Psalms 37; Psalms 38; Psalms 39; Acts 26

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Psalms 37

1 Don't be upset because of sinful people. Don't be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 Like grass, they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live in the land and enjoy its food.

4 Find your delight in the Lord. Then he will give you everything your heart really wants.

5 Commit your life to the Lord. Here is what he will do if you trust in him.

6 He will make your godly ways shine like the dawn. He will make your honest life shine like the sun at noon.

7 Be still. Be patient. Wait for the LORD to act. Don't be upset when other people succeed. Don't be upset when they carry out their evil plans.

8 Keep from being angry. Turn away from anger. Don't be upset. That only leads to evil.

9 Sinful people will be cut off from the land. But it will be given to those who put their hope in the Lord.

10 In a little while, there won't be any more sinners. Even if you look for them, you won't be able to find them.

11 But those who are free of pride will be given the land. They will enjoy great peace.

12 Sinful people make plans to harm those who do what is right. They grind their teeth at them.

13 But the Lord laughs at those who do evil. He knows the day is coming when he will judge them.

14 Sinners pull out their swords. They bend their bows. They want to kill poor and needy people. They plan to murder those who lead honest lives.

15 But they will be killed with their own swords. Their own bows will be broken.

16 Those who do what is right may have very little. But it's better than the wealth of many sinners.

17 The power of those who are evil will be broken. But the LORD takes good care of those who do what is right.

18 Every day the LORD watches over those who are without blame. What he has given them will last forever.

19 When trouble comes to them, they will have what they need. When there is little food in the land, they will still have plenty.

20 But sinful people will die. The LORD's enemies will be like flowers in the field. They will disappear like smoke.

21 Sinful people borrow and don't pay back. But those who are godly give freely to others.

22 The LORD will give the land to those he blesses. But he will cut off those he puts a curse on.

23 If the LORD is pleased with the way a man lives, he makes his steps secure.

24 Even if the man trips, he won't fall. The Lord's hand takes good care of him.

25 I once was young, and now I'm old. But I've never seen godly people deserted. I've never seen their children begging for bread.

26 The godly are always giving and lending freely. Their children will be blessed.

27 Turn away from evil and do good. Then you will live in the land forever.

28 The LORD loves those who are honest. He will not desert those who are faithful to him. They will be kept safe forever. But the children of sinners will be cut off from the land.

29 Those who do what is right will be given the land. They will live in it forever.

30 The mouths of those who do what is right speak words of wisdom. They say what is honest.

31 God's law is in their hearts. Their feet do not slip.

32 Those who are evil hide and wait for godly people. They are trying to kill them.

33 But the LORD will not leave the godly in their power. He will not let them be found guilty when they are brought into court.

34 Wait for the LORD to act. Live as he wants you to. He will honor you by giving you the land. When sinners are cut off from it, you will see it.

35 I saw a mean and sinful person. He was doing well, like a green tree in its own soil.

36 But he soon passed away and was gone. Even though I looked for him, I couldn't find him.

37 Think about those who are without blame. Look at those who are honest. A man who loves peace will have a tomorrow.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed. Those who are evil won't have a tomorrow. They will be cut off from the land.

39 The LORD saves those who do what is right. He is their place of safety when trouble comes.

40 The LORD helps them and saves them. He saves them from sinful people because they go to him for safety.

Psalms 38

1 Lord, don't correct me when you are angry. Don't punish me when you are burning with anger.

2 You have wounded me with your arrows. You have struck me with your hand.

3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick. Because of my sin, I'm not healthy.

4 My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry.

5 My wounds are ugly. They stink. I've been foolish. I have sinned.

6 I am bent over. I've been brought very low. All day long I go around sobbing.

7 My back is filled with burning pain. My whole body is sick.

8 I am weak. I feel as if I've been broken in pieces. I groan because of the great pain in my heart.

9 Lord, everything I really want is clearly known to you. You always hear me when I sigh.

10 My heart pounds. My strength is gone. My eyes can hardly see.

11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds. My neighbors stay far away from me.

12 Those who are trying to kill me set their traps. Those who want to harm me talk about destroying me. All day long they plan ways to trick me.

13 I'm like a deaf person. I can't hear. I'm like someone who can't speak, who can't say a word.

14 I'm like a man who doesn't hear. I'm like someone whose mouth can't make any reply.

15 Lord, I wait for you to help me. LORD my God, I know you will answer.

16 I said, "Don't let my enemies have the joy of seeing me fall. Don't let them brag when my foot slips."

17 I am about to fall. My pain never leaves me.

18 I admit that I have done wrong. I am troubled by my sin.

19 I have many powerful enemies. They are strong and healthy. They hate me without any reason.

20 They pay me back with evil, even though I was good to them. They tell lies about me because I try to do what is good.

21 Lord, don't desert me. My God, don't be far away from me.

22 Lord my Savior, come quickly to help me.

Psalms 39

1 I said, "I will be careful about how I live. I will not sin by what I say. I will keep my mouth closed when sinful people are near me."

