fear him lack nothing.(AO)
10 Young lions[c] lack food and go hungry,(AP)
but those who seek the Lord
will not lack any good thing.(AQ)
11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(AR)
12 Who is someone who desires life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?(AS)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.(AT)
14 Turn away from evil and do what is good;(AU)
seek peace and pursue it.(AV)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry for help.(AW)
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,(AX)
to remove[d] all memory of them from the earth.(AY)
17 The righteous[e] cry out, and the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.(AZ)
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit.(BA)
19 One who is righteous has many adversities,
but the Lord rescues him from them all.(BB)
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.(BC)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.(BD)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants,
and all who take refuge in him will not be punished.(BE)
The Accusation against Paul
24 Five days later Ananias(A) the high priest came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. These men presented their case against Paul to the governor.(B) 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus began to accuse him and said, “We enjoy great peace because of you, and reforms are taking place for the benefit of this nation because of your foresight. 3 We acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent(C) Felix, with utmost gratitude. 4 But, so that I will not burden you any further, I request that you would be kind enough to give us a brief hearing. 5 For we have found this man to be a plague,(D) an agitator(E) among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.(F) 6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, and so we apprehended him.[a] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to discern the truth about these charges we are bringing against him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the attack, alleging that these things were true.
Paul’s Defense before Felix
10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I am glad to offer my defense in what concerns me.(G) 11 You can verify for yourself that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.(H) 12 They didn’t find me arguing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.(I) 13 Neither can they prove the charges they are now making against me. 14 But I admit this to you: I worship the God of my ancestors according to the Way,(J) which they call a sect, believing everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets.(K) 15 I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection,[b](L) both of the righteous and the unrighteous.(M) 16 I always strive to have a clear conscience(N) toward God and men. 17 After many years, I came to bring charitable gifts and offerings to my people.(O) 18 While I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.(P) 19 It is they who ought to be here before you to bring charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, 21 other than this one statement I shouted while standing among them, ‘Today I am on trial before you concerning the resurrection of the dead.’”
The Verdict Postponed
22 Since Felix was well informed about the Way,(Q) he adjourned the hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered that the centurion keep Paul under guard, though he could have some freedom, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from meeting[c] his needs.(R)
24 Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus. 25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come,(S) Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would offer him money.[d] So he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.
27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus(T) succeeded Felix, and because Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor,(U) he left Paul in prison.(V)
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