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Psalm 16

Song of Trust and Security in God

A Miktam of David.
¹ Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
   I have no good apart from you.’^*

³ As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
   in whom is all my delight.

⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;^*
   their drink-offerings of blood I will not pour out
   or take their names upon my lips.

⁵ The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
   you hold my lot.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
   I have a goodly heritage.

⁷ I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
   in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep the Lord always before me;
   because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
   my body also rests secure.
¹⁰ For you do not give me up to Sheol,
   or let your faithful one see the Pit.

¹¹ You show me the path of life.
   In your presence there is fullness of joy;
   in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 17

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors

A Prayer of David.
¹ Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
   give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
² From you let my vindication come;
   let your eyes see the right.

³ If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
   if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
   my mouth does not transgress.
⁴ As for what others do, by the word of your lips
   I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths;
   my feet have not slipped.

⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
   incline your ear to me, hear my words.
⁷ Wondrously show your steadfast love,
   O saviour of those who seek refuge
   from their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸ Guard me as the apple of the eye;
   hide me in the shadow of your wings,
⁹ from the wicked who despoil me,
   my deadly enemies who surround me.
¹⁰ They close their hearts to pity;
   with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
¹¹ They track me down;^* now they surround me;
   they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
¹² They are like a lion eager to tear,
   like a young lion lurking in ambush.

¹³ Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them!
   By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,
¹⁴ from mortals—by your hand, O Lord—
   from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;
   may their children have more than enough;
   may they leave something over to their little ones.

¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
   when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

Job Replies: There Is No Mediator

9Then Job answered:
² ‘Indeed I know that this is so;
   but how can a mortal be just before God?
³ If one wished to contend with him,
   one could not answer him once in a thousand.
⁴ He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength
—who has resisted him, and succeeded?—
⁵ he who removes mountains, and they do not know it,
   when he overturns them in his anger;
⁶ who shakes the earth out of its place,
   and its pillars tremble;
⁷ who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
   who seals up the stars;
⁸ who alone stretched out the heavens
   and trampled the waves of the Sea;^*
9 who made the Bear and Orion,
   the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;
¹⁰ who does great things beyond understanding,
   and marvellous things without number.
¹¹ Look, he passes by me, and I do not see him;
   he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
¹² He snatches away; who can stop him?
   Who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

¹³ ‘God will not turn back his anger;
   the helpers of Rahab bowed beneath him.
¹⁴ How then can I answer him,
   choosing my words with him?
¹⁵ Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him;
   I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.^*
16 If I summoned him and he answered me,
   I do not believe that he would listen to my voice.
¹⁷ For he crushes me with a tempest,
   and multiplies my wounds without cause;
¹⁸ he will not let me get my breath,
   but fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹ If it is a contest of strength, he is the strong one!
   If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?^*
20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me;
   though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
²¹ I am blameless; I do not know myself;
   I loathe my life.
²² It is all one; therefore I say,
   he destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
²³ When disaster brings sudden death,
   he mocks at the calamity^* of the innocent.
²⁴ The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
   he covers the eyes of its judges—
   if it is not he, who then is it?

²⁵ ‘My days are swifter than a runner;
   they flee away, they see no good.
²⁶ They go by like skiffs of reed,
   like an eagle swooping on the prey.
²⁷ If I say, “I will forget my complaint;
   I will put off my sad countenance and be of good cheer”,
²⁸ I become afraid of all my suffering,
   for I know you will not hold me innocent.
²⁹ I shall be condemned;
   why then do I labour in vain?
³⁰ If I wash myself with soap
   and cleanse my hands with lye,
³¹ yet you will plunge me into filth,
   and my own clothes will abhor me.
³² For he is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer him,
   that we should come to trial together.
³³ There is no umpire^* between us,
   who might lay his hand on us both.
³⁴ If he would take his rod away from me,
   and not let dread of him terrify me,
³⁵ then I would speak without fear of him,
   for I know I am not what I am thought to be.^*

Gentiles Hear the Good News

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ ⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Rivers of Living Water

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, ³⁸and let the one who believes in me drink. As^* the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart^* shall flow rivers of living water.” ’ ³⁹Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit,^* because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division among the People

40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is really the prophet.’ ⁴¹Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’^* But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah^* does not come from Galilee, does he? ⁴²Has not the scripture said that the Messiah^* is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’ ⁴³So there was a division in the crowd because of him. ⁴⁴Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The Unbelief of Those in Authority

45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’ ⁴⁶The police answered, ‘Never has anyone spoken like this!’ ⁴⁷Then the Pharisees replied, ‘Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? ⁴⁸Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.’ ⁵⁰Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus^* before, and who was one of them, asked, ⁵¹‘Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?’ ⁵²They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’