Psalm 7-9

New International Version

Psalm 7^[a]

A shiggaion^[b]^(A) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

¹Lord my God, I take refuge^(B) in you;
save and deliver me^(C) from all who pursue me,^(D)
²or they will tear me apart like a lion^(E)
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue^(F) me.

³Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands^(G)—
⁴if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause^(H) have robbed my foe—
⁵then let my enemy pursue and overtake^(I) me;
    let him trample my life to the ground^(J)
    and make me sleep in the dust.^[c]^(K)

⁶Arise,^(L) Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.^(M)
    Awake,^(N) my God; decree justice.
⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.^(O)
⁸    Let the Lord judge^(P) the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,^(Q)
    according to my integrity,^(R) O Most High.^(S)
⁹Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—^(T)
you, the righteous God^(U)
    who probes minds and hearts.^(V)

¹⁰My shield^[d]^(W) is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.^(X)
¹¹God is a righteous judge,^(Y)
    a God who displays his wrath^(Z) every day.
¹²If he does not relent,^(AA)
    he^[e] will sharpen his sword;^(AB)
    he will bend and string his bow.^(AC)
¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.^(AD)

¹⁴Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth^(AE) to disillusionment.
¹⁵Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit^(AF) they have made.^(AG)
¹⁶The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;^(AH)
I will sing the praises^(AI) of the name of the Lord Most High.^(AJ)

Psalm 8^[f]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[g] A psalm of David.

¹Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name^(AK) in all the earth!

You have set your glory^(AL)
    in the heavens.^(AM)
²Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold^(AN) against your enemies,
    to silence the foe^(AO) and the avenger.
³When I consider your heavens,^(AP)
    the work of your fingers,^(AQ)
the moon and the stars,^(AR)
    which you have set in place,
⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?^[h]^(AS)

⁵You have made them^[i] a little lower than the angels^[j]^(AT)
    and crowned them^[k] with glory and honor.^(AU)
⁶You made them rulers^(AV) over the works of your hands;^(AW)
    you put everything under their^[l] feet:^(AX)
⁷all flocks and herds,^(AY)
    and the animals of the wild,^(AZ)
⁸the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,^(BA)
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!^(BB)

Psalm 9^[m]^[n]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

¹I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;^(BC)
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.^(BD)
²I will be glad and rejoice^(BE) in you;
I will sing the praises^(BF) of your name,^(BG) O Most High.

³My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
⁴For you have upheld my right^(BH) and my cause,^(BI)
    sitting enthroned^(BJ) as the righteous judge.^(BK)
⁵You have rebuked the nations^(BL) and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name^(BM) for ever and ever.
⁶Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;^(BN)
    even the memory of them^(BO) has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever;^(BP)
    he has established his throne^(BQ) for judgment.
⁸He rules the world in righteousness^(BR)
    and judges the peoples with equity.^(BS)
⁹The Lord is a refuge^(BT) for the oppressed,^(BU)
    a stronghold in times of trouble.^(BV)
¹⁰Those who know your name^(BW) trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken^(BX) those who seek you.^(BY)

¹¹Sing the praises^(BZ) of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;^(CA)
proclaim among the nations^(CB) what he has done.^(CC)
¹²For he who avenges blood^(CD) remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.^(CE)

¹³Lord, see how my enemies^(CF) persecute me!
    Have mercy^(CG) and lift me up from the gates of death,^(CH)
¹⁴that I may declare your praises^(CI)
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,^(CJ)
    and there rejoice in your salvation.^(CK)

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;^(CL)
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.^(CM)
¹⁶The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^[o]^(CN)
¹⁷The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,^(CO)
    all the nations that forget God.^(CP)
¹⁸But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope^(CQ) of the afflicted^(CR) will never perish.

¹⁹Arise,^(CS) Lord, do not let mortals triumph;^(CT)
let the nations be judged^(CU) in your presence.
²⁰Strike them with terror,^(CV) Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.^(CW)

Footnotes

Psalm 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-17 is numbered 7:2-18.
Psalm 7:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 7:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 7:10 Or sovereign
Psalm 7:12 Or If anyone does not repent, / God
Psalm 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-9 is numbered 8:2-10.
Psalm 8:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 8:4 Or what is a human being that you are mindful of him, / a son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 8:5 Or him
Psalm 8:5 Or than God
Psalm 8:5 Or him
Psalm 8:6 Or made him ruler . . . ; / . . . his
Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.

Acts 17:1-15

New International Version

In Thessalonica

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,^(A) where there was a Jewish synagogue. ²As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,^(B) and on three Sabbath^(C) days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,^(D) ³explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer^(E) and rise from the dead.^(F) “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,”^(G) he said. ⁴Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,^(H) as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

⁵But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.^(I) They rushed to Jason’s^(J) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.^[a] ⁶But when they did not find them, they dragged^(K) Jason and some other believers^(L) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world^(M) have now come here,^(N) ⁷and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”^(O) ⁸When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. ⁹Then they made Jason^(P) and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea

¹⁰As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas^(Q) away to Berea.^(R) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.^(S) ¹¹Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(T) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(U) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^(V) ¹²As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(W)

¹³But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,^(X) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴The believers^(Y) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas^(Z) and Timothy^(AA) stayed at Berea. ¹⁵Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens^(AB) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.^(AC)