Psalms 23; Psalms 24; Psalms 25; Acts 21:18-40

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

2 He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.

3 He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised.

4 Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me

5 You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim.

6 I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live.

1 The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are his.

2 He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth and laid its foundations in the ocean depths.

3 Who has the right to go up the Lord's hill? Who may enter his holy Temple?

4 Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises.

5 The Lord will bless them and save them; God will declare them innocent.

6 Such are the people who come to God, who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.

7 Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

8 Who is this great king? He is the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, victorious in battle.

9 Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.

10 Who is this great king? The triumphant Lord - he is the great king!

1 To you, O Lord, I offer my prayer;

2 in you, my God, I trust. Save me from the shame of defeat; don't let my enemies gloat over me!

3 Defeat does not come to those who trust in you, but to those who are quick to rebel against you.

4 Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me.

5 Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you.

6 Remember, O Lord, your kindness and constant love which you have shown from long ago.

7 Forgive the sins and errors of my youth. In your constant love and goodness, remember me, Lord!

8 Because the Lord is righteous and good, he teaches sinners the path they should follow.

9 He leads the humble in the right way and teaches them his will.

10 With faithfulness and love he leads all who keep his covenant and obey his commands.

11 Keep your promise, Lord, and forgive my sins, for they are many.

12 Those who have reverence for the Lord will learn from him the path they should follow.

13 They will always be prosperous, and their children will possess the land.

14 The Lord is the friend of those who obey him and he affirms his covenant with them.

15 I look to the Lord for help at all times, and he rescues me from danger.

16 Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful to me, because I am lonely and weak.

17 Relieve me of my worries and save me from all my troubles.

18 Consider my distress and suffering and forgive all my sins.

19 See how many enemies I have; see how much they hate me.

20 Protect me and save me; keep me from defeat. I come to you for safety.

21 May my goodness and honesty preserve me, because I trust in you.

22 From all their troubles, O God, save your people Israel!

18 The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present.

19 Paul greeted them and gave a complete report of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his work.

20 After hearing him, they all praised God. Then they said, "Brother Paul, you can see how many thousands of Jews have become believers, and how devoted they all are to the Law.

21 They have been told that you have been teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries to abandon the Law of Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow the Jewish customs.

22 They are sure to hear that you have arrived. What should be done, then?

23 This is what we want you to do. There are four men here who have taken a vow.

24 Go along with them and join them in the ceremony of purification and pay their expenses; then they will be able to shave their heads. In this way everyone will know that there is no truth in any of the things that they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in accordance with the Law of Moses.

25 But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent them a letter telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been strangled, and that they must keep themselves from sexual immorality."

26 So Paul took the men and the next day performed the ceremony of purification with them. Then he went into the Temple and gave notice of how many days it would be until the end of the period of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for each one of them.

27 But just when the seven days were about to come to an end, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul.

28 "People of Israel!" they shouted. "Help! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone against the people of Israel, the Law of Moses, and this Temple. And now he has even brought some Gentiles into the Temple and defiled this holy place!

29 (They said this because they had seen Trophimus from Ephesus with Paul in the city, and they thought that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

30 Confusion spread through the whole city, and the people all ran together, grabbed Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. At once the Temple doors were closed.

31 The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting.

32 At once the commander took some officers and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw him with the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander went over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked, "Who is this man, and what has he done?"

34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing, others something else. There was such confusion that the commander could not find out exactly what had happened, so he ordered his men to take Paul up into the fort.

35 They got as far as the steps with him, and then the soldiers had to carry him because the mob was so wild.

36 They were all coming after him and screaming, "Kill him!"

37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the fort, he spoke to the commander: "May I say something to you?" "You speak Greek, do you?" the commander asked.

38 "Then you are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a revolution and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?"

39 Paul answered, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Please let me speak to the people."

40 The commander gave him permission, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand for the people to be silent. When they were quiet, Paul spoke to them in Hebrew: