Old/New Testament
Psalm 43[a]
1 Vindicate me, God, and champion my cause
against an unfaithful nation;
rescue me from the deceitful and unjust person.(A)
2 For you are the God of my refuge.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?(B)
3 Send your light and your truth; let them lead me.(C)
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.(D)
4 Then I will come to the altar of God,
to God, my greatest joy.(E)
I will praise you with the lyre,
God, my God.(F)
5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.(G)
Psalm 44
Israel’s Complaint
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
1 God, we have heard with our ears—
our ancestors have told us—
the work you accomplished in their days,
in days long ago:(H)
2 In order to plant them,
you displaced the nations by your hand;
in order to settle them,
you brought disaster on the peoples.(I)
3 For they did not take the land by their sword—
their arm did not bring them victory—
but by your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face,(J)
because you were favorable toward them.(K)
4 You are my King, my God,
who ordains[b] victories for Jacob.(L)
5 Through you we drive back our foes;
through your name we trample our enemies.(M)
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and my sword does not bring me victory.(N)
7 But you give us victory over our foes
and let those who hate us be disgraced.(O)
8 We boast in God all day long;(P)
we will praise your name forever.(Q)Selah
9 But you have rejected and humiliated us;
you do not march out with our armies.(R)
10 You make us retreat from the foe,
and those who hate us
have taken plunder for themselves.(S)
11 You hand us over to be eaten like sheep
and scatter us among the nations.(T)
12 You sell your people for nothing;
you make no profit from selling them.(U)
13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.(V)
14 You make us a joke among the nations,
a laughingstock[c] among the peoples.(W)
15 My disgrace is before me all day long,
and shame has covered my face,(X)
16 because of the taunts[d] of the scorner and reviler,
because of the enemy and avenger.(Y)
17 All this has happened to us,
but we have not forgotten you
or betrayed your covenant.(Z)
18 Our hearts have not turned back;
our steps have not strayed from your path.(AA)
19 But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals
and have covered us with deepest darkness.(AB)
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
and spread out our hands to a foreign god,(AC)
21 wouldn’t God have found this out,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AD)
22 Because of you we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.(AE)
23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping?
Get up! Don’t reject us forever!(AF)
24 Why do you hide
and forget our affliction and oppression?(AG)
25 For we have sunk down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.(AH)
26 Rise up! Help us!
Redeem us because of your faithful love.(AI)
Psalm 45
A Royal Wedding Song
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(AJ) A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
1 My heart is moved by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.(AK)
2 You are the most handsome of men;[e]
grace flows from your lips.(AL)
Therefore God has blessed you forever.(AM)
3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side.
In your majesty and splendor(AN)—
4 in your splendor ride triumphantly
in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.
May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.(AO)
5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.(AP)
6 Your throne,(AQ) God, is[f] forever and ever;
the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.(AR)
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;(AS)
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy
more than your companions.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;
from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.(AT)
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women;(AU)
the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,
stands at your right hand.(AV)
10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:
Forget your people and your father’s house,(AW)
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Bow down to him, for he is your lord.(AX)
12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,
will seek your favor with gifts.(AY)
27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet[a] deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet[b] deep. 29 Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.
33 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.”(A) 35 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat.(B) 36 They all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship.(C) 38 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.
Shipwreck
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could.(D) 40 After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.(E)
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