Old/New Testament
Psalm 26[a]
Prayer for the Righteous
1 Of David.
O Lord, come to my defense,
for I have lived a blameless life.
I have placed my trust in the Lord,
and never have I wavered in that regard.
2 Test me, O Lord, and try me;
probe my heart and my mind.
3 For your kindness[b] is before my eyes,
and I am constantly guided by your truth.
4 I do not sit in the company of deceivers,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of the wicked,
and I refuse to associate with evildoers.
6 I wash my hands in innocence[c]
and join the procession around your altar, O Lord,
7 giving voice to your praises
and proclaiming all your wondrous deeds.[d]
8 I love the house where you dwell, O Lord,
the place where your glory resides.[e]
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with those who thirst for blood,[f]
10 whose hands carry out evil schemes,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 Rather, I choose to walk in innocence;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground;[g]
in the full assembly I will bless the Lord.
Psalm 27[h]
Trust in God, Our Light and Salvation
1 Of David.
The Lord is my light[i] and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers close in on me
to devour my flesh,[j]
it is they, my adversaries and enemies,
who stumble and fall.
3 Even if an army encamps against me,
my heart[k] will not succumb to fear;
even if war breaks out against me,
I will not have my trust shaken.
4 There is only one thing I ask of the Lord,
just one thing I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
so that I may enjoy the beauty of the Lord[l]
and gaze on his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in times of trouble.
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent[m]
and place me high upon a rock.
6 Even now my head is raised high
above my enemies who surround me.
In his tent I will offer sacrifices[n] with joyous shouts;
I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.
7 O Lord, hear my voice when I cry out;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart[o] says of you,
“Seek his face.”
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
9 do not hide your face[p] from me.
Do not turn away your servant in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not reject or forsake me,
O God, my Savior.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will gather me up.[q]
11 Teach me your way,[r] O Lord,
and lead me along a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not abandon me to the will of my adversaries,
for lying witnesses have risen against me,
breathing forth violence in their malice.
13 I am confident that I will behold the goodness of the Lord[s]
in the land of the living.
14 Place your hope in the Lord:
be strong and courageous in your heart,
and place your hope in the Lord.
Psalm 28[t]
Thanksgiving for Supplications Heard
1 Of David.
To you I call out, O Lord, my Rock;[u]
do not turn a deaf ear to my cry.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear my voice in supplication
as I plead for your help,
as I lift up my hands[v]
toward your Most Holy Place.
3 Do not snatch me away with the wicked,
with those whose deeds are evil,
who talk of peace to their neighbors
while treachery is in their hearts.[w]
4 [x]Repay them as their deeds deserve
in accordance with the evil they inflict;
repay them for the works of their hands
and heap upon them what they justly deserve.
5 Since they have paid no heed to the deeds of the Lord
or to the works of his hands,
he will strike them down
and refuse to restore them.
6 Blessed[y] be the Lord,
for he has heard my cry of supplication.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart[z] places its trust in him.
He has helped me, and I exult;
then with my song I praise him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people,
the refuge where his anointed one[aa] finds salvation.
9 Save your people and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd[ab] and sustain them forever.
Chapter 22
Paul’s Speech to the People of Jerusalem.[a] 1 “Brethren and fathers, listen to what I have to say to you in my defense.” 2 When they heard him addressing them in Aramaic, they became even more quiet than before.
Then he continued, 3 “I am a Jew, born atTarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. As a pupil of Gamaliel, I was thoroughly trained in the Law of our ancestors. I have always been zealous toward God, just as all of you are today. 4 I even persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, sending both men and women to prison in chains, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify. From them I also received letters to our brethren in Damascus, and I set out to bring prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment.
6 “While I was on my way and drawing near Damascus, around midday a great light from the sky suddenly shone all around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What do you want me to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told everything that you have been appointed to do.’ 11 I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, and so my companions led me by the hand to Damascus.
12 “A man named Ananias, who was a devout observer of the Law and highly regarded by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to see me. Standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ Instantly, I saw him.
14 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear him speak. 15 For you will be his witness[b] to tell all what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’
17 “After I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw Jesus there. ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem at once,’ he said, ‘because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 But I replied, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I used to imprison and scourge those who believe in you. 20 And while the blood of your martyr Stephen was being shed, I myself stood by, giving my approval and guarding the coats of his murderers.’ 21 Then he said to me, ‘Go! I am sending you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
22 Paul Claims His Roman Citizenship.[c] Up to this point, the crowd had listened to him, but then they raised their voices and began to shout, “Rid the earth of this man! He should not be allowed to live.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that he be brought into the barracks and gave instructions that he be interrogated while being scourged to discover the reason for this outcry against him.
25 But when they had stretched him out and bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing nearby, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and who has not been condemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you going to do? This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 Then the commander came to him and inquired, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he answered, “Yes.” 28 The commander responded, “It cost me a great deal of money to acquire this citizenship.” Paul replied, “But I was born a citizen.” 29 Then those who were about to interrogate him withdrew hurriedly, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
30 Paul’s First Trial—before the Sanhedrin.[d] Since the commander wanted to learn with certitude what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, he released him on the following day and ordered the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
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