Psalms 18; Psalms 19; Acts 20:17-38

Psalms 18

1 (17-1) <Unto the end, for David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said:> (17-2) I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:

2 (17-3) The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my support.

3 (17-4) Praising, I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.

4 (17-5) The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.

5 (17-6) The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me.

6 (17-7) In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.

7 (17-8) The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.

8 (17-9) There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.

9 (17-10) He bowed the heavens, and came down, and darkness was under his feet.

10 (17-11) And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.

11 (17-12) And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.

12 (17-13) At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.

13 (17-14) And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.

14 (17-15) And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.

15 (17-16) Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.

16 (17-17) He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.

17 (17-18) He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 (17-19) They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.

19 (17-20) And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.

20 (17-21) And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:

21 (17-22) Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.

22 (17-23) For all his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.

23 (17-24) And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.

24 (17-25) And the Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.

25 (17-26) With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent:

26 (17-27) And withe the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.

27 (17-28) For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.

28 (17-29) For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God, enlighten my darkness.

29 (17-30) For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.

30 (17-31) As for my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire-tried: he is the protector of all that trust in him.

31 (17-32) For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?

32 (17-33) God, who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.

33 (17-34) Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.

34 (17-35) Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.

35 (17-36) And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.

36 (17-37) Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.

37 (17-38) I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.

38 (17-39) I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.

39 (17-40) And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.

40 (17-41) And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.

41 (17-42) They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.

42 (17-43) And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.

43 (17-44) Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people; thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.

44 (17-45) A people which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.

45 (17-46) The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.

46 (17-47) The Lord liveth, and blessed by my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 (17-48) O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enraged enemies.

48 (17-49) And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.

49 (17-50) Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.

50 (17-51) Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David, his anointed: and to his seed for ever.

Psalms 19

1 (18-1) <Unto the end. A Psalm Chapter for David.> (18-2) The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.

2 (18-3) Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge.

3 (18-4) There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.

4 (18-5) Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.

5 (18-6) He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he as a bridegroom coming out of his bridechamber, Hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way:

6 (18-7) His going out is from the end of heaven, And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.

7 (18-8) The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.

8 (18-9) The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.

9 (18-10) The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.

10 (18-11) More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.

11 (18-12) For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is a great reward.

12 (18-13) Who can understand sins? from my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord:

13 (18-14) And from those of others spare thy servant. If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot: and I shall be cleansed form the greatest sin.

14 (18-15) And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in thy sight. O Lord, my helper and my Redeemer.

Acts 20:17-38

17 And sending from Miletus to Ephesus, he called the ancients of the church.

18 And when they were come to him and were together, he said to them: You know from the first day that I came into Asia, in what manner I have been with you, for all the time.

19 Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and temptations which befell me by the conspiracies of the Jews:

20 How I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have preached it to you, and taught you publicly, and from house to house,

21 Testifying both to Jews and Gentiles penance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And now, behold, being bound in the spirit, I go to Jerusalem: not knowing the things which shall befall me there:

23 Save that the Holy Ghost in every city witnesseth to me, saying: That bands and afflictions wait for me at Jerusalem.

24 But I fear none of these things, neither do I count my life more precious than myself, so that I may consummate my course and the ministry of the word which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

25 And now behold, I know that all you, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

26 Wherefore I take you to witness this day that I am clear from the blood of all men.

27 For I have not spread to declare unto you all, the counsel of God.

28 Take heed to yourselves and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood.

29 I know that after my departure ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30 And of your own selves shall arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31 Therefore watch, keeping in memory that for three years I ceased not with tears to admonish every one of you, night and day.

32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, who is able to build up and to give an inheritance among all the sanctified.

33 I have not coveted any man’s silver, gold or apparel, as

34 You yourselves know. For such things as were needful for me and them that are with me, these hands have furnished.

35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring you ought to support the weak and to remember the word of the Lord Jesus, how he said: It is a more blessed thing to give, rather than to receive.

36 And when he had said these things, kneeling down, he prayed with them all.

37 And there was much weeping among them all. And falling on the neck of Paul, they kissed him,

38 Being grieved most of all for the word which he had said, that they should see his face no more. And they brought him on his way to the ship.