Genesis 1:1 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
APRIL
18
PSALMS:
18, 48, 78, 108, 138
PROVERBS:
18
OLD
TESTAMENT:
1 CHRONICLES 5:18 - 6:31
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 6:21 - 32
PSALMS:
18
For
the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to
the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the
hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1
I
love you, O LORD, my strength.
2
The
LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my
God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He
is my shield and the horn A
of my salvation, my stronghold.
3
I
call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and
I am saved from my enemies.
4
The
cords of death entangled me;
the
torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5
The
cords of the grave B
coiled around me;
the
snares of death confronted me.
6
In
my distress I called to the LORD;
I
cried to my God for help.
From
his temple he heard my voice;
my
cry came before him, into his ears.
7
The
earth trembled and quaked,
and
the foundations of the mountains shook;
they
trembled because he was angry.
8
Smoke
rose from his nostrils;
consuming
fire came from his mouth,
burning
coals blazed out of it.
9
He
parted the heavens and came down;
dark
clouds were under his feet.
10
He
mounted the cherubim and flew;
he
soared on the wings of the wind. 1
11
He
made darkness his covering, his canopy around him--
the
dark rain clouds of the sky.
12
Out
of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with
hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13
The
LORD thundered from heaven;
the
voice of the Most High resounded. C
14
He
shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great
bolts of lightning and routed them.
15
The
valleys of the sea were exposed
and
the foundations of the earth laid bare
at
your rebuke, O LORD,
at
the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16
He
reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he
drew me out of deep waters.
17
He
rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from
my foes, who were too strong for me.
18
They
confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but
the LORD was my support.
19
He
brought me out into a spacious place;
he
rescued me because he delighted in me.
20
The
LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according
to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21
For
I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I
have not done evil by turning from my God.
22
All
his laws are before me;
I
have not turned away from his decrees.
23
I
have been blameless before him
and
have kept myself from sin.
24
The
LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according
to the cleanness of my hands in his sight .2
25
To
the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to
the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26
to
the pure you show yourself pure,
but
to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27
You
save the humble
but
bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28
You,
O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my
God turns my darkness into light.
29
With
your help I can advance against a troop D;
with
my God I can scale a wall.
30
As
for God, his way is perfect;
the
word of the LORD is flawless.
He
is a shield
for
all who take refuge in him.
31
For
who is God besides the LORD?
And
who is the Rock except our God?
32
It
is God who arms me with strength
and
makes my way perfect.
33
He
makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he
enables me to stand on the heights.
34
He
trains my hands for battle;
my
arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35
You
give me your shield of victory,
and
your right hand sustains me;
you
stoop down to make me great.
36
You
broaden the path beneath me,
so
that my ankles do not turn.
37
I
pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I
did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38
I
crushed them so that they could not rise;
they
fell beneath my feet. 3
39
You
armed me with strength for battle;
you
made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40
You
made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and
I destroyed my foes.
41
They
cried for help, but there was no one to save them--
to
the LORD, but he did not answer.
42
I
beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I
poured them out like mud in the streets.
43
You
have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you
have made me the head of nations;
people
I did not know are subject to me.
44
As
soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners
cringe before me.
45
They
all lose heart;
they
come trembling from their strongholds.
46
The
LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted
be God my Savior!
47
He
is the God who avenges me,
who
subdues nations under me,
48
who
saves me from my enemies.
You
exalted me above my foes;
from
violent men you rescued me.
49
Therefore
I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I
will sing praises to your name.
50
He
gives his king great victories;
he
shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to
David and his descendants forever. 4
PSALMS:
48
A
song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1
Great
is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in
the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2
It
is beautiful in its loftiness,
the
joy of the whole earth.
Like
the utmost heights of Zaphon A
is Mount Zion,
the
B
city of the Great King.
3
God
is in her citadels;
he
has shown himself to be her fortress.
4
When
the kings joined forces,
when
they advanced together,
5
they
saw her and were astounded;
they
fled in terror.
6
Trembling
seized them there,
pain
like that of a woman in labor.
7
You
destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered
by an east wind.
