Old/New Testament
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[a](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(I)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.(K)
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land(M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(N)
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him(P)
because he sees that his day is coming.(Q)
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[b] bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(S)
16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(V)
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(X)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(Y)
21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.(AA)
23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.(AC)
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AE)
27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.(AI)
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(AK)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(AM)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(AN)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,[c] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I[d] passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(AP)
37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright,
for the person of peace will have a future.[e](AQ)
38 But transgressors will all be eliminated;
the future of the wicked will be destroyed.(AR)
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
their refuge in a time of distress.(AS)
40 The Lord helps and delivers them;
he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them
because they take refuge in him.(AT)
Psalm 38
Prayer of a Suffering Sinner
A psalm of David to bring remembrance.(AU)
1 Lord, do not punish me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(AV)
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has pressed down on me.(AW)
3 There is no soundness in my body
because of your indignation;
there is no health[f] in my bones
because of my sin.(AX)
4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head;
they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.(AY)
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my foolishness.(AZ)
6 I am bent over and brought very low;
all day long I go around in mourning.(BA)
7 For my insides are full of burning pain,
and there is no soundness in my body.(BB)
8 I am faint and severely crushed;
I groan because of the anguish of my heart.(BC)
9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.(BD)
10 My heart races, my strength leaves me,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.[g](BE)
11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction,
and my relatives stand at a distance.(BF)
12 Those who intend to kill me set traps,
and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me;
they plot treachery all day long.(BG)
13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear.
I am like a speechless person
who does not open his mouth.(BH)
14 I am like a man who does not hear
and has no arguments in his mouth.(BI)
15 For I put my hope in you, Lord;
you will answer me, my Lord, my God.(BJ)
16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me—
those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.”(BK)
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is constantly with me.(BL)
18 So I confess my iniquity;
I am anxious because of my sin.(BM)
19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful;[h]
many hate me for no reason.(BN)
20 Those who repay evil for good
attack me for pursuing good.(BO)
21 Lord, do not abandon me;
my God, do not be far from me.(BP)
22 Hurry to help me,
my Lord, my salvation.(BQ)
Psalm 39
The Fleeting Nature of Life
For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will guard my ways
so that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are in my presence.”(BR)
2 I was speechless and quiet;
I kept silent, even from speaking good,
and my pain intensified.(BS)
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, a fire burned.(BT)
I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.(BU)
5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.(BV)Selah
6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.(BW)
7 “Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.(BX)
8 Rescue me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the taunt of fools.(BY)
9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth
because of what you have done.(BZ)
10 Remove your torment from me.
Because of the force of your hand I am finished.(CA)
11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity,
consuming like a moth what is precious to him;(CB)
yes, every human being is only a vapor.(CC)Selah
Paul’s Defense before Agrippa
26 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”
Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: 2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially since you are very knowledgeable about all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem.(A) 5 They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.(B) 6 And now I stand on trial because of the hope(C) in what God promised(D) to our ancestors, 7 the promise our twelve tribes hope to reach as they earnestly serve him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope.(E) 8 Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 9 In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.(F) 10 I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.(G) 11 In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme.(H) Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.
Paul’s Account of His Conversion and Commission
12 “I was traveling to Damascus under(I) these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests. 13 King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic,[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’(J)
15 “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.(K) 17 I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them(L) 18 to open their eyes(M) so that they may turn[b] from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’(N)
19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.(O) 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me. 22 To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place(P)— 23 that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”(Q)
Agrippa Not Quite Persuaded
24 As he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind,(R) Paul! Too much study is driving you mad.”
25 But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.(S) 26 For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” [c]
29 “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty,[d] not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”(T)
30 The king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up, 31 and when they had left they talked with each other and said, “This man is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”(U)
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”(V)
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