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

1 Lord, why are you so far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 An evil person is proud and hunts down those who are weak. He catches weak people by making clever plans.

3 He brags about what his heart longs for. He speaks well of those who always want more. He attacks the LORD with his words.

4 Because he is proud, that evil person doesn't turn to the Lord. There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.

5 Everything always goes well for him. So he is proud. He doesn't want to have anything to do with God's laws. He makes fun of all of his enemies.

6 He says to himself, "I will always be secure. I will always be happy. I'll never have any trouble."

7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and warnings. With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

8 Sinful people hide and wait near the villages. From their hiding places they murder those who aren't guilty of doing anything wrong. They watch in secret for those they want to attack.

9 They hide and wait like a lion in the bushes. From their hiding places they wait to catch those who are helpless. They catch them and drag them off in their nets.

10 Those they have attacked are beaten up. They fall to the ground. They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.

11 Sinful people say to themselves, "God doesn't pay any attention. He covers his face. He never sees us."

12 Lord, rise up! God, show your power! Don't forget those who are helpless.

13 Why do sinful people attack you with their words? Why do they say to themselves, "He won't hold us accountable"?

14 God, you see trouble and sadness. You take note of it. You do something about it. So those who are attacked place themselves in your care. You help children whose fathers have died.

15 Take away the power of bad and sinful people. Hold them accountable for the evil things they do. Uncover all the evil they have done.

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever. The nations will disappear from his land.

17 Lord, you hear the longings of those who are hurting. You cheer them up and give them hope. You listen to their cries.

18 You stand up for those whose fathers have died and for those who have been beaten down. You do it so that no one made of dust may terrify others anymore.

1 I run to the LORD for safety. So how can you say to me, "Fly away like a bird to your mountain.

2 Look! Evil people are bending their bows. They are placing their arrows against the strings. They are planning to shoot from the shadows at those who have honest hearts.

3 When law and order are being destroyed, what can godly people do?"

4 The LORD is in his holy temple. The LORD is on his throne in heaven. He watches all people. His eyes study them.

5 The LORD watches over those who do what is right. But he hates sinful people and those who love to hurt others.

6 He will pour out flaming coals and burning sulfur on those who do what is wrong. A hot and dry wind will destroy them.

7 The LORD always does what is right. So he loves it when people do what is fair. Those who are honest will enjoy his blessing.

1 Help, Lord! Those who do what is right are gone. Those who are faithful have disappeared from the earth.

2 Everyone tells lies to his neighbors. With his lips he praises others, but he doesn't really mean it.

3 May the LORD cut off all lips that don't mean what they say. May he cut out every tongue that brags.

4 They say, "We will win the battle with our tongues. Our lips belong to us. No one else is in charge of us."

5 The LORD says, "The weak are beaten down. Those who are in need groan. So I will stand up to help them. I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them."

6 The words of the LORD are perfect. They are like silver made pure in a clay furnace. They are like silver made pure seven times over.

7 Lord, you will keep us safe. You will always keep sinners from hurting us.

8 Proud and sinful people walk around openly when the evil they do is praised by others.

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road to Ephesus. When he arrived, he found some believers there.

2 He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" "No," they answered. "We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.

4 Paul said, "John baptized people, calling them to turn away from their sins. He told them to believe in the one who was coming after him. Jesus is that one."

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

6 Paul placed his hands on them. Then the Holy Spirit came on them. They spoke in languages they had not known before. They also prophesied.

7 There were about 12 of them in all.

8 Paul entered the synagogue. There he spoke boldly for three months. He tried to talk the people into accepting his teaching about God's kingdom.

9 But some of them wouldn't listen. They refused to believe. In public they said evil things about the Way of Jesus. So Paul left them. He took the believers with him. Each day he talked with people in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10 This went on for two years. So all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Asia Minor heard the word of the Lord.

11 God did amazing miracles through Paul.

12 Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were sick. When this happened, their sicknesses were healed and evil spirits left them.

13 Some Jews went around driving out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to set free those who were controlled by demons. They said, "In Jesus' name I command you to come out. He is the Jesus that Paul is preaching about."

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

15 One day the evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus. And I know about Paul. But who are you?"

16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on Sceva's sons. He overpowered them all. He gave them a terrible beating. They ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17 The Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus heard about this. They were all overcome with fear. They held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor.

18 Many who believed now came and openly admitted the evil they had done.

19 A number of those who had practiced evil magic brought their scrolls together. They set them on fire out in the open. They added up the value of the scrolls. They found that it would take more than two lifetimes to earn what the scrolls were worth.

20 The word of the Lord spread everywhere. It became more and more powerful.