8
As
we have heard,
so
have we seen
in
the city of the LORD Almighty,
in
the city of our God:
God
makes her secure forever.
Selah
9
Within
your temple, O God,
we
meditate on your unfailing love.
10
Like
your name, O God,
your
praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your
right hand is filled with righteousness. 5
11
Mount
Zion rejoices,
the
villages of Judah are glad
because
of your judgments.
12
Walk
about Zion, go around her,
count
her towers,
13
consider
well her ramparts,
view
her citadels,
that
you may tell of them to the next generation.
14
For
this God is our God for ever and ever;
he
will be our guide even to the end. 6
PSALMS:
78
A
maskil
A
of Asaph.
1
O
my people, hear my teaching;
listen
to the words of my mouth.
2
I
will open my mouth in parables,
I
will utter hidden things, things from of old--
3
what
we have heard and known,
what
our fathers have told us.
4
We
will not hide them from their children;
we
will tell the next generation
the
praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his
power, and the wonders he has done.
5
He
decreed statutes for Jacob
and
established the law in Israel,
which
he commanded our forefathers
to
teach their children,
6
so
the next generation would know them,
even
the children yet to be born,
and
they in turn would tell their children.
7
Then
they would put their trust in God
and
would not forget his deeds
but
would keep his commands.
8
They
would not be like their forefathers--
a
stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose
hearts were not loyal to God,
whose
spirits were not faithful to him.
9
The
men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned
back on the day of battle;
10
they
did not keep God's covenant
and
refused to live by his law.
11
They
forgot what he had done,
the
wonders he had shown them.
12
He
did miracles in the sight of their fathers
in
the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13
He
divided the sea and led them through;
he
made the water stand firm like a wall.
14
He
guided them with the cloud by day
and
with light from the fire all night.
15
He
split the rocks in the desert
and
gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16
he
brought streams out of a rocky crag
and
made water flow down like rivers.
17
But
they continued to sin against him,
rebelling
in the desert against the Most High.
18
They
willfully put God to the test
by
demanding the food they craved.
19
They
spoke against God, saying,
"Can
God spread a table in the desert?
20
When
he struck the rock, water gushed out,
and
streams flowed abundantly.
But
can he also give us food?
Can
he supply meat for his people?"
21
When
the LORD heard them, he was very angry;
his
fire broke out against Jacob,
and
his wrath rose against Israel,
22
for
they did not believe in God
or
trust in his deliverance.
23
Yet
he gave a command to the skies above
and
opened the doors of the heavens;
24
he
rained down manna for the people to eat, 7
he
gave them the grain of heaven.
25
Men
ate the bread of angels;
he
sent them all the food they could eat.
26
He
let loose the east wind from the heavens
and
led forth the south wind by his power.
27
He
rained meat down on them like dust,
flying
birds like sand on the seashore.
28
He
made them come down inside their camp,
all
around their tents.
29
They
ate till they had more than enough,
for
he had given them what they craved.
30
But
before they turned from the food they craved,
even
while it was still in their mouths,
31
God's
anger rose against them;
he
put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting
down the young men of Israel.
32
In
spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in
spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33
So
he ended their days in futility
and
their years in terror.
34
Whenever
God slew them, they would seek him;
they
eagerly turned to him again.
35
They
remembered that God was their Rock,
that
God Most High was their Redeemer.
36
But
then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying
to him with their tongues;
37
their
hearts were not loyal to him,
they
were not faithful to his covenant.
38
Yet
he was merciful;
he
forgave their iniquities
and
did not destroy them.
Time
after time he restrained his anger
and
did not stir up his full wrath. 8
39
He
remembered that they were but flesh,
a
passing breeze that does not return.
40
How
often they rebelled against him in the desert
and
grieved him in the wasteland!
41
Again
and again they put God to the test;
they
vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42
They
did not remember his power--
the
day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43
the
day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt,
his
wonders in the region of Zoan.
44
He
turned their rivers to blood;
they
could not drink from their streams.
45
He
sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and
frogs that devastated them.
46
He
gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their
produce to the locust.
47
He
destroyed their vines with hail
and
their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48
He
gave over their cattle to the hail,
their
livestock to bolts of lightning.
