Through the Bible – Day 201

Bible text(s)

Psalms 51

(For the music leader. A psalm by David when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had been with Bathsheba.)

A prayer for forgiveness

₁You are kind, God!

Please have pity on me.

You are always merciful!

Please wipe away my sins.

₂Wash me clean from all

of my sin and guilt.

₃I know about my sins,

and I cannot forget

my terrible guilt.

₄You are really the one

I have sinned against;

I have disobeyed you

and have done wrong.

So it is right and fair for you

to correct and punish me.

₅I have sinned and done wrong

since the day I was born.

₆But you want complete honesty,

so teach me true wisdom.

₇Wash me with hyssop

until I am clean

and whiter than snow.

₈Let me be happy and joyful!

You crushed my bones,

now let them celebrate.

₉Turn your eyes from my sin

and cover my guilt.

₁₀Create pure thoughts in me

and make me faithful again.

₁₁Don't chase me away from you

or take your Holy Spirit

away from me.

₁₂Make me as happy as you did

when you saved me;

make me want to obey!

₁₃I will teach sinners your Law,

and they will return to you.

₁₄Keep me from any deadly sin.

Only you can save me!

Then I will shout and sing

about your power to save.

₁₅Help me to speak,

and I will praise you, Lord.

₁₆Offerings and sacrifices

are not what you want.

₁₇The way to please you

is to feel sorrow

deep in our hearts.

This is the kind of sacrifice

you won't refuse.

₁₈Please be willing, Lord,

to help the city of Zion

and to rebuild its walls.

₁₉Then you will be pleased

with the proper sacrifices,

and we will offer bulls

on your altar once again.

Psalms 52

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. He wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, “David has gone to Ahimelech's house.”)

God is in control

₁You people may be strong

and boast about your sins,

but God can be trusted

day after day.

₂You plan brutal crimes,

and your lying words cut

like a sharp razor.

₃You would rather do evil

than good, and tell lies

than speak the truth.

₄You love to say cruel things,

and your words are a trap.

₅God will destroy you for ever!

He will grab you and drag you

from your homes.

You will be uprooted

and left to die.

₆When good people see

this fearsome sight,

they will laugh and say,

₇“Just look at them now!

Instead of trusting God,

they trusted their wealth

and their cruelty.”

₈But I am like an olive tree

growing in God's house,

and I can count on his love

for ever and ever.

₉I will always thank God

for what he has done;

I will praise his good name

when his people meet.

Psalms 53

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “Mahalath”.)

No one can ignore God

₁Only a fool would say,

“There is no God!”

People like that are worthless!

They are heartless and cruel

and never do right.

₂From heaven God

looks down to see

if anyone is wise enough

to search for him.

₃But all of them

are crooked and corrupt.

Not one of them does right.

₄Won't you lawbreakers learn?

You refuse to pray,

and you gobble up

the people of God.

₅But you will be more terrified

than ever before.

God will scatter the bones

of his enemies,

and you will be ashamed

when God rejects you.

₆I long for someone from Zion

to come and save Israel!

Our God, when you bless

your people again,

Jacob's family will be glad,

and Israel will celebrate.

Psalms 54

(For the music leader. Use with stringed instruments. A special psalm that David wrote when the people of Ziph went to Saul and said, “David is hiding here with us.”)

Trusting God in times of trouble

₁Save me, God, by your power

and prove that I am right.

₂Listen to my prayer

and hear what I say.

₃Cruel strangers have attacked

and want me dead.

Not one of them cares

about you.

₄You will help me, Lord God,

and keep me from falling;

₅you will punish my enemies

for their evil deeds.

Be my faithful friend

and destroy them.

₆I will bring a gift

and offer a sacrifice

to you, LORD.

I will praise your name

because you are good.

₇You have rescued me

from all my troubles,

and my own eyes have seen

my enemies fall.

Psalms 51:1-54:7CEVOpen in Bible reader

Acts 21

Paul speaks to the crowd

₃₇When Paul was about to be taken into the fortress, he asked the commander, “Can I say something to you?”

“How do you know Greek?” the commander asked. ₃₈“Aren't you that Egyptian who started a riot not long ago and led four thousand terrorists into the desert?”

₃₉“No!” Paul replied. “I am a Jew from Tarsus, an important city in Cilicia. Please let me speak to the crowd.”

₄₀The commander told him he could speak, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people. When they were quiet, he spoke to them in Aramaic:

Acts 22

₁“My friends and leaders of our nation, listen as I explain what happened!” ₂When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. Then Paul said:

₃I am a Jew, born and raised in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. In fact, I was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today.

₄I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord's Way, and I even had some of them killed. I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn't care if they were men or women. ₅The high priest and all the council members can tell you that this is true. They even gave me letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

₆One day about midday I was getting close to Damascus, when a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. ₇I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking me, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me?”

₈“Who are you?” I answered.

The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” ₉The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.

₁₀I asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Then he told me, “Get up and go to Damascus. When you get there, you will be told what to do.” ₁₁The light had been so bright that I couldn't see. And the other men had to lead me by the hand to Damascus.

₁₂In that city there was a man named Ananias, who faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and was well liked by all the Jewish people living there. ₁₃He came to me and said, “Saul, my friend, you can now see again!”

At once I could see. ₁₄Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice. ₁₅You must tell everyone what you have seen and heard. ₁₆What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized, and wash away your sins by praying to the Lord.”

₁₇After this I returned to Jerusalem and went to the temple to pray. There I had a vision ₁₈of the Lord who said to me, “Hurry and leave Jerusalem! The people won't listen to what you say about me.”

₁₉I replied, “Lord, they know that in many of our meeting places I arrested and beat people who had faith in you. ₂₀Stephen was killed because he spoke for you, and I stood there and cheered them on. I even guarded the clothes of the men who murdered him.”

₂₁But the Lord told me to go, and he promised to send me far away to the Gentiles.

Acts 21:37-22:21CEVOpen in Bible reader