Psalms 31; Psalms 32; Acts 23:16-35

Psalms 31

1 Lord, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. Save me by Your righteousness.

2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.

3 For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me because of Your name.

4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for You are my refuge.

5 Into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.

6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love because You have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my life

8 and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be gracious to me, Lord, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from angry sorrow- my whole being as well.

10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief, and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my sinfulness, and my bones waste away.

11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me.

12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person-like broken pottery.

13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life.

14 But I trust in You, Lord; I say, "You are my God."

15 The course of my life is in Your power; deliver me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors.

16 Show Your favor to Your servant; save me by Your faithful love.

17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on You. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them be silent in Sheol.

18 Let lying lips be quieted; they speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt.

19 How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You, and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in You.

20 You hide them in the protection of Your presence; You conceal them in a shelter from the schemes of men, from quarrelsome tongues.

21 May the Lord be praised, for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me in a city under siege.

22 In my alarm I had said, "I am cut off from Your sight." But You heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to You for help.

23 Love the Lord, all His faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant.

24 Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.

Psalms 32

1 How happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!

2 How happy is the man the Lord does not charge with sin, and in whose spirit is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer's heat. Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You took away the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to You at a time that You may be found. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.

9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle, or else it will not come near you.

10 Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him.

11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Acts 23:16-35

16 But the son of Paul's sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him."

18 So he took him, brought him to the commander, and said, "The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you."

19 Then the commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, "What is it you have to report to me?"

20 "The Jews," he said, "have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him.

21 Don't let them persuade you, because there are more than 40 of them arranging to ambush him, men who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they kill him. Now they are ready, waiting for a commitment from you."

22 So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, "Don't tell anyone that you have informed me about this."

23 He summoned two of his centurions and said, "Get 200 soldiers ready with 70 cavalry and 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

24 Also provide mounts so they can put Paul on them and bring him safely to Felix the governor."

25 He wrote a letter of this kind:

26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

27 When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.

28 Wanting to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin.

29 I found out that the accusations were about disputed matters in their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or chains.

30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence.

31 Therefore, during the night, the soldiers took Paul and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered.

32 The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him.

33 When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

34 After he read it, he asked what province he was from. So when he learned he was from Cilicia,

35 he said, "I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers get here too." And he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod's palace.