Through the Bible – Day 203

Bible text(s)

Psalms 58

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy”.)

A prayer when all goes wrong

₁Do you mighty people talk

only to oppose justice?

Don't you ever judge fairly?

₂You are always planning evil,

and you are brutal.

₃You have done wrong and lied

from the day you were born.

₄Your words spread poison

like the bite of a cobra

₅that refuses to listen

to the snake charmer.

₆My enemies are fierce

as lions, LORD God!

Shatter their teeth.

Snatch out their fangs.

₇Make them disappear

like leaking water,

and make their arrows miss.

₈Let them dry up like snails

or be like a child that dies

before seeing the sun.

₉Wipe them out quicker

than a pot can be heated

by setting thorns on fire.

₁₀Good people will be glad

when they see the wicked

getting what they deserve,

and they will wash their feet

in their enemies' blood.

₁₁Everyone will say, “It's true!

Good people are rewarded.

God does rule the earth

with justice.”

Psalms 59

(For the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy”. A special psalm by David when Saul had David's house watched so that he could kill him.)

A prayer for protection

₁Save me, God! Protect me

from enemy attacks!

₂Keep me safe from brutal people

who want to kill me.

₃Merciless enemies, LORD,

are hiding and plotting,

hoping to kill me.

I have not hurt them

in any way at all.

₄But they are ready to attack.

Do something! Help me!

Look at what's happening.

₅LORD God All-Powerful,

you are the God of Israel.

Punish the other nations

and don't pity those terrible

and rebellious people.

₆My enemies return at evening,

growling like dogs

roaming the city.

₇They curse and their words

cut like swords,

as they say to themselves,

“No one can hear us!”

₈You, LORD, laugh at them

and sneer at the nations.

₉You are my mighty fortress,

and I depend on you.

₁₀You love me and will let me

see my enemies defeated.

₁₁Don't kill them,

or everyone may forget!

Just use your mighty power

to make them tremble

and fall.

You are a shield

for your people.

₁₂My enemies are liars!

So let them be trapped

by their boastful lies.

₁₃Get angry and destroy them.

Leave them in ruin.

Then all the nations will know

that you rule in Israel.

₁₄Those liars return at evening,

growling like dogs

roaming the city.

₁₅They search for scraps of food,

and they snarl

until they are full.

₁₆But I will sing about

your strength, my God,

and I will celebrate

because of your love.

You are my fortress,

my place of protection

in times of trouble.

₁₇I will sing your praises!

You are my mighty fortress,

and you love me.

Psalms 60

(For the music leader. To the tune “Lily of the Promise”. A special psalm by David for teaching. He wrote it during his wars with the Arameans of northern Syria, when Joab came back and killed twelve thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.)

You can depend on God

₁You, God, are angry with us!

We are rejected and crushed.

Make us strong again!

₂You made the earth shake

and split wide open;

now heal its wounds

and stop its trembling.

₃You brought hard times

on your people,

and you gave us wine

that made us stagger.

₄You gave a signal to those

who worship you,

so they could escape

from enemy arrows.

₅Answer our prayers!

Use your powerful arm

and give us victory.

Then the people you love

will be safe.

₆Our God, you solemnly promised,

“I would gladly divide up

the city of Shechem

and give away Succoth Valley

piece by piece.

₇The lands of Gilead

and Manasseh are mine.

Ephraim is my war helmet,

and Judah is the symbol

of my royal power.

₈Moab is merely my washbasin.

Edom belongs to me,

and I shout in triumph

over the Philistines.”

₉Our God, who will bring me

to the fortress,

or lead me to Edom?

₁₀Have you rejected us

and deserted our armies?

₁₁Help us defeat our enemies!

No one else can rescue us.

₁₂You will give us victory

and crush our enemies.

Psalms 58:1-60:12CEVOpen in Bible reader

Acts 23

A plot to kill Paul

_12-13The next morning more than forty Jewish men got together and vowed that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul. ₁₄Then some of them went to the chief priests and the nation's leaders and said, “We have promised God that we would not eat a thing until we have killed Paul. ₁₅You and everyone in the council must go to the commander and pretend that you want to find out more about the charges against Paul. Ask for him to be brought before your court. Meanwhile, we will be waiting to kill him before he gets there.”

₁₆When Paul's nephew heard about the plot, he went to the fortress and told Paul about it. ₁₇So Paul said to one of the army officers, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something to tell him.”

₁₈The officer took him to the commander and said, “The prisoner named Paul asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.”

₁₉The commander took the young man aside and asked him in private, “What do you want to tell me?”

₂₀He answered, “Some men are planning to ask you to bring Paul down to the Jewish council tomorrow. They will claim that they want to find out more about him. ₂₁But please don't do what they say. More than forty men are going to attack Paul. They have made a vow not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. Even now they are waiting to hear what you decide.”

₂₂The commander sent the young man away after saying to him, “Don't let anyone know that you told me this.”

Paul is taken to Caesarea

Paul is sent to Felix the governor

₂₃The commander called in two of his officers and told them, “By nine o'clock tonight have two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea. Take along seventy men on horseback and two hundred foot soldiers with spears. ₂₄Get a horse ready for Paul and make sure that he gets safely through to Felix the governor.”

₂₅The commander wrote a letter that said:

₂₆Greetings from Claudius Lysias to the Honourable Governor Felix:

₂₇Some Jews grabbed this man and were about to kill him. But when I found out that he was a Roman citizen, I took some soldiers and rescued him.

₂₈I wanted to find out what they had against him. So I brought him before their council ₂₉and learnt that the charges concern only their religious laws. This man isn't guilty of anything for which he should die or even be put in jail.

₃₀As soon as I learnt that there was a plot against him, I sent him to you and told their leaders to bring charges against him in your court.

₃₁The soldiers obeyed the commander's orders, and that same night they took Paul to the city of Antipatris. ₃₂The next day the foot soldiers returned to the fortress and let the soldiers on horseback take him the rest of the way. ₃₃When they came to Caesarea, they gave the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.

₃₄The governor read the letter. Then he asked Paul and found out that he was from Cilicia. ₃₅The governor said, “I will listen to your case as soon as the people come to bring their charges against you.” After saying this, he gave orders for Paul to be kept as a prisoner in Herod's palace.

Acts 23:12-35CEVOpen in Bible reader