Psalms 20; Psalms 21; Psalms 22; Acts 21:1-17

1 I pray that the LORD answers you whenever you are in trouble. Let the name of Jacob's God protect you.

2 Let God send help to you from the sanctuary and support you from Zion.

3 Let God recall your many grain offerings; let him savor your entirely burned offerings. Selah

4 Let God grant what is in your heart and fulfill all your plans.

5 Then we will rejoice that you've been helped. We will fly our flags in the name of our God. Let the LORD fulfill all your requests!

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed one; God answers his anointed one from his heavenly sanctuary, answering with mighty acts of salvation achieved by his strong hand.

7 Some people trust in chariots, others in horses; but we praise the LORD's name.

8 They will collapse and fall, but we will stand up straight and strong.

9 LORD, save the king! Let him answer us when we cry out!

1 The king celebrates your strength, LORD; look how happy he is about your saving help!

2 You've given him what his heart desires; you haven't denied what his lips requested. Selah

3 You bring rich blessings right to him; you put a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him, all right— long days, forever and always!

5 The king's reputation is great because of your saving help; you've conferred on him glory and grandeur.

6 You grant him blessings forever; you make him happy with the joy of your presence.

7 Because the king trusts the LORD, and because of the Most High's faithful love, he will not stumble.

8 Your hand will catch all your enemies; your strong hand will catch all who hate you.

9 When you appear, LORD, you will light them up like an oven on fire. God will eat them whole in his anger; fire will devour them.

10 You will destroy their offspring from the land; destroy their descendants from the human race.

11 Because they sought to do you harm, they devised a wicked plan—but they will fail!

12 Because you will make them turn and run when you aim your bow straight at their faces!

13 Be exalted, LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power!

1 My God! My God, why have you left me all alone? Why are you so far from saving me— so far from my anguished groans?

2 My God, I cry out during the day, but you don't answer; even at nighttime I don't stop.

3 You are the holy one, enthroned. You are Israel's praise.

4 Our ancestors trusted you— they trusted you and you rescued them;

5 they cried out to you and they were saved; they trusted you and they weren't ashamed.

6 But I'm just a worm, less than human; insulted by one person, despised by another.

7 All who see me make fun of me— they gape, shaking their heads:

8 "He committed himself to the LORD, so let God rescue him; let God deliver him because God likes him so much."

9 But you are the one who pulled me from the womb, placing me safely at my mother's breasts.

10 I was thrown on you from birth; you've been my God since I was in my mother's womb.

11 Please don't be far from me, because trouble is near and there's no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me; mighty bulls from Bashan encircle me.

13 They open their mouths at me like a lion ripping and roaring!

14 I'm poured out like water. All my bones have fallen apart. My heart is like wax; it melts inside me.

15 My strength is dried up like a piece of broken pottery. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you've set me down in the dirt of death.

16 Dogs surround me; a pack of evil people circle me like a lion— oh, my poor hands and feet!

17 I can count all my bones! Meanwhile, they just stare at me, watching me.

18 They divvy up my garments among themselves; they cast lots for my clothes.

19 But you, LORD! Don't be far away! You are my strength! Come quick and help me!

20 Deliver me from the sword. Deliver my life from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion. From the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me!

22 I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the very center of the congregation!

23 All of you who revere the LORD—praise him! All of you who are Jacob's descendants—honor him! All of you who are all Israel's offspring— stand in awe of him!

24 Because he didn't despise or detest the suffering of the one who suffered— he didn't hide his face from me. No, he listened when I cried out to him for help.

25 I offer praise in the great congregation because of you; I will fulfill my promises in the presence of those who honor God.

26 Let all those who are suffering eat and be full! Let all who seek the LORD praise him! I pray your hearts live forever!

27 Every part of the earth will remember and come back to the LORD; every family among all the nations will worship you.

28 Because the right to rule belongs to the LORD, he rules all nations.

29 Indeed, all the earth's powerful will worship him; all who are descending to the dust will kneel before him; my being also lives for him.

30 Future descendants will serve him; generations to come will be told about my Lord.

31 They will proclaim God's righteousness to those not yet born, telling them what God has done.

1 After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail on a straight course to Cos, reaching Rhodes the next day, and then Patara.

2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, boarded, and put out to sea.

3 We spotted Cyprus, but passed by it on our left. We sailed on to the province of Syria and landed in Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo.

4 We found the disciples there and stayed with them for a week. Compelled by the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

5 When our time had come to an end, we departed. All of them, including women and children, accompanied us out of town where we knelt on the beach and prayed.

6 We said good-bye to each other, then we boarded the ship and they returned to their homes.

7 Continuing our voyage, we sailed from Tyre and arrived in Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers and sisters there and spent a day with them.

8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea. We went to the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him.

9 He had four unmarried daughters who were involved in the work of prophecy.

10 After staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11 He came to us, took Paul's belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In Jerusalem the Jews will bind the man who owns this belt, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

12 When we heard this, we and the local believers urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Paul replied, "Why are you doing this? Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I'm ready not only to be arrested but even to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus."

14 Since we couldn't talk him out of it, the only thing we could say was, "The Lord's will be done."

15 After this, we got ready and made our way up to Jerusalem.

16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and led us to Mnason's home, where we were guests. He was from Cyprus and had been a disciple a long time.

17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly.