Psalms 4; Psalms 5; Psalms 6; Acts 17:16-34

1 Answer me when I pray to you, my God who does what is right. Make things easier for me when I am in trouble. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 People, how long will you turn my honor into shame? How long will you love what is false and look for new lies?Selah

3 You know that the Lord has chosen for himself those who are loyal to him. The Lord listens when I pray to him.

4 When you are angry, do not sin. Think about these things quietly as you go to bed.Selah

5 Do what is right as a sacrifice to the Lord and trust the Lord.

6 Many people ask, "Who will give us anything good?" Lord, be kind to us.

7 But you have made me very happy, happier than they are, even with all their grain and new wine.

8 I go to bed and sleep in peace, because, Lord, only you keep me safe. For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.

1 Lord, listen to my words. Understand my sadness.

2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, because I pray to you.

3 Lord, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer.

4 You are not a God who is pleased with the wicked; you do not live with those who do evil.

5 Those people who make fun of you cannot stand before you. You hate all those who do evil.

6 You destroy liars; the Lord hates those who kill and trick others.

7 Because of your great love, I can come into your Temple. Because I fear and respect you, I can worship in your holy Temple.

8 Lord, since I have many enemies, show me the right thing to do. Show me clearly how you want me to live.

9 My enemies' mouths do not tell the truth; in their hearts they want to destroy others. Their throats are like open graves; they use their tongues for telling lies.

10 God, declare them guilty! Let them fall into their own traps. Send them away because their sins are many; they have turned against you.

11 But let everyone who trusts you be happy; let them sing glad songs forever. Protect those who love you and who are happy because of you.

12 Lord, you bless those who do what is right; you protect them like a soldier's shield. For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Upon the sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Lord, don't correct me when you are angry; don't punish me when you are very angry.

2 Lord, have mercy on me because I am weak. Heal me, Lord, because my bones ache.

3 I am very upset. Lord, how long will it be?

4 Lord, return and save me; save me because of your kindness.

5 Dead people don't remember you; those in the grave don't praise you.

6 I am tired of crying to you. Every night my bed is wet with tears; my bed is soaked from my crying.

7 My eyes are weak from so much crying; they are weak from crying about my enemies.

8 Get away from me, all you who do evil, because the Lord has heard my crying.

9 The Lord has heard my cry for help; the Lord will answer my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be ashamed and troubled. They will turn and suddenly leave in shame. A shiggaion of David which he sang to the Lord about Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.

16 While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols.

17 In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and the Greeks who worshiped God. He also talked every day with people in the marketplace.

18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophersn argued with him, saying, "This man doesn't know what he is talking about. What is he trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be telling us about some other gods," because Paul was telling them about Jesus and his rising from the dead.

19 They got Paul and took him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said, "Please explain to us this new idea you have been teaching.

20 The things you are saying are new to us, and we want to know what this teaching means."

21 (All the people of Athens and those from other countries who lived there always used their time to talk about the newest ideas.)

22 Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, "People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things.

23 As I was going through your city, I saw the objects you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: to a god who is not known. You worship a god that you don't know, and this is the God I am telling you about!

24 The God who made the whole world and everything in it is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples built by human hands.

25 This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them; he has everything he needs.

26 God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live.

27 God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us:

28 'We live in him. We walk in him. We are in him.' Some of your own poets have said: 'For we are his children.'

29 Since we are God's children, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make from gold, silver, or rock.

30 In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this. But now, God tells all people in the world to change their hearts and lives.

31 God has set a day that he will judge all the world with fairness, by the man he chose long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from the dead!"

32 When the people heard about Jesus being raised from the dead, some of them laughed. But others said, "We will hear more about this from you later."

33 So Paul went away from them.

34 But some of the people believed Paul and joined him. Among those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others.