49
He
unleashed against them his hot anger,
his
wrath, indignation and hostility--
a
band of destroying angels.
50
He
prepared a path for his anger;
he
did not spare them from death
but
gave them over to the plague.
51
He
struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the
firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52
But
he brought his people out like a flock;
he
led them like sheep through the desert.
53
He
guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but
the sea engulfed their enemies.
54
Thus
he brought them to the border of his holy land, 9
to
the hill country his right hand had taken.
55
He
drove out nations before them
and
allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he
settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56
But
they put God to the test
and
rebelled against the Most High;
they
did not keep his statutes.
57
Like
their fathers they were disloyal and faithless,
as
unreliable as a faulty bow.
58
They
angered him with their high places;
they
aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59
When
God heard them, he was very angry;
he
rejected Israel completely.
60
He
abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the
tent he had set up among men.
61
He
sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his
splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62
He
gave his people over to the sword;
he
was very angry with his inheritance.
63
Fire
consumed their young men,
and
their maidens had no wedding songs;
64
their
priests were put to the sword,
and
their widows could not weep.
65
Then
the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as
a man wakes from the stupor of wine.
66
He
beat back his enemies;
he
put them to everlasting shame.
67
Then
he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he
did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68
but
he chose the tribe of Judah, 10
Mount
Zion, which he loved.
69
He
built his sanctuary like the heights,
like
the earth that he established forever.
70
He
chose David his servant
and
took him from the sheep pens;
71
from
tending the sheep he brought him
to
be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of
Israel his inheritance.
72
And
David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with
skillful hands he led them. 11
PSALMS:
108
A
song. A psalm of David.
1
My
heart is steadfast, O God;
I
will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake,
harp and lyre!
I
will awaken the dawn.
3
I
will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I
will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For
great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your
faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be
exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and
let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save
us and help us with your right hand,
that
those you love may be delivered.
7
God
has spoken from his sanctuary:
"In
triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and
measure off the Valley of Succoth.
8
Gilead
is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim
is my helmet,
Judah
my scepter.
9
Moab
is my washbasin,
upon
Edom I toss my sandal;
over
Philistia I shout in triumph."
10
Who
will bring me to the fortified city?
Who
will lead me to Edom?
11
Is
it not you, O God, you who have rejected us
and
no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give
us aid against the enemy,
for
the help of man is worthless.
13
With
God we will gain the victory, 12
and
he will trample down our enemies. 13
PSALMS:
138
Of
David.
1
I
will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before
the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2
I
will bow down toward your holy temple
and
will praise your name
for
your love and your faithfulness,
for
you have exalted above all things
your
name and your word.
3
When
I called, you answered me;
you
made me bold and stouthearted.
4
May
all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when
they hear the words of your mouth.
5
May
they sing of the ways of the LORD,
6
Though
the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but
the proud he knows from afar.
7
Though
I walk in the midst of trouble,
you
preserve my life;
you
stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with
your right hand you save me.
8
The
LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your
love, O LORD, endures forever--
do
not abandon the works of your hands. 14
PROVERBS:
18
18
1
An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends;
he
defies all sound judgment.
2
A
fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but
delights in airing his own opinions.
3
When
wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and
with shame comes disgrace.
4
The
words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5
It
is not good to be partial to the wicked
or
to deprive the innocent of justice.
6
A
fool's lips bring him strife,
and
his mouth invites a beating.
7
A
fool's mouth is his undoing,
and
his lips are a snare to his soul.
8
The
words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they
go down to a man's inmost parts.
9
One
who is slack in his work
is
brother to one who destroys.
10
The
name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the
righteous run to it and are safe.
11The
wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they
imagine it an unscalable wall.15
12
Before
his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but
humility comes before honor.
13
He
who answers before listening--
that
is his folly and his shame.
14
A
man's spirit sustains him in sickness,
but
a crushed spirit who can bear?
15
The
heart of the discerning acquires knowledge;
the
ears of the wise seek it out.
16
A
gift opens the way for the giver
and
ushers him into the presence of the great.
