Psalms 26; Psalms 27; Psalms 28; Acts 22

1 Lord, when you hand down your sentence, let it be in my favor. I have lived without blame. I have trusted in the Lord. I have never doubted him.

2 Lord, test me. Try me out. Look deep down into my heart and mind.

3 Your love is always with me. I have always lived by your truth.

4 I don't spend time with people who tell lies. I don't keep company with pretenders.

5 I hate to be with a group of sinful people. I refuse to spend time with those who are evil.

6 I wash my hands to show that I'm not guilty. Lord, I come near your altar.

7 I shout my praise to you. I tell about all the wonderful things you have done.

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

9 Don't destroy me together with sinners. Don't take my life away along with murderers.

10 Their hands are always planning to do evil. Their right hands are full of money that bought them off.

11 But I live without blame. Set me free and show me your favor.

12 My feet stand on level ground. In the whole community I will praise the Lord.

1 The LORD gives me light and saves me. Why should I fear anyone? The LORD is my place of safety. Why should I be afraid?

2 My enemies are evil. They will trip and fall when they attack me and try to eat me alive.

3 Even if an army attacks me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if war breaks out against me, I will still trust in God.

4 I'm asking the LORD for only one thing. Here is what I want. I want to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. I want to look at the beauty of the Lord. I want to worship him in his temple.

5 When I'm in trouble, he will keep me safe in his house. He will hide me in the safety of his holy tent. He will put me on a rock that is very high.

6 Then I will win the battle over my enemies who are all around me. At his holy tent I will offer my sacrifice with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Lord, hear my voice when I call out to you. Show me your favor and answer me.

8 My heart says, "Look to him!" Lord, I will look to you.

9 Don't turn your face away from me. Don't turn me away because you are angry. You have helped me. God my Savior, don't say no to me. Don't desert me.

10 My father and mother may desert me, but the LORD will accept me.

11 Lord, teach me your ways. Lead me along a straight path. There are many people who beat me down.

12 My enemies want to harm me. So don't turn me over to them. Witnesses who tell lies are rising up against me. They are trying to destroy me.

13 Here is something I am still sure of. I will see the Lord's goodness while I'm still alive.

14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don't lose hope. Wait for the Lord.

1 Lord, my Rock, I call out to you. Pay attention to me. If you remain silent, I will die. I will be like those who have gone down into the grave.

2 Hear my cry for your favor when I call out to you for help. Hear me when I lift up my hands in prayer toward your Most Holy Room.

3 Don't drag me away with sinners. Don't drag me away with those who do evil. They speak in a friendly way to their neighbors. But their hearts are full of hatred.

4 Pay them back for their evil actions. Pay them back for what their hands have done. Give them exactly what they should get.

5 They don't care about the Lord's mighty acts. They don't care about what his hands have done. So he will tear them down. He will never build them up again.

6 Give praise to the Lord. He has heard my cry for his favor.

7 The LORD gives me strength. He is like a shield that keeps me safe. My heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart jumps for joy. I will sing and give thanks to him.

8 The LORD gives strength to his people. He guards and saves his anointed king.

9 Save your people. Bless those who belong to you. Be their shepherd. Take care of them forever.

1 "Brothers and fathers," Paul began, "listen to me now. I want to speak up for myself."

2 When they heard that he was speaking to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said,

3 "I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia. But I grew up here in Jerusalem. I was well trained by Gamaliel in the law of our people. I wanted to serve God as much as any of you do today.

4 I hurt the followers of the Way of Jesus. I sent many of them to their death. I arrested men and women. I threw them into prison.

5 The high priest and the whole Council can give witness to this. I even had some official letters they had written to their friends in Damascus. So I went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 "I had almost reached Damascus. About noon a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice speak to me. 'Saul! Saul!' it said. 'Why are you opposing me?'

8 " 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. " 'I am Jesus of Nazareth,' he replied. 'I am the one you are opposing.'

9 "The light was seen by my companions. But they didn't understand the voice of the one speaking to me.

10 " 'What should I do, Lord?' I asked. " 'Get up,' the Lord said. 'Go into Damascus. There you will be told everything you have been given to do.'

11 The brightness of the light had blinded me. So my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.

12 "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a godly Jew who obeyed the law. All the Jews living there respected him very much.

13 He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' At that very moment I was able to see him.

14 "Then he said, 'The God of our people has chosen you. He wanted to tell you his plans for you. You have seen the Blameless One. You have heard words from his mouth.

15 Now you will give witness to all people about what you have seen and heard.

16 So what are you waiting for? Get up and call on his name. Be baptized. Have your sins washed away.'

17 "I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple. Then it seemed to me that I was dreaming.

18 I saw the Lord speaking to me. 'Quick!' he said. 'Leave Jerusalem at once. These people will not accept your witness about me.'

19 " 'Lord,' I replied, 'these people know what I used to do. I went from one synagogue to another and put believers in prison. I also beat them.

20 Stephen was a man who gave witness to others about you. I stood there when he was killed. I had agreed that he should die. I even guarded the coats of those who were killing him.'

21 "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go. I will send you far away to people who are not Jews.' "

22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they shouted, "Kill him! He isn't fit to live!"

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

24 So the commanding officer ordered Paul to be taken into the fort. He gave orders for Paul to be whipped and questioned. He wanted to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.

25 A commander was standing there as they stretched Paul out to be whipped. Paul said to him, "Does the law allow you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?"

26 When the commander heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported it. "What are you going to do?" the commander asked. "This man is a Roman citizen."

27 So the commanding officer went to Paul. "Tell me," he asked. "Are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," Paul answered.

28 Then the officer said, "I had to pay a lot of money to become a citizen." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied.

29 Right away those who were about to question him left. Even the officer was alarmed. He realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

30 The commanding officer wanted to find out exactly what the Jews had against Paul. So the next day he let Paul out of prison. He ordered a meeting of the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin. Then he brought Paul and had him stand in front of them.