MARCH 29
PSALMS: 29, 59, 99, 119, 149
PROVERBS: 31
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 19:1 - 21
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 12:1 - 23
PSALMS: 29
1 Ascribe to the LORD, you sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name.
Worship the LORD in holy array.
3 The voice of LORD is on the waters.
The God of glory thunders, even the LORD on many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful.
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars.
Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Levanon.
6 He makes them also to skip like a calf;
Levanon and Siryon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness.
The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer calve,
And strips the forests bare.
In his temple everything says, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood.
Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.
11 The LORD will give strength to his people.
The LORD will bless his people with shalom.
PSALMS: 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God.
Set me on high from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity.
Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
3 For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul.
The mighty gather themselves together against me,
Not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, LORD.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Rise up, behold, and help me!
5 You, LORD God Tzva'ot, the God of Yisra'el,
Rouse yourself to punish the nations.
Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
6 They return at evening, howling like dogs,
And prowl around the city.
7 Behold, they spew with their mouth.
Swords are in their lips,
"For," they say, "who hears us?"
8 But you, LORD, laugh at them.
You scoff at all the nations.
9 Oh, my Strength, I watch for you,
For God is my high tower.
10 My God will go before me with his loving kindness.
God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.
11 Don't kill them, or my people may forget.
Scatter them by your power, and bring them down,
Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips,
Let them be caught in their pride,
For the curses and lies which they utter.
13 Consume them in wrath.
Consume them, and they will be no more.
Let them know that God rules in Ya`akov,
To the ends of the eretz.
Selah.
14 At evening let them return.
Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city.
15 They shall wander up and down for food,
And wait all night if they aren't satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength.
Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning.
For you have been my high tower,
A refuge in the day of my distress.
17 To you, my strength, I will sing praises.
For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.
PSALMS: 89
1 I will sing of the loving kindness of the LORD forever.
With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 I indeed declare, "Love stands firm forever.
You established the heavens.
Your faithfulness is in them."
3 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David, my servant,
4 'I will establish your seed forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.'"
Selah.
5 The heavens will praise your wonders, LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7 A very awesome God in the council of the holy ones,
To be feared above all those who are around him?
8 LORD, God Tzva'ot, who is a mighty one, like you?
The LORD, your faithfulness is around you.
9 You rule the pride of the sea.
When its waves rise up, you calm them.
10 You have broken Rachav in pieces, like one of the slain.
You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours, the eretz also is yours;
The world and its fullness.
You have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them.
Tavor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 You have a mighty arm.
Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Loving kindness and truth go before your face.
15 Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you.
They walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
16 In your name do they rejoice all day.
In your righteousness, they are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength.
In your favor, our horn will be exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD;
Our king to the Holy One of Yisra'el.
19 Then you spoke in vision to your holy ones,
And said, "I have bestowed strength on the warrior.
I have exalted a young man from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant.
I have anointed him with my holy oil,
21 With whom my hand shall be established.
My arm will also strengthen him.
22 No enemy will tax him.
No wicked man will oppress him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him.
In my name, his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call to me, 'You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation!'
27 I will also appoint him my firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the eretz.
28 I will keep my loving kindness for him forevermore.
My covenant will stand firm with him.
29 I will also make his seed endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law,
And don't walk in my ordinances;
31 If they break my statutes,
And don't keep my mitzvot;
32 Then I will punish their sin with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him,
Nor allow my faithfulness to fail.
34 I will not break my covenant,
Nor alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness,
I will not lie to David.
36 His seed will endure forever,
His throne like the sun before me.
37 It will be established forever like the moon,
The faithful witness in the sky."
Selah.
38 But you have rejected and spurned.
You have been angry with your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant of your servant.
You have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken down all his hedges.
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 All who pass by the way rob him.
He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries.
You have made all of his enemies rejoice.
43 Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword,
And haven't supported him in battle.
44 You have ended his splendor,
And thrown his throne down to the ground.
45 You have shortened the days of his youth.
You have covered him with shame.
Selah.
46How long, LORD?
Will you hide yourself forever?
Will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity have you created all the children of men!
48 What man is he who shall live and not see death,
Who shall deliver his soul from the power of She'ol?
Selah.
49 Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses,
Which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants,
How I bear in my heart the taunts of all the mighty peoples,
51 With which your enemies have mocked, LORD,
With which they have mocked the footsteps of your anointed one.
52 Blessed be the LORD forevermore.
Amein, and Amein.
PSALMS: 119
1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
Who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes,
Who seek him with their whole heart.
3 Yes, they do nothing wrong.
They walk in his ways.
