Psalms 10; Psalms 11; Psalms 12; Acts 19:1-20

1 Why are you so distant, LORD? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked person arrogantly pursues oppressed people. He will be caught in the schemes that he planned.

3 The wicked person boasts about his selfish desires. He blesses robbers, but he curses the LORD.

4 He turns up his nose [and says], "God doesn't care." His every thought [concludes], "There is no God."

5 He always seems to succeed. Your judgments are beyond his understanding. He spits at all his opponents.

6 He says to himself, "Nothing can shake me. I'll never face any trouble."

7 His mouth is full of cursing, deception, and oppression. Trouble and wrongdoing are on the tip of his tongue.

8 He waits in ambush in the villages. From his hiding places he kills innocent people. His eyes are on the lookout for victims.

9 He lies in his hiding place like a lion in his den. He hides there to catch oppressed people. He catches oppressed people when he draws them into his net.

10 [His] victims are crushed. They collapse, and they fall under [the weight of] his power.

11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten. He has hidden his face. He will never see it!"

12 Arise, O LORD! Lift your hand, O God. Do not forget oppressed people!

13 Why does the wicked person despise God? Why does he say to himself, "God doesn't care"?

14 You have seen [it]; yes, you have taken note of trouble and grief and placed them under your control. The victim entrusts himself to you. You alone have been the helper of orphans.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person. Punish his wickedness until you find no more.

16 The LORD is king forever and ever. The nations have vanished from his land.

17 You have heard the desire of oppressed people, O LORD. You encourage them. You pay close attention to them

18 in order to provide justice for orphans and oppressed people so that no mere mortal will terrify them again.

1 I have taken refuge in the LORD. How can you say to me: "Flee to your mountain like a bird?

2 Wicked people bend their bows. They set their arrows against the strings to shoot in the dark at people whose motives are decent.

3 When the foundations [of life] are undermined, what can a righteous person do?"

4 The LORD is in his holy temple. The LORD's throne is in heaven. His eyes see. They examine Adam's descendants.

5 The LORD tests righteous people, but he hates wicked people and the ones who love violence.

6 He rains down fire and burning sulfur upon wicked people. He makes them drink from a cup filled with scorching wind.

7 The LORD is righteous. He loves a righteous way of life. Decent people will see his face.

1 Help, O LORD. No godly person is left. Faithful people have vanished from among Adam's descendants!

2 All people speak foolishly. They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another.

3 May the LORD cut off every flattering lip and every bragging tongue

4 that has said, "We will overcome with our tongues. With lips such as ours, who can be our master?"

5 "Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will provide safety for those who long for it."

6 The promises of the LORD are pure, like silver refined in a furnace and purified seven times.

7 O LORD, you will protect them. You will keep each one safe from those people forever.

8 Wicked people parade around when immorality increases among Adam's descendants.

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces to get to the city of Ephesus. He met some disciples in Ephesus

2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They answered him, "No, we've never even heard of the Holy Spirit."

3 Paul asked them, "What kind of baptism did you have?" They answered, "John's baptism."

4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. John told people to believe in Jesus, who was coming later."

5 After they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came to them, and they began to talk in other languages and to speak what God had revealed.

7 About twelve men were in the group.

8 For three months Paul would go into the synagogue and speak boldly. He had discussions with people to convince them about the kingdom of God.

9 But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and had nothing good to say in front of the crowd about the way [of Christ], he left them. He took his disciples and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10 This continued for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

11 God worked unusual miracles through Paul.

12 People would take handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's skin to those who were sick. Their sicknesses would be cured, and evil spirits would leave them.

13 Some Jews used to travel from place to place and force evil spirits out of people. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force evil spirits out of those who were possessed. These Jews would say, "I order you [to come out] in the name of Jesus, whom Paul talks about."

14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus, and I'm acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"

16 Then the man possessed by the evil spirit attacked them. He beat them up so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

17 All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it.

18 Many believers openly admitted their involvement with magical spells and told all the details.

19 Many of those who were involved in the occult gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of these books and found that they were worth 50,000 silver coins.

20 In this powerful way the word of the Lord was spreading and gaining strength.