Psalms 26; Psalms 27; Psalms 28; Acts 22

1 Lord, defend me because I have lived an innocent life. I have trusted the Lord and never doubted.

2 Lord, try me and test me; look closely into my heart and mind.

3 I see your love, and I live by your truth.

4 I do not spend time with liars, nor do I make friends with those who hide their sin.

5 I hate the company of evil people, and I won't sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands to show I am innocent, and I come to your altar, Lord.

7 I raise my voice in praise and tell of all the miracles you have done.

8 Lord, I love the Temple where you live, where your glory is.

9 Do not kill me with those sinners or take my life with those murderers.

10 Evil is in their hands, and they do wrong for money.

11 But I have lived an innocent life, so save me and have mercy on me.

12 I stand in a safe place. Lord, I praise you in the great meeting. Of David.

1 The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. I fear no one. The Lord protects my life; I am afraid of no one.

2 Evil people may try to destroy my body. My enemies and those who hate me attack me, but they are overwhelmed and defeated.

3 If an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. If war breaks out, I will trust the Lord.

4 I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want: all my life. and look with my own eyes at his Temple.

5 During danger he will keep me safe in his shelter. He will hide me in his Holy Tent, or he will keep me safe on a high mountain.

6 My head is higher than my enemies around me. I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent. I will sing and praise the Lord.

7 Lord, hear me when I call; have mercy and answer me.

8 My heart said of you, "Go, worship him." So I come to worship you, Lord.

9 Do not turn away from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger; you have helped me. Do not push me away or leave me alone, God, my Savior.

10 If my father and mother leave me, the Lord will take me in.

11 Lord, teach me your ways, and guide me to do what is right because I have enemies.

12 Do not hand me over to my enemies, because they tell lies about me and say they will hurt me.

13 I truly believe I will live to see the Lord's goodness.

14 Wait for the Lord's help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord's help. Of David.

1 Lord, my Rock, I call out to you for help. Do not be deaf to me. If you are silent, I will be like those in the grave.

2 Hear the sound of my prayer, when I cry out to you for help. I raise my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Don't drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil. They say "Peace" to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.

4 Pay them back for what they have done, for their evil deeds. Pay them back for what they have done; give them their reward.

5 They don't understand what the Lord has done or what he has made. So he will knock them down and not lift them up.

6 Praise the Lord, because he heard my prayer for help.

7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him, and he helps me. I am very happy, and I praise him with my song.

8 The Lord is powerful; he gives victory to his chosen one.

9 Save your people and bless those who are your own. Be their shepherd and carry them forever. A psalm of David.

1 Paul said, "Friends, fellow Jews, listen to my defense to you."

2 When the Jews heard him speaking the Jewish language, they became very quiet. Paul said,

3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia, but I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel, who carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today.

4 I persecuted the people who followed the Way of Jesus, and some of them were even killed. I arrested men and women and put them in jail.

5 The high priest and the whole council of older Jewish leaders can tell you this is true. They gave me letters to the Jewish brothers in Damascus. So I was going there to arrest these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 "About noon when I came near Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed all around me.

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'

8 I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The voice said, 'I am Jesus from Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'

9 Those who were with me did not hear the voice, but they saw the light.

10 I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' The Lord answered, 'Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.'

11 I could not see, because the bright light had made me blind. So my companions led me into Damascus.

12 "There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a religious man; he obeyed the law of Moses, and all the Jews who lived there respected him.

13 He stood by me and said, 'Brother Saul, see again!' Immediately I was able to see him.

14 He said, 'The God of our ancestors chose you long ago to know his plan, to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from him.

15 You will be his witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen and heard.

16 Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, trusting in him to save you.'

17 "Later, when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I saw a vision.

18 I saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem now! The people here will not accept the truth about me.'

19 But I said, 'Lord, they know that in every synagogue I put the believers in jail and beat them.

20 They also know I was there when Stephen, your witness, was killed. I stood there agreeing and holding the coats of those who were killing him!'

21 But the Lord said to me, 'Leave now. I will send you far away to the non-Jewish people.'"

22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they began shouting, "Kill him! Get him out of the world! He should not be allowed to live!"

23 They shouted, threw off their coats, and threw dust into the air.

24 Then the commander ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the army building and beat him. He wanted to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this.

25 But as the soldiers were tying him up, preparing to beat him, Paul said to an officer nearby, "Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizenn who has not been proven guilty?"

26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. The officer said, "Do you know what you are doing? This man is a Roman citizen."

27 The commander came to Paul and said, "Tell me, are you really a Roman citizen?" He answered, "Yes."

28 The commander said, "I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen." But Paul said, "I was born a citizen."

29 The men who were preparing to question Paul moved away from him immediately. The commander was frightened because he had already tied Paul, and Paul was a Roman citizen.

30 The next day the commander decided to learn why the Jews were accusing Paul. So he ordered the leading priests and the Jewish council to meet. The commander took Paul's chains off. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.