17
The
first to present his case seems right,
till
another comes forward and questions him.
18
Casting
the lot settles disputes
and
keeps strong opponents apart.
19
An
offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city,
and
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20
From
the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled;
with
the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
21
The
tongue has the power of life and death,
and
those who love it will eat its fruit.
22
He
who finds a wife finds what is good
and
receives favor from the LORD. 16
23
A
poor man pleads for mercy,
but
a rich man answers harshly.
24
A
man of many companions may come to ruin,
but
there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 17
OLD
TESTAMENT:
1 CHRONICLES 5:18 - 6:31
18
The
Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men
ready for military service--able-bodied men who could handle shield
and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19
They
waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20
They
were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all
their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the
battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21
They
seized the livestock of the Hagrites--fifty thousand camels, two
hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took
one hundred thousand people captive, 22
and
many others fell slain, because the battle was God's. And they
occupied the land until the exile.
23
The
people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous; they settled in
the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount
Hermon).
24
These
were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel,
Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men,
and heads of their families. 25
But
they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted
themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had
destroyed before them. 26
So
the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that
is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the
Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to
Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this
day.
6
1
The
sons of Levi:
Gershon,
Kohath and Merari.
2
The
sons of Kohath:
Amram,
Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
3
The
children of Amram:
Aaron,
Moses and Miriam.
The
sons of Aaron:
Nadab,
Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
4
Eleazar
was the father of Phinehas,
Phinehas
the father of Abishua, 18
5
Abishua
the father of Bukki,
Bukki
the father of Uzzi,
6
Uzzi
the father of Zerahiah,
Zerahiah
the father of Meraioth,
7
Meraioth
the father of Amariah,
Amariah
the father of Ahitub,
8
Ahitub
the father of Zadok,
Zadok
the father of Ahimaaz,
9
Ahimaaz
the father of Azariah,
Azariah
the father of Johanan,
10
Johanan
the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple
Solomon built in Jerusalem),
11
Azariah
the father of Amariah,
Amariah
the father of Ahitub,
12
Ahitub
the father of Zadok,
Zadok
the father of Shallum,
13
Shallum
the father of Hilkiah,
Hilkiah
the father of Azariah,
14
Azariah
the father of Seraiah,
and
Seraiah the father of Jehozadak.
15
Jehozadak
was deported when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16
The
sons of Levi:
Gershon,
A
Kohath and Merari.
17
These
are the names of the sons of Gershon:
Libni
and Shimei.
18
The
sons of Kohath:
Amram,
Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 19
19
The
sons of Merari:
Mahli
and Mushi.
These
are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:
20
Of
Gershon:
Libni
his son, Jehath his son,
Zimmah
his son, 21Joah
his son,
Iddo
his son, Zerah his son
and
Jeatherai his son.
22
The
descendants of Kohath:
Amminadab
his son, Korah his son,
Assir
his son, 23
Elkanah
his son,
Ebiasaph
his son, Assir his son,
24
Tahath
his son, Uriel his son,
Uzziah
his son and Shaul his son.
25
The
descendants of Elkanah:
Amasai,
Ahimoth,
26
Elkanah
his son, B
Zophai his son,
Nahath
his son, 27
Eliab
his son,
Jeroham
his son, Elkanah his son
and
Samuel his son. C
28
The
sons of Samuel:
JoelD
the firstborn
and
Abijah the second son.
29
The
descendants of Merari:
Mahli,
Libni his son,
Shimei
his son, Uzzah his son,
30
Shimea
his son, Haggiah his son 20
and
Asaiah his son.
31
These
are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD
after the ark came to rest there. 32They
ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting,
until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They
performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for
them. 21
33
Here
are the men who served, together with their sons:
From
the Kohathites:
Heman,
the musician,
the
son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
34
the
son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
the
son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
35
the
son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah,
the
son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
36
the
son of Elkanah, the son of Joel,
the
son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
37
the
son of Tahath, the son of Assir,
the
son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
38
the
son of Izhar, the son of Kohath,
the
son of Levi, the son of Israel;
39
and
Heman's associate Asaph, who served at his right hand:
Asaph
son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,
40
the
son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, E
the
son of Malkijah, 41
the
son of Ethni,
the
son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
42
the
son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah,
the
son of Shimei, 43
the
son of Jahath,
the
son of Gershon, the son of Levi;
44
and
from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand:
Ethan
son of Kishi, the son of Abdi,
the
son of Malluch, 45
the
son of Hashabiah,
46
the
son of Amzi, the son of Bani,
the
son of Shemer, 47
the
son of Mahli,
the
son of Mushi, the son of Merari,
the
son of Levi.
