Old/New Testament
To the Director: With stringed instruments. A Davidic Psalm
Trust God under Adversity
4 When I call, answer me,
my righteous God![a]
When I was in distress, you set me free.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 You people,
how long will you malign my reputation?
How long will you love what is vain[b]
and what is false?
3 But understand this:[c]
the Lord has set apart the godly for himself!
The Lord will hear me when I cry out to him!
4 Be angry, yet do not sin.[d]
Think about this[e] when upon your beds,
and be silent.
5 Offer sacrifices that are righteous,
and put your confidence in the Lord.
6 Many are asking, “Who will help us to see better days?”[f]
Lord, may the light of your favor[g] shine upon us.
7 You have given me more joy in my heart than at harvest times,
when grain and wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, Lord, enable me to live securely.
To the Director: For flutes. A Davidic Psalm
A Prayer for God’s Help
5 Lord, listen to my words,
consider my groaning.
2 Pay attention to my cry for help,[h]
my king and my God,
for unto you will I pray.
3 Lord, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I will pray[i] to you,
and I will watch for your answer.[j]
4 Indeed, you aren’t a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will never dwell with you.
5 Boastful ones will not stand before you;
you hate all those who practice wickedness.
6 You will destroy those who speak lies.
The Lord abhors the person of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love,
may come into your house.
In awe of you, I will worship in your holy Temple.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies.
Make your path straight before me.
9 But as for the wicked,[k]
they do not speak truth at all.
Inside them there is only wickedness.
Their throat is an open grave,
on their tongue is deceitful flattery.
10 Declare them guilty, God!
Let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them away because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 Let all those who take refuge in you rejoice!
Let them shout for joy forever,
and may you protect them.
Let those who love your name exult in you.
12 Indeed, you will bless the righteous one, Lord,
like a large shield, you will surround him with favor.
To the Director: With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp.[l] A Davidic Psalm
A Prayer in Times of Trouble
6 Lord, in your anger, do not rebuke me;
in your wrath, do not discipline me.
2 Be gracious to me, Lord,
because I am fading away.
Heal me,
because my body[m] is distressed.
3 And my soul[n] is deeply distressed.
But you, Lord, how long do I wait?[o]
4 Return, Lord,
save my life!
Deliver me, because of your gracious love.
5 In death, there is no memory of you.
Who will give you thanks where the dead are?[p]
6 I am weary from my groaning.
Every night my couch is drenched with tears,
my bed is soaked through.
7 My eyesight has faded because of grief,
it has dimmed because of all my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all of you who practice evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord receives my prayer.
10 As for all my enemies, they will be put to shame;
they will be greatly frightened
and suddenly turn away ashamed.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was deeply disturbed to see the city full of idols. 17 So he began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and other worshipers, as well as every day in the public square[a] with anyone who happened to be there. 18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, “What is this blabbermouth trying to say?” while others said, “He seems to be preaching about foreign gods.” This was because Paul[b] was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
19 Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus,[c] and asked, “May we know what this new teaching of yours is? 20 It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.
22 So Paul stood up in front of the Areopagus[d] and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. 23 For as I was walking around and looking closely at the objects you worship, I even found an altar with this written on it: ‘To an unknown god.’ So I am telling you about the unknown object you worship. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in shrines made by human hands, 25 and he isn’t served by people[e] as if he needed anything. He himself gives everyone life, breath, and everything else. 26 From one man[f] he made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live, 27 so that they might look for God,[g] somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us. 28 For we live, move, and exist because of him, as some of your own poets have said: ‘…Since we are his children, too.’[h] 29 So if we are God’s children, we shouldn’t think that the divine being is like gold, silver, or stone, or is an image carved by humans using their own imagination and skill. 30 Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice[i] through a man whom he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began joking about it, while others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 And so Paul left the meeting.[j] 34 Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus,[k] a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.
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