2 I was silent and kept quiet. I didn't even say anything good. But the pain inside me grew worse.

3 My heart was deeply troubled. As I thought about what was happening to me, I became even more troubled. Then I spoke out.

4 I said, "Lord, show me when my life will end. Show me how many days I have left. Tell me how short my life will be.

5 You have given me only a few days to live. My whole life doesn't seem like anything to you. No man's life lasts any longer than a breath. "Selah"

6 People are only shadows as they go here and there. They rush around, but it doesn't mean anything. They pile up wealth, but they don't know who will get it.

7 "Lord, what can I look forward to now? You are the only hope I have.

8 Save me from all the wrong things I've done. Don't let foolish people make fun of me.

9 I keep silent. I don't open my mouth. You are the one who has caused all of this to happen.

10 Please stop beating me. I'm about to die from the blows of your hand.

11 You correct and punish people for their sin. Just as a moth eats cloth, you destroy their wealth. No one's life lasts any longer than a breath. "Selah"

12 "Lord, hear my prayer. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my sobbing. I'm like a guest in your home. I'm only a visitor, like all of my family who lived before me.

13 Leave me alone. Let me be full of joy again before I die."

Acts 26

1 Agrippa said to Paul, "You may now speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand. Then he began to stand up for himself.

2 "King Agrippa," he said, "I am happy to be able to stand here today. I will speak up for myself against all the charges brought by the Jews.

3 I am very pleased that you are familiar with Jewish ways. You know the kinds of things they argue about. So I beg you to be patient as you listen to me.

4 "The Jews all know how I have lived ever since I was a child. They know all about me from the beginning of my life. They know how I lived in my own country and in Jerusalem.

5 They have known me for a long time. So if they wanted to, they could give witness that I lived by the rules of the Pharisees. Those rules are harder to obey than the rules of any other group in the Jewish faith.

6 "Today I am on trial because of the hope I have. I believe in what God promised our people long ago.

7 It is the promise that our 12 tribes are hoping to see come true. Because of this hope they serve God with a true and honest heart day and night. King Agrippa, it is also because of this hope that the Jews are bringing charges against me.

8 Why should any of you think it is impossible for God to raise the dead?

9 "I myself believed that I should do everything I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 That's just what I was doing in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of God's people in prison. I agreed that they should die.

11 I often went from one synagogue to another to have them punished. I tried to force them to speak evil things against Jesus. I hated them so much that I even went to cities in other lands to hurt them.

12 "On one of these journeys I was on my way to Damascus. I had the authority and commission of the chief priests.

13 About noon, King Agrippa, I was on the road. I saw a light coming from heaven. It was brighter than the sun. It was shining around me and my companions.

14 We all fell to the ground. I heard a voice speak to me in the Aramaic language. 'Saul! Saul!' it said. 'Why are you opposing me? It is hard for you to go against what you know is right.'

15 "Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' " 'I am Jesus,' the Lord replied. 'I am the one you are opposing.

16 Now get up. Stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve me and be my witness. You will tell others that you have seen me today. You will also tell them that I will show myself to you again.

17 " 'I will save you from your own people and from those who aren't Jews. I am sending you to them

18 to open their eyes. I want you to turn them from darkness to light. I want you to turn them from Satan's power to God. I want their sins to be forgiven. They will be forgiven when they believe in me. They will have their place among God's people.'

19 "So then, King Agrippa, I obeyed the vision that appeared from heaven.

20 First I preached to people in Damascus. Then I preached in Jerusalem and in all Judea. I preached also to people who are not Jews. I told them to turn away from their sins to God. The way they live must prove that they have turned away from their sins.

21 That's why the Jews grabbed me in the temple courtyard and tried to kill me.

22 "But God has helped me to this very day. So I stand here and give witness to both small and great. I have been saying nothing different from what the prophets and Moses said would happen.

23 They said the Christ would suffer. He would be the first to rise from the dead. He would announce the light of life to his own people and to those who aren't Jews."

24 While Paul was still speaking up for himself, Festus interrupted. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you crazy!"

25 "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable.

26 The king is familiar with these things. So I can speak openly to him. I am certain he knows everything that has been going on. After all, it was not done in secret.

27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."

28 Then Agrippa spoke to Paul. "Are you trying to talk me into becoming a Christian?" he said. "Do you think you can do that in such a short time?"

29 Paul replied, "I don't care if it takes a short time or a long time. I pray to God for you and all who are listening to me today. I pray that you may become like me, except for these chains."

30 The king stood up. The governor and Bernice and those sitting with them stood up too.

31 They left the room and began to talk with one another. "Why should this man die or be put in prison?" they said. "He has done nothing worthy of that!"

32 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free. But he has made an appeal to Caesar."