Psalms 35; Psalms 36; Acts 25

1 O LORD, attack those who attack me. Fight against those who fight against me.

2 Use your shields, [both] small and large. Arise to help me.

3 Hold your spear to block the way of those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your savior."

4 Let those who seek my life be put to shame and disgraced. Let those who plan my downfall be turned back in confusion.

5 Let them be like husks blown by the wind as the Messenger of the LORD chases them.

6 Let their path be dark and slippery as the Messenger of the LORD pursues them.

7 For no reason they hid their net in a pit. For no reason they dug the pit [to trap me].

8 Let destruction surprise them. Let the net that they hid catch them. Let them fall into their own pit and be destroyed.

9 My soul will find joy in the LORD and be joyful about his salvation.

10 All my bones will say, "O LORD, who can compare with you? You rescue the weak person from the one who is too strong for him and weak and needy people from the one who robs them."

11 Malicious people bring charges against me. They ask me things I know nothing about.

12 I am devastated because they pay me back with evil instead of good.

13 But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. When my prayer returned unanswered,

14 I walked around as if I were mourning for my friend or my brother. I was bent over as if I were mourning for my mother.

15 Yet, when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together. They gathered together against me. Unknown attackers tore me apart without stopping.

16 With crude and abusive mockers, they grit their teeth at me.

17 O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their attacks. Rescue my precious life from the lions.

18 I will give you thanks in a large gathering. I will praise you in a crowd [of worshipers].

19 Do not let my treacherous enemies gloat over me. Do not let those who hate me for no reason wink [at me].

20 They do not talk about peace. Instead, they scheme against the peaceful people in the land.

21 They open their big mouths and say about me, "Aha! Aha! Our own eyes have seen it."

22 You have seen it, O LORD. Do not remain silent. O Lord, do not be so far away from me.

23 Wake up, and rise to my defense. Plead my case, O my God and my Lord.

24 Judge me by your righteousness, O LORD my God. Do not let them gloat over me

25 or think, "Aha, just what we wanted!" Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up."

26 Let those who gloat over my downfall be thoroughly put to shame and confused. Let those who promote themselves at my expense be clothed with shame and disgrace.

27 Let those who are happy when I am declared innocent joyfully sing and rejoice. Let them continually say, "The LORD is great. He is happy when his servant has peace."

28 Then my tongue will tell about your righteousness, about your praise all day long.

1 There is an inspired truth about the wicked person who has rebellion in the depths of his heart: He is not terrified of God.

2 He flatters himself and does not hate or [even] recognize his guilt.

3 The words from his mouth are [nothing but] trouble and deception. He has stopped doing what is wise and good.

4 He invents trouble while lying on his bed and chooses to go the wrong direction. He does not reject evil.

5 O LORD, your mercy reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, your judgments like the deep ocean. You save people and animals, O LORD.

7 Your mercy is so precious, O God, that Adam's descendants take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They are refreshed with the rich foods in your house, and you make them drink from the river of your pleasure.

9 Indeed, the fountain of life is with you. In your light we see light.

10 Continue to show your mercy to those who know you and your righteousness to those whose motives are decent.

11 Do not let the feet of arrogant people step on me or the hands of wicked people push me away.

12 Look at the troublemakers who have fallen. They have been pushed down and are unable to stand up again.

1 Three days after Festus took over his duties in the province of Judea, he went from the city of Caesarea to Jerusalem.

2 The chief priests and the other important Jewish leaders informed Festus about their charges against Paul. They were urging

3 Festus to do them the favor of having Paul brought to Jerusalem. The Jews had a plan to ambush and kill Paul as he traveled to Jerusalem.

4 Festus replied that he would be returning to Caesarea soon and would keep Paul there.

5 He told them, "Have your authorities come to Caesarea with me and accuse him there if the man has done something wrong."

6 Festus stayed in Jerusalem for eight or ten days at the most and then returned to Caesarea. The next day Festus took his place in court and summoned Paul.

7 When Paul entered the room, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem surrounded him. They made a lot of serious accusations that they couldn't prove.

8 Paul defended himself by saying, "I haven't broken any Jewish law or done anything against the temple or the emperor."

9 But Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor. So he asked Paul, "Are you willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there on these charges with me as your judge?"

10 Paul said, "I am standing in the emperor's court where I must be tried. I haven't done anything wrong to the Jews, as you know very well.

11 If I am guilty and have done something wrong for which I deserve the death penalty, I don't reject the idea of dying. But if their accusations are untrue, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal my case to the emperor!"

12 Festus discussed the appeal with his advisers and then replied to Paul, "You have appealed your case to the emperor, so you'll go to the emperor!"

13 Later King Agrippa and Bernice came to the city of Caesarea to welcome Festus.

14 Since they were staying there for a number of days, Festus told the king about Paul's case. Festus said, "Felix left a man here in prison.

15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought me some information about him and asked me to condemn him.

16 "I replied to them, 'That's not the Roman way of doing things. A person can't be sentenced as a favor. Before he is sentenced, he must face his accusers and have a chance to defend himself against their accusation.'

17 "So the Jewish leaders came to Caesarea with me. The next day I immediately convened court and summoned the man.

18 When his accusers stood up, they didn't accuse him of the crimes I was expecting.

19 They were disputing with him about their own religion and about some man named Jesus who had died. But Paul claimed that Jesus is alive.

20 Their debate about these things left me puzzled. So I asked Paul if he would like to go to Jerusalem to have his case heard there.

21 But Paul appealed his case. He asked to be held in prison and to have His Majesty the Emperor decide his case. So I ordered him to be held in prison until I could send him to the emperor."

22 Agrippa told Festus, "I would like to hear the man." Festus replied, "You'll hear him tomorrow."

23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice entered the auditorium with a lot of fanfare. Roman army officers and the most important men of the city entered the auditorium with them. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought into the auditorium.

24 Then Festus said, "King Agrippa and everyone who is present with us! All the Jews in Jerusalem and Caesarea have talked to me about this man you see in front of you. They shout that he must not be allowed to live any longer.

25 However, I don't think that he has done anything to deserve the death penalty. But since he made an appeal to His Majesty the Emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome.

26 But I don't have anything reliable to write our emperor about him. So I have brought him to all of you, and especially to you, King Agrippa. Then I'll have something to write after he is cross-examined.

27 I find it ridiculous to send a prisoner to Rome when I can't specify any charges against him."