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Psalms 22-24 (Listen)

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,
  enthroned on the praises [1] of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
  they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
  in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
  scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
  they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
  let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
  you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
On you was I cast from my birth,
  and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Be not far from me,
  for trouble is near,
  and there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,
  and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
  it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
  and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
  you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet [2]—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
  O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
  my precious life from the power of the dog!
  Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued [3] me from the horns of the wild oxen!

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
  in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
  All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
  and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
  the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
  but has heard, when he cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
  my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted [4] shall eat and be satisfied;
  those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
  May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
  and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
  shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
  and he rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
  before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
  even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him;
  it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
  that he has done it.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. [5]
  He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness [6]
  for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [7]
  I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
  your rod and your staff,
  they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
  in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
  my cup overflows.
Surely [8] goodness and mercy [9] shall follow me
  all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell [10] in the house of the Lord
  forever. [11]

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24:1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, [12]
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
  And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
  who does not lift up his soul to what is false
  and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
  and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
  who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [13] Selah

Lift up your heads, O gates!
  And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
  The Lord, strong and mighty,
  the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
  And lift them up, O ancient doors,
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
  The Lord of hosts,
  he is the King of glory! Selah

Acts 20:1-16 (Listen)

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and [14] the day after that we went to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

Footnotes

[1] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises
[2] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet
[3] 22:21 Hebrew answered
[4] 22:26 Or The meek
[5] 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest
[6] 23:3 Or in right paths
[7] 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness
[8] 23:6 Or Only
[9] 23:6 Or steadfast love
[10] 23:6 Or shall return to dwell
[11] 23:6 Hebrew for length of days
[12] 24:1 Or and all that fills it
[13] 24:6 Septuagint, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; Masoretic Text Jacob, who seek your face
[14] 20:15 Some manuscripts add after remaining at Trogyllium