Psalms 40; Psalms 41; Psalms 42; Acts 27:1-26

1 I waited patiently for the LORD. He turned to me and heard my cry for help.

2 He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock and made my steps secure.

3 He placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see this and worship. They will trust the LORD.

4 Blessed is the person who places his confidence in the LORD and does not rely on arrogant people or those who follow lies.

5 You have done many miraculous things, O LORD my God. You have made many wonderful plans for us. No one compares to you! I will tell others about your miracles, which are more than I can count.

6 You were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings. You have dug out two ears for me. You did not ask for burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.

7 Then I said, "I have come! (It is written about me in the scroll of the book.)

8 I am happy to do your will, O my God." Your teachings are deep within me.

9 I will announce the good news of righteousness among those assembled for worship. I will not close my lips. You know that, O LORD.

10 I have not buried your righteousness deep in my heart. I have been outspoken about your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not hidden your mercy and your truth from those assembled for worship.

11 Do not withhold your compassion from me, O LORD. May your mercy and your truth always protect me.

12 Countless evils have surrounded me. My sins have caught up with me so that I can no longer see. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost heart.

13 O LORD, please rescue me! Come quickly to help me, O LORD!

14 Let all those who seek to end my life be confused and put to shame. Let those who want my downfall be turned back and disgraced.

15 Let those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be stunned by their own shame.

16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, "The LORD is great!"

17 But I am oppressed and needy. May the Lord think of me. You are my help and my savior. O my God, do not delay!

1 Blessed is the one who has concern for helpless people. The LORD will rescue him in times of trouble.

2 The LORD will protect him and keep him alive. He will be blessed in the land. Do not place him at the mercy of his enemies.

3 The LORD will support him on his sickbed. You will restore this person to health when he is ill.

4 I said, "O LORD, have pity on me! Heal my soul because I have sinned against you."

5 My enemies say terrible things about me: "When will he die, and when will his family name disappear?"

6 When one of them comes to visit me, he speaks foolishly. His heart collects gossip. [Then] he leaves to tell others.

7 Everyone who hates me whispers about me. They think evil things about me and say,

8 "A devilish disease has attached itself to him. He will never leave his sickbed."

9 Even my closest friend whom I trusted, the one who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

10 Have pity on me, O LORD! Raise me up so that I can pay them back

11 and my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me. When you do this, I know that you are pleased with me.

12 You defend my integrity, and you set me in your presence forever.

13 Thank the LORD God of Israel through all eternity! Amen and amen!

1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When may I come to see God's face?

3 My tears are my food day and night. People ask me all day long, "Where is your God?"

4 I will remember these things as I pour out my soul: how I used to walk with the crowd and lead it in a procession to God's house. [I sang] songs of joy and thanksgiving while crowds of people celebrated a festival.

5 Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God.

6 My soul is discouraged. That is why I will remember you in the land of Jordan, on the peaks of Hermon, on Mount Mizar.

7 One deep sea calls to another at the roar of your waterspouts. All the whitecaps on your waves have swept over me.

8 The LORD commands his mercy during the day, and at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will ask God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk around in mourning while the enemy oppresses me?"

10 With a shattering blow to my bones, my enemies taunt me. They ask me all day long, "Where is your God?"

11 Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God.

1 When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were turned over to an army officer. His name was Julius, and he belonged to the emperor's division.

2 We set sail on a ship from the city of Adramyttium. The ship was going to stop at ports on the coast of the province of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from the city of Thessalonica, went with us.

3 The next day we arrived at the city of Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to visit his friends and receive any care he needed.

4 Leaving Sidon, we sailed on the northern side of the island of Cyprus because we were traveling against the wind.

5 We sailed along the coast of the provinces of Cilicia and Pamphylia and arrived at the city of Myra in the province of Lycia.

6 In Myra the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was on its way to Italy and put us on it.

7 We were sailing slowly for a number of days. Our difficulties began along the coast of the city of Cnidus because the wind would not let us go further. So at Cape Salmone, we started to sail for the south side of the island of Crete.

8 We had difficulty sailing along the shore of Crete. We finally came to a port called Fair Harbors. The port was near the city of Lasea.

9 We had lost so much time that the day of fasting had already past. Sailing was now dangerous, so Paul advised them,

10 "Men, we're going to face a disaster and heavy losses on this voyage. This disaster will cause damage to the cargo and the ship, and it will affect our lives."

11 However, the officer was persuaded by what the pilot and the owner of the ship said and not by what Paul said.

12 Since the harbor was not a good place to spend the winter, most of the men decided to sail from there. They hoped to reach the city of Phoenix somehow and spend the winter there. (Phoenix is a harbor that faces the southwest and northwest winds and is located on the island of Crete.)

13 When a gentle breeze began to blow from the south, the men thought their plan would work. They raised the anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

14 Soon a powerful wind (called a northeaster) blew from the island.

15 The wind carried the ship away, and we couldn't sail against the wind. We couldn't do anything, so we were carried along by the wind.

16 As we drifted to the sheltered side of a small island called Cauda, we barely got control of the ship's lifeboat.

17 The men pulled it up on deck. Then they passed ropes under the ship to reinforce it. Fearing that they would hit the large sandbank off the shores of Libya, they lowered the sail and were carried along by the wind.

18 We continued to be tossed so violently by the storm that the next day the men began to throw the cargo overboard.

19 On the third day they threw the ship's equipment overboard.

20 For a number of days we couldn't see the sun or the stars. The storm wouldn't let up. It was so severe that we finally began to lose any hope of coming out of it alive.

21 Since hardly anyone wanted to eat, Paul stood among them and said, "Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. You would have avoided this disaster and loss.

22 Now I advise you to have courage. No one will lose his life. Only the ship will be destroyed.

23 I know this because an angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood by me last night.

24 The angel told me, 'Don't be afraid, Paul! You must present your case to the emperor. God has granted safety to everyone who is sailing with you.'

25 So have courage, men! I trust God that everything will turn out as he told me.

26 However, we will run aground on some island."