48
Their
fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the
tabernacle, the house of God. 49
But
Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on
the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection
with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for
Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had
commanded.
50
These
were the descendants of Aaron:
Eleazar
his son, Phinehas his son,
Abishua
his son, 51
Bukki
his son,
Uzzi
his son, Zerahiah his son,
52
Meraioth
his son, Amariah his son,
Ahitub
his son, 53
Zadok
his son
and
Ahimaaz his son.
54
These
were the locations of their settlements allotted as their territory
(they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the
Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):
55
They
were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands. 56
But
the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of
Jephunneh.
57
So
the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and
Libnah, F
Jattir, Eshtemoa, 58
Hilen,
Debir, 59
Ashan,
Juttah G
and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands. 60
And
from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, H
Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands.
These
towns, which were distributed among the Kohathite clans, were
thirteen in all.
61
The
rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans
of half the tribe of Manasseh.
62
The
descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns
from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part 24
of
the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.
63
The
descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from
the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.
64
So
the Israelites gave the Levites these towns and their pasturelands.
65
From
the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously
named towns.
66
Some
of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the
tribe of Ephraim.
67
In
the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of
refuge), and Gezer, I
68
Jokmeam,
Beth Horon, 69
Aijalon
and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands.
70
And
from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam,
together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.
71
The
Gershonites received the following:
From
the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh
they
received Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their
pasturelands;
72
from
the tribe of Issachar
they
received Kedesh, Daberath, 73
Ramoth
and Anem, together with their pasturelands;
74
from
the tribe of Asher
they
received Mashal, Abdon, 75
Hukok
and Rehob, together with their pasturelands;
76
and
from the tribe of Naphtali
they
received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon and Kiriathaim, together with
their pasturelands.
77
The
Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following:
From
the tribe of Zebulun
they
received Jokneam, Kartah, J
Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;
78
from
the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho
they
received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, 79
Kedemoth
and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;
80
and
from the tribe of Gad
they
received Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, 81
Heshbon
and Jazer, together with their pasturelands. 25
NEW
TESTAMENT:
ACTS 6:1 - 32
26
1
Then
Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for
yourself."
So
Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2
"King
Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I
make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3
and
especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish
customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me
patiently.
4
"The
Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the
beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5
They
have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing,
that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a
Pharisee. 6
And
now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers
that I am on trial today. 7
This
is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they
earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope
that the Jews are accusing me. 8
Why
should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
9
"I
too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose
the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10
And
that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief
priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to
death, I cast my vote against them. 11
Many
a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,
and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them,
I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
12
"On
one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and
commission of the chief priests. 13
About
noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven,
brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14
We
all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,
A
`Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the
goads.'
15
"Then
I asked, `Who are you, Lord?'
"`I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,'
the Lord replied. 16
`Now
get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you
as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I
will show you. 17
I
will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am
sending you to them 18
to
open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
19
"So
then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
20
First
to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea,
and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn
to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21
That
is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
22
But
I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and
testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the
prophets and Moses said would happen—23
that
the Christ B
would suffer and, as the first to rise 26
from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the
Gentiles."
24
At
this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of
your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is
driving you insane."
25
"I
am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What
I am saying is true and reasonable. 26
The
king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I
am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was
not done in a corner.
27
King
Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
28
Then
Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time
you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
29
Paul
replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but
all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for
these chains."
30
The
king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting
with them.
31
They
left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, "This
man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment."
32
Agrippa
said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not
appealed to Caesar." 27
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21 Excerpted
from Compton's
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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John 3:16-21 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, F that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.G 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." H
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