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Psalm 26-28
New King James Version
Psalm 26-28
New King James Version
A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption
A Psalm of David.
26 Vindicate (A)me, O Lord,
For I have (B)walked in my integrity.
(C)I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
2 (D)Examine me, O Lord, and [a]prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And (E)I have walked in Your truth.
4 I have not (F)sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
5 I have (G)hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
8 Lord, (H)I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place [b]where Your glory dwells.
9 (I)Do[c] not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (J)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 (K)My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (L)light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The (M)Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To (N)eat[d] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 (O)Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
4 (P)One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may (Q)dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the [e]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For (R)in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall (S)set me high upon a rock.
6 And now (T)my head shall be [f]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of [g]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 (U)Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 (V)When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.
11 (W)Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For (X)false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
(Y)In the land of the living.
14 (Z)Wait[h] on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Rejoicing in Answered Prayer
A Psalm of David.
28 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
(AA)Do not be silent to me,
(AB)Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
(AC)When I lift up my hands (AD)toward Your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not [i]take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
(AE)Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
4 (AF)Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.
5 Because (AG)they do not regard the works of the Lord,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The Lord is (AH)my strength and my shield;
My heart (AI)trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
8 The Lord is [j]their strength,
And He is the (AJ)saving refuge of His [k]anointed.
9 Save Your people,
And bless (AK)Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
(AL)And bear them up forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 26:2 test me
- Psalm 26:8 Lit. of the tabernacle of Your glory
- Psalm 26:9 Do not take away
- Psalm 27:2 devour
- Psalm 27:4 delightfulness
- Psalm 27:6 Lifted up in honor
- Psalm 27:6 joyous shouts
- Psalm 27:14 Wait in faith
- Psalm 28:3 drag
- Psalm 28:8 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. the strength of His people
- Psalm 28:8 Commissioned one, Heb. messiah
Psalm 26-28
New International Version
Psalm 26-28
New International Version
Psalm 26
Of David.
1 Vindicate me,(A) Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;(B)
I have trusted(C) in the Lord
and have not faltered.(D)
2 Test me,(E) Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;(F)
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love(G)
and have lived(H) in reliance on your faithfulness.(I)
4 I do not sit(J) with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.(K)
5 I abhor(L) the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,(M)
and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise(N)
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.(O)
8 Lord, I love(P) the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.(Q)
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with those who are bloodthirsty,(R)
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,(S)
whose right hands are full of bribes.(T)
11 I lead a blameless life;
deliver me(U) and be merciful to me.
Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light(X) and my salvation(Y)—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold(Z) of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?(AA)
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.(AB)
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;(AC)
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.(AD)
4 One thing(AE) I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,(AF)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble(AG)
he will keep me safe(AH) in his dwelling;
he will hide me(AI) in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.(AJ)
6 Then my head will be exalted(AK)
above the enemies who surround me;(AL)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice(AM) with shouts of joy;(AN)
I will sing(AO) and make music(AP) to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice(AQ) when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.(AR)
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!(AS)”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face(AT) from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;(AU)
you have been my helper.(AV)
Do not reject me or forsake(AW) me,
God my Savior.(AX)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way,(AY) Lord;
lead me in a straight path(AZ)
because of my oppressors.(BA)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses(BB) rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord(BC)
in the land of the living.(BD)
14 Wait(BE) for the Lord;
be strong(BF) and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you, Lord, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear(BG) to me.
For if you remain silent,(BH)
I will be like those who go down to the pit.(BI)
2 Hear my cry for mercy(BJ)
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands(BK)
toward your Most Holy Place.(BL)
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.(BM)
4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done(BN)
and bring back on them what they deserve.(BO)
5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
and what his hands have done,(BP)
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.
Footnotes
- Psalm 27:2 Or slander
Acts 22
New King James Version
Acts 22
New King James Version
Paul’s Defense at Jerusalem
22 “Brethren(A) and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” 2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the (B)Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.
Then he said: 3 (C)“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (D)at the feet of (E)Gamaliel, taught (F)according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and (G)was zealous toward God (H)as you all are today. 4 (I)I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and (J)all the council of the elders, (K)from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus (L)to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “Now (M)it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And (N)those who were with me indeed saw the light [a]and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. 10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Then (O)a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, (P)having a good testimony with all the (Q)Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, (R)‘The God of our fathers (S)has chosen you that you should (T)know His will, and (U)see the Just One, (V)and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 (W)For you will be His witness to all men of (X)what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, (Y)and wash away your sins, (Z)calling on the name of the Lord.’
17 “Now (AA)it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 and (AB)saw Him saying to me, (AC)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 19 So I said, ‘Lord, (AD)they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and (AE)beat those who believe on You. 20 (AF)And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by (AG)consenting [b]to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 Then He said to me, ‘Depart, (AH)for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Paul’s Roman Citizenship
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, (AI)“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for (AJ)he is not fit to live!” 23 Then, as they cried out and [c]tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. 25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, (AK)“Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”
And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
The Sanhedrin Divided
30 The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Footnotes
- Acts 22:9 NU omits and were afraid
- Acts 22:20 NU omits to his death
- Acts 22:23 Lit. threw
Acts 22
New International Version
Acts 22
New International Version
22 1 “Brothers and fathers,(A) listen now to my defense.”
2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,(B) they became very quiet.
Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew,(C) born in Tarsus(D) of Cilicia,(E) but brought up in this city. I studied under(F) Gamaliel(G) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.(H) I was just as zealous(I) for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted(J) the followers of this Way(K) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,(L) 5 as the high priest and all the Council(M) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates(N) in Damascus,(O) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.(P) 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,(Q) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9 My companions saw the light,(R) but they did not understand the voice(S) of him who was speaking to me.
10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’(T) 11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.(U)
12 “A man named Ananias came to see me.(V) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.(W) 13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors(X) has chosen you to know his will and to see(Y) the Righteous One(Z) and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness(AA) to all people of what you have seen(AB) and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized(AC) and wash your sins away,(AD) calling on his name.’(AE)
17 “When I returned to Jerusalem(AF) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance(AG) 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison(AH) and beat(AI) those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’(AJ)
21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”(AK)
Paul the Roman Citizen
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!(AL) He’s not fit to live!”(AM)
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks(AN) and flinging dust into the air,(AO) 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.(AP) He directed(AQ) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”(AR)
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29 Those who were about to interrogate him(AS) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,(AT) in chains.(AU)
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.(AV) So the next day he released him(AW) and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin(AX) to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
Footnotes
- Acts 22:20 Or witness
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.