4 You have commanded your precepts,
That we should fully obey them.
5 Oh that my ways were steadfast
To obey your statutes!
6 Then I wouldn't be put to shame,
When I consider all of your mitzvot.
7 I will give thanks to you with uprightness of heart,
When I learn your righteous judgments.
8 I will observe your statutes.
Don't utterly forsake me.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 With my whole heart, I have sought you.
Don't let me wander from your mitzvot.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
That I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, LORD.
Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips, I have declared all the ordinances of your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts,
And consider your ways.
16 I will delight myself in your statutes.
I will not forget your word.
17 Do good to your servant.
I will live and I will obey your word.
18 Open my eyes,
That I may see wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am a stranger on the eretz.
Don't hide your mitzvot from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times.
21 You have rebuked the proud who are cursed,
Who wander from your mitzvot.
22 Take reproach and contempt away from me,
For I have kept your statutes.
23 Though princes sit and slander me,
Your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Indeed your statutes are my delight,
And my counselors.
25 My soul is laid low in the dust.
Revive me according to your word!
26 I declared my ways, and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes.
27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts!
Then I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow.
Strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from the way of deceit.
Grant me your law graciously!
30 I have chosen the way of truth.
I have set my heart on your law.
31 I cling to your statutes, LORD.
Don't let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your mitzvot,
For you have set my heart free.
33 Teach me, LORD, the way of your statutes.
I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law.
Yes, I will obey it with my whole heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your mitzvot,
For I delight in them.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes,
Not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things.
Revive me in your ways.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
That you may be feared.
39 Take away my disgrace that I dread,
For your ordinances are good.
40 Behold, I long for your precepts!
Revive me in your righteousness.
41 Let your loving kindness also come to me, LORD,
Your yeshu`ah, according to your word.
42 So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in your word.
43 Don't snatch the word of truth out of my mouth,
For I put my hope in your ordinances.
44 So I will obey your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45 I will walk in liberty,
For I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your statutes before kings,
And will not be put to shame.
47 I will delight myself in your mitzvot,
Because I love them.
48 I reach out my hands for your mitzvot, which I love.
I will meditate on your statutes.
49 Remember your word to your servant,
Because you gave me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
For your word has revived me.
51 The arrogant mock me excessively,
But I don't swerve from your law.
52 I remember your ordinances of old, LORD,
And have comforted myself.
53 Indignation has taken hold on me,
Because of the wicked who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs,
In the house where I live.
55 I have remembered your name, LORD, in the night,
And I obey your law.
56 This is my way,
That I keep your precepts.
57 The LORD is my portion.
I promised to obey your words.
58 I sought your favor with my whole heart.
Be merciful to me according to your word.
59 I considered my ways,
And turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hurry, and not delay,
To obey your mitzvot.
61 The ropes of the wicked bind me,
But I won't forget your law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to you,
Because of your righteous ordinances.
63 I am a friend of all those who fear you,
Of those who observe your precepts.
64 The eretz is full of your loving kindness, LORD.
Teach me your statutes.
65 Do good to your servant,
According to your word, LORD.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe in your mitzvot.
67 Before I was afflicted, I went astray;
But now I observe your word.
68 You are good, and do good.
Teach me your statutes.
69 The proud have smeared a lie upon me.
With my whole heart,
I will keep your precepts.
70 Their heart is as callous as the fat,
But I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
73 Your hands have made me and formed me.
Give me understanding, that I may learn your mitzvot.
74 Those who fear you will see me and be glad,
Because I have put my hope in your word.
75 LORD, I know that your judgments are righteous,
That in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 Please let your loving kindness be for my comfort,
According to your word to your servant.
77 Let your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For your law is my delight.
78 Let the proud be put to shame,
for they have overthrown me wrongfully.
I will meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you turn to me.
They will know your statutes.
80 Let my heart be blameless toward your decrees,
That I may not be put to shame.
81 My soul faints for your salvation.
I hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail for your word.
I say, "When will you comfort me?"
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke.
I don't forget your statutes.
84 How many are the days of your servant?
When will you execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 The proud have dug pits for me,
Contrary to your law.
86 All of your mitzvot are faithful.
They persecute me wrongfully.
Help me!
87 They had almost wiped me from the eretz,
But I didn't forsake your precepts.
88 Preserve my life according to your loving kindness,
So I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
89 LORD, your word is settled in heaven forever.
90 Your faithfulness is to all generations.
You have established the eretz, and it remains.
91 Your laws remain to this day,
For all things serve you.
92 Unless your law had been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
For with them, you have revived me.
94 I am yours. Save me,
For I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me, to destroy me.
I will consider your statutes.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
But your commands are boundless.
97 How love I your law!
It is my meditation all day.
98 Your mitzvot make me wiser than my enemies,
For your mitzvot are always with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,
Because I have kept your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil way,
That I might observe your word.
102 I have not turned aside from your ordinances,
For you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your promises to my taste,
More than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts,
I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet,
And a light for my path.
106 I have sworn, and have confirmed it,
That I will obey your righteous ordinances.
107 I am afflicted very much.
Revive me, LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, I beg you, the willing offerings of my mouth.
LORD, teach me your ordinances.
109 My soul is continually in my hand,
Yet I won't forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I haven't gone astray from your precepts.
111 I have taken your testimonies as a heritage forever,
For they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have set my heart to perform your statutes forever,
Even to the end.
113 I hate double-minded men,
But I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield.
I hope in your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
That I may keep the mitzvot of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your word, that I may live.
Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I will be safe,
And will have respect for your statutes continually.
118 You reject all those who stray from your statutes,
For their deceit is in vain.
119 You put away all the wicked of the eretz like dross.
Therefore I love your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you.
I am afraid of your judgments.
121 I have done what is just and righteous.
Don't leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant's well-being.
Don't let the proud oppress me.
123 My eyes fail watching for your yeshu`ah,
For your righteous word.
124 Deal with your servant according to your loving kindness.
Teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant.
Give me understanding,
That I may know your testimonies.
126 It is time to act, LORD,
For they break your law.
127 Therefore I love your mitzvot more than gold,
Yes, more than pure gold.
128 Therefore I consider all of your precepts to be right.
I hate every false way.
129 Your testimonies are wonderful,
Therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The entrance of your words gives light.
It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
For I longed for your mitzvot.
132 Turn to me, and have mercy on me,
As you always do to those who love your name.
133 Establish my footsteps in your word.
Don't let any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
So I will observe your precepts.
135 Make your face to shine on your servant.
Teach me your statutes.
136 Streams of tears run down my eyes,
Because they don't observe your law.
137 You are righteous, LORD.
your judgments are upright.
138 You have commanded your statutes in righteousness.
They are fully trustworthy.
139 My zeal wears me out,
Because my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
And your servant loves them.
141 I am small and despised.
I don't forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.
Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me.
Your mitzvot are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever.
Give me understanding, that I may live.
145 I have called with my whole heart.
Answer me, LORD!
I will keep your statutes.
146 I have called to you. Save me!
I will obey your statutes.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help.
I put my hope in your words.
148 My eyes stay open through the night watches,
That I might meditate on your word.
149 Hear my voice according to your loving kindness.
Revive me, LORD, according to your ordinances.
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness.
They are far from your law.
151 You are near, LORD.
All your mitzvot are truth.
152 Of old I have known from your testimonies,
That you have founded them forever.
153 Consider my affliction, and deliver me,
For I don't forget your law.
154 Plead my cause, and redeem me!
Revive me according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they don't seek your statutes.
156 Great are your tender mercies, LORD.
Revive me according to your ordinances.
157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries.
I haven't swerved from your testimonies.
158 I look at the faithless with loathing,
Because they don't observe your word.
159 Consider how I love your precepts.
Revive me, LORD, according to your loving kindness.
160 All of your words are truth.
Every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of your words.
162 I rejoice at your word,
As one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood.
I love your law.
164 Seven times a day, I praise you,
Because of your righteous ordinances.
165 Those who love your law have great shalom.
Nothing causes them to stumble.
166 I have hoped for your yeshu`ah, LORD.
I have done your mitzvot.
167 My soul has observed your testimonies.
I love them exceedingly.
168 I have obeyed your precepts and your testimonies,
For all my ways are before you.
169 Let my cry come before you, LORD.
Give me understanding according to your word.
170 Let my supplication come before you.
Deliver me according to your word.
171 Let my lips utter praise,
For you teach me your statutes.
172 Let my tongue sing of your word,
For all your mitzvot are righteousness.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me,
For I have chosen your precepts.
174 I have longed for your yeshu`ah, LORD.
Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, that I may praise you.
Let your ordinances help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant, for I don't forget your mitzvot.
Psalm 149
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the holy ones.
2 Let Israel rejoice in him who made them.
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his name in the dance!
Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people.
He crowns the humble with salvation [yeshu`ah].
5 Let the holy ones rejoice in honor.
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the high praises of God be in their mouths,
and a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations,
and punishments on the peoples;
8 to bind their kings with chains,
and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 to execute on them the written judgment.
All his holy ones have this honor.
Praise the LORD!
PROVERBS: 29
1 He who is often rebuked and stiffens his neck
Will be destroyed suddenly, with no remedy.
2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
But when the wicked rule, the people groan.
3 Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father;
But a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
4 The king by justice makes the land stable,
But he who takes bribes tears it down.
5 A man who flatters his neighbor,
Spreads a net for his feet.
6 An evil man is snared by his sin,
But the righteous can sing and be glad.
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor.
The wicked aren't concerned about knowledge.
8 Mockers stir up a city,
But wise men turn away anger.
9 If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man,
The fool rages or scoffs, and there is no shalom.
10 The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity;
And they seek the life of the upright.
11 A fool vents all of his anger,
But a wise man brings himself under control.
12 If a ruler listens to lies,
All of his officials are wicked.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.
14 The king who fairly judges the poor,
His throne shall be established forever.
15 The rod of correction gives wisdom,
But a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
16 When the wicked increase, sin increases;
But the righteous will see their downfall.
17 Correct your son, and he will give you shalom;
Yes, he will bring delight to your soul.
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But one who keeps the law is blessed.
19 A servant can't be corrected by words.
Though he understands, yet he will not respond.
20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
21 He who pampers his servant from youth
Will have him become a son in the end.
22 An angry man stirs up strife,
And a wrathful man abounds in sin.
23 A man's pride brings him low,
But one who is of a lowly spirit gains honor.
24 Whoever is an accomplice of a thief is an enemy of his own soul.
He takes an oath, but dares not testify.
25 The fear of man proves to be a snare,
But whoever puts his trust in the LORD is kept safe.
26 Many seek the ruler's favor,
But a man's justice comes from the LORD.
27 A dishonest man detests the righteous,
And the upright in their ways detest the wicked.
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 KINGS 19:1 - 21
19:1 1 Ach'av told Izevel all that Eliyah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Izevel send a messenger to Eliyah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
3 When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Be'er-Sheva, which belongs to Yehudah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat.
6 He looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drink, and laid him down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.
8 He arose, and ate and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horev the Mount of God.
9 He came there to a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Eliyah?
10 He said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,; for the children of Yisra'el have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 He said, Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 It was so, when Eliyah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, there came a voice to him, and said, What are you doing here, Eliyah?
14 He said, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,; for the children of Yisra'el have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 The LORD said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Dammesek: and when you come, you shall anoint Haza'el to be king over Aram;
16 and Yehu the son of Nimshi shall you anoint to be king over Yisra'el; and Elisha the son of Shafat of Avel-Mecholah shall you anoint to be prophet in your room.
17 It shall happen, that he who escapes from the sword of Haza'el shall Yehu kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Yehu shall Elisha kill.
18 Yet will I leave [me] seven thousand in Yisra'el, all the knees which have not bowed to Ba`al, and every mouth which has not kissed him.
19 So he departed there, and found Elisha the son of Shafat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke [of oxen] before him, and he with the twelfth: and Eliyah passed over to him, and cast his mantle on him.
20 He left the oxen, and ran after Eliyah, and said, Let me, I pray you, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. He said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
21 He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Eliyah, and ministered to him.
NEW TESTAMENT: ACTS 12:1 - 23
12:1 1 Now about that time, Herod the king stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
2 He killed Ya`akov, the brother of Yochanan, with the sword.
3 When he saw that it pleased the Yehudim, he proceeded to seize Kefa also. This was during the days of matzah.
4 When he had captured him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Pesach.
5 Kefa therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.
6 The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Kefa was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.
7 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Kefa on the side, and woke him up, saying, "Stand up quickly!" His chains fell off from his hands.
8 The angel said to him, "Put on your clothes, and tie on your sandals." He did so. He said to him, "Put on your cloak, and follow me."
9 He went out, and followed him. He didn't know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and passed on through one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 When Kefa had come to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the Lord has sent forth his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Yehudi people were expecting."
12 Thinking about that, he came to the house of Miryam, the mother of Yochanan whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
13 When Kefa knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
14 When she recognized Kefa's voice, she didn't open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Kefa stood before the gate.
15 They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."
16 But Kefa continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.
17 But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. He said, "Tell these things to Ya`akov, and to the brothers." He departed, and went to another place.
18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Kefa.
19 When Herod had sought for him, and didn't find him, he examined the guards, and commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Yehudah to Caesarea, and stayed there.
20 Now Herod was highly displeased with those of Tzor and Tzidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king's chamberlain, their friend, they asked for shalom, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them.
22 The people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!"
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