Old/New Testament
35 Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler; and stand up for my help.
3 Also, bring out the spear, and stop the way against those who persecute me. Say to my soul, “I am Your salvation.”
4 Let those who seek after my soul be confounded and put to shame. Let those who imagine my hurt be turned back and brought to confusion.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind; and let the Angel of the LORD scatter them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery; and let the Angel of the LORD persecute them.
7 For without cause, they have hidden the pit and their net for me. Without cause, they have dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly; and let his net that he has laid secretly, take him. Let him fall into the same destruction.
9 Then my soul shall be joyful in the LORD. It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, “LORD, who is like You, Who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; indeed, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him!?”
11 Cruel witnesses arose. They asked things of me that I did not know.
12 They rewarded me evil for good, to spoil my soul.
13 Yet I, when they were sick, I was clothed with sackcloth. I humbled my soul with fasting. And my prayer was turned upon my bosom.
14 I behaved as to my friend, or as to my brother. I humbled myself, mourning as one who bewails his mother.
15 But they rejoiced in my adversity and gathered themselves together. The strikers assembled themselves against me, and I did not know. They tore me and did not cease,
16 with the false scoffers at banquets gnashing their teeth against me.
17 LORD, how long will You behold? Deliver my soul from their tumult, my desolate soul from the lions.
18 I will give You thanks in a great congregation. I will praise You among many people.
19 Do not let those who are my enemies unjustly rejoice over me, nor let those wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
20 For they do not speak as friends. But they imagine deceitful words against the quiet of the land.
21 And they gaped on me with their mouths, saying, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen!”
22 You have seen it, O LORD. Do not keep silent. Do not be far from me, O LORD.
23 Arise and wake to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my LORD.
24 Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say in their hearts, “O, our soul, rejoice.” Nor let them say, “We have devoured him.”
26 Let those who rejoice at my hurt be confounded and put to shame together. Let those who lift themselves up against me be clothed with confusion and shame.
27 Let those who love my righteousness be joyful and glad. Indeed, let those who love the prosperity of His servant say always, “Let the LORD be magnified!”
28 And my tongue shall utter Your righteousness and Your praise every day. To him who excels. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.
36 Wickedness says to the wicked man, even in my heart, that there is no fear of God before His eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, while his iniquity is found worthy to be hated.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to understand and to do good.
4 He imagines mischief upon his bed. He sets himself upon a way that is not good and does not abhor evil.
5 Your mercy, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains. Your judgments are like a great deep. You, LORD, save man and beast.
7 How excellent is Your mercy, O God! Therefore, the children of men trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They shall be satisfied with the fatness of Your House; and You shall give them drink out of the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the well of life; and in Your Light shall we see light.
10 Extend Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to those who are upright in heart.
11 Do not let the foot of pride come against me; and do not let the hand of the wicked men move me.
12 There those who work iniquity have fallen. They are cast down and shall not be able to rise. A Psalm of David.
25 Three days after Festus had come into the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2 Then the High Priest and the chief of the Jews appeared before him against Paul. And they pleaded with him,
3 and asked (as a favor) if he would summon him to Jerusalem, so they could make an ambush and kill him along the way.
4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea. And that he himself would go there shortly.
5 “Therefore, let those among you who are able come down,” he said, “And if there is any fault in the man, let them accuse him."
6 Now, after he had stayed among them no more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day sat in the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought.
7 And when he had come, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem, stood around him and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul (of which they could present no plain proof),
8 to which he answered that he had not offended in anything - either against the Law of the Jews, or against the Temple, or against Caesar.
9 Yet Festus, wanting to curry favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Will you go up to Jerusalem and be judged of these things before me there?”
10 Then Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know.
11 “For if I have done wrong, or committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing in these things of which they accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 Then, when Festus had spoken with the Council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go.”
13 And after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to greet Festus.
14 And when they had stayed there many days, Festus stated Paul’s cause to the king, saying, “There is a certain man left in prison by Felix.
15 “When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews informed me of him and asked for a judgment against him.
16 “To whom I answered that it is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to the death before the accused has faced his accusers and has a place to defend himself concerning the crime.
17 “Therefore, when they had come here, I sat on the judgment seat the following day (without delay) and commanded the man to be brought forth.
18 “When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such crimes as I suspected.
19 “But they had certain questions against him about their own religion, and about a certain Jesus (Who was dead, but Whom Paul affirmed to be alive).
20 “And because I was perplexed by such questions, I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be judged there about these things.
21 “But because Paul had appealed to be put under guard until the examination of Augustus, I commanded that he be jailed until I could send him to Caesar.”
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”
23 And the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come (with great pomp) and had entered into the Common Hall with the chief captains and chief men of the city, Paul was brought forth at Festus’ commandment.
24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have petitioned me (both at Jerusalem and here) crying that he ought not to live any longer.
25 “But, I have found nothing he has done to be worthy of death. And seeing that he has appealed to Augustus, I have decided to send him.
26 “I have no certain thing to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him forth to you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that after examination, I might have something to write.
27 “For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not signify the charges against him.”
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