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Psalm 124

1  If the Lord himself had not been on our side, ♦︎
   now may Israel say;
2  If the Lord had not been on our side, ♦︎
   when enemies rose up against us;
3  Then would they have swallowed us alive ♦︎
   when their anger burned against us;
4  Then would the waters have overwhelmed us
      and the torrent gone over our soul; ♦︎
   over our soul would have swept the raging waters.
5  But blessed be the Lord ♦︎
   who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
6  Our soul has escaped
      as a bird from the snare of the fowler; ♦︎
   the snare is broken and we are delivered.
7  Our help is in the name of the Lord, ♦︎
   who has made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

1  Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, ♦︎
   which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
2  As the hills stand about Jerusalem, ♦︎
   so the Lord stands round about his people,
      from this time forth for evermore.
3  The sceptre of wickedness shall not hold sway
      over the land allotted to the righteous, ♦︎
   lest the righteous turn their hands to evil.
4  Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, ♦︎
   and to those who are true of heart.
5  Those who turn aside to crooked ways
      the Lord shall take away with the evildoers; ♦︎
   but let there be peace upon Israel.

Psalm 126

1  When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, ♦︎
   then were we like those who dream.
2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter ♦︎
   and our tongue with songs of joy.
3  Then said they among the nations, ♦︎
   ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
4  The Lord has indeed done great things for us, ♦︎
   and therefore we rejoiced.
5  Restore again our fortunes, O Lord, ♦︎
   as the river beds of the desert.
6  Those who sow in tears ♦︎
   shall reap with songs of joy.
7  Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, ♦︎
   will come back with shouts of joy,
      bearing their sheaves with them.

Psalm 127

1  Unless the Lord builds the house, ♦︎
   those who build it labour in vain.
2  Unless the Lord keeps the city, ♦︎
   the guard keeps watch in vain.
3  It is in vain that you hasten to rise up early
      and go so late to rest, eating the bread of toil, ♦︎
   for he gives his beloved sleep.
4  Children are a heritage from the Lord ♦︎
   and the fruit of the womb is his gift.
5  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, ♦︎
   so are the children of one’s youth.
6  Happy are those who have their quiver full of them: ♦︎
   they shall not be put to shame
      when they dispute with their enemies in the gate.

Paul Appeals to the Emperor

25Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem ²where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him ³and requested, as a favour to them against Paul,^* to have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. ⁴Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself intended to go there shortly. ⁵‘So’, he said, ‘let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.’

6 After he had stayed among them for not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. ⁸Paul said in his defence, ‘I have in no way committed an offence against the law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against the emperor.’ ⁹But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favour, asked Paul, ‘Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?’ ¹⁰Paul said, ‘I am appealing to the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. ¹¹Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.’ ¹²Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, ‘You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go.’