Psalms 33; Psalms 34; Acts 24

Psalms 33

1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful.

2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp.

3 Sing a new song to Him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.

4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is trustworthy.

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord's unfailing love.

6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses.

8 Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence.

10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.

12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord- the people He has chosen to be His own possession!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven; He observes everyone.

14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from His dwelling place.

15 He alone crafts their hearts; He considers all their works.

16 A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be delivered by great strength.

17 The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.

18 Now the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him- those who depend on His faithful love

19 to deliver them from death and to keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait for the Lord; He is our help and shield.

21 For our hearts rejoice in Him, because we trust in His holy name.

22 May Your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in You.

Psalms 34

1 I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

2 I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad.

3 Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard [him] and saved him from all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!

9 Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

10 Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.

11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is the man who delights in life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help.

16 The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.

19 Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.

21 Evil brings death to the sinner, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord redeems the life of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.

Acts 24

1 After five days Ananias the high priest came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. These men presented their case against Paul to the governor.

2 When he was called in, Tertullus began to accuse him and said: "Since we enjoy great peace because of you, and reforms are taking place for the benefit of this nation by your foresight,

3 we gratefully receive them always and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.

4 However, so that I will not burden you any further, I beg you in your graciousness to give us a brief hearing.

5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes!

6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we apprehended him [and wanted to judge him according to our law.

7 But Lysias the commander came and took him from our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you.]

8 By examining him yourself you will be able to discern all these things of which we accuse him."

9 The Jews also joined in the attack, alleging that these things were so.

10 When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied: "Because I know you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I am glad to offer my defense in what concerns me.

11 You are able to determine that it is no more than 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.

12 And they didn't find me disputing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple complex or in the synagogues, or anywhere in the city.

13 Neither can they provide evidence to you of what they now bring against me.

14 But I confess this to you: that according to the Way, which they call a sect, so I worship my fathers' God, believing all the things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

15 And I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there is going to be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.

16 I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men.

17 After many years, I came to bring charitable gifts and offerings to my nation,

18 and while I was doing this, some Jews from the province of Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.

19 It is they who ought to be here before you to bring charges, if they have anything against me.

20 Either let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin,

21 or about this one statement I cried out while standing among them, 'Today I am being judged before you concerning the resurrection of the dead.' "

22 Since Felix was accurately informed about the Way, he adjourned the hearing, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case."

23 He ordered that the centurion keep Paul under guard, though he could have some freedom, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from serving him.

24 After some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus.

25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, "Leave for now, but when I find time I'll call for you."

26 At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.

27 After two years had passed, Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus, and because he wished to do a favor for the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison.