Old/New Testament
Psalm 46[a]
For the music director, by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style;[b] a song.
46 God is our strong refuge;[c]
he is truly our helper in times of trouble.[d]
2 For this reason we do not fear[e] when the earth shakes,[f]
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,[g]
3 when its waves[h] crash[i] and foam,
and the mountains shake[j] before the surging sea.[k] (Selah)
4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God,[l]
the special, holy dwelling place of[m] the Most High.[n]
5 God lives within it,[o] it cannot be moved.[p]
God rescues it[q] at the break of dawn.[r]
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.[s]
God[t] gives a shout,[u] the earth dissolves.[v]
7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side.[w]
The God of Jacob[x] is our stronghold.[y] (Selah)
8 Come, Witness the exploits[z] of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth.[aa]
9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth.[ab]
He shatters[ac] the bow and breaks[ad] the spear;
he burns[ae] the shields with fire.[af]
10 He says,[ag] “Stop your striving and recognize[ah] that I am God.
I will be exalted[ai] over[aj] the nations! I will be exalted over[ak] the earth!”
11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side![al]
The God of Jacob[am] is our stronghold![an] (Selah)
Psalm 47[ao]
For the music director, by the Korahites; a psalm.
47 All you nations, clap your hands.
Shout out to God in celebration.[ap]
2 For the Lord Most High[aq] is awe-inspiring;[ar]
he is the great king who rules the whole earth![as]
3 He subdued nations beneath us[at]
and countries[au] under our feet.
4 He picked out for us a special land[av]
to be a source of pride for[aw] Jacob,[ax] whom he loves.[ay] (Selah)
5 God has ascended his throne[az] amid loud shouts;[ba]
the Lord has ascended amid the blaring of ram’s horns.[bb]
6 Sing to God! Sing!
Sing to our king! Sing!
7 For God is king of the whole earth.
Sing a well-written song.[bc]
8 God reigns[bd] over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble,
along with the people of the God of Abraham,[be]
for God has authority over the rulers[bf] of the earth.
He is highly exalted.[bg]
Psalm 48[bh]
A song, a psalm by the Korahites.
48 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God,[bi] his holy hill.
2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at,[bj]
a source of joy to the whole earth.[bk]
Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon;[bl]
it is the city of the great king.
3 God is in its fortresses;
he reveals himself as its defender.[bm]
4 For[bn] look, the kings assemble;[bo]
they advance together.
5 As soon as they see,[bp] they are shocked;[bq]
they are terrified, they quickly retreat.[br]
6 Look at them shake uncontrollably,[bs]
like a woman writhing in childbirth.[bt]
7 With an east wind
you shatter[bu] the large ships.[bv]
8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds; now we have seen them,[bw]
in the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[bx]
in the city of our God.
God makes it permanently secure.[by] (Selah)
9 Within your temple
we reflect on your loyal love, O God.
10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth
is worthy of your reputation, O God.[bz]
You execute justice.[ca]
11 Mount Zion rejoices;
the towns[cb] of Judah are happy,[cc]
because of your acts of judgment.[cd]
12 Walk around[ce] Zion. Encircle it.
Count its towers.
13 Consider its defenses.[cf]
Walk through[cg] its fortresses,
so you can tell the next generation about it.[ch]
14 For God, our God, is our defender forever.[ci]
He guides[cj] us.[ck]
Paul on Malta
28 After we had safely reached shore,[a] we learned that the island was called Malta.[b] 2 The local inhabitants[c] showed us extraordinary[d] kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain[e] and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood[f] and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the local people[g] saw the creature hanging from Paul’s[h] hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself[i] has not allowed him to live!”[j] 5 However,[k] Paul[l] shook[m] the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up[n] or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited[o] a long time and had seen[p] nothing unusual happen[q] to him, they changed their minds[r] and said he was a god.[s]
7 Now in the region around that place[t] were fields belonging to the chief official[u] of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 8 The father[v] of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him[w] and after praying, placed[x] his hands on him and healed[y] him. 9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick[z] also came and were healed.[aa] 10 They also bestowed many honors,[ab] and when we were preparing to sail,[ac] they gave[ad] us all the supplies we needed.[ae]
Paul Finally Reaches Rome
11 After three months we put out to sea[af] in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins”[ag] as its figurehead.[ah] 12 We put in[ai] at Syracuse[aj] and stayed there three days. 13 From there we cast off[ak] and arrived at Rhegium,[al] and after one day a south wind sprang up[am] and on the second day we came to Puteoli.[an] 14 There[ao] we found[ap] some brothers[aq] and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. 15 The brothers from there,[ar] when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius[as] and Three Taverns[at] to meet us. When he saw them,[au] Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live[av] by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome
17 After three days[aw] Paul[ax] called the local Jewish leaders[ay] together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers,[az] although I had done[ba] nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors,[bb] from Jerusalem I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans.[bc] 18 When[bd] they had heard my case,[be] they wanted to release me,[bf] because there was no basis for a death sentence[bg] against me. 19 But when the Jews objected,[bh] I was forced to appeal to Caesar[bi]—not that I had some charge to bring[bj] against my own people.[bk] 20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.”[bl] 21 They replied,[bm] “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there[bn] and reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know[bo] that people[bp] everywhere speak against[bq] it.”
23 They set[br] a day to meet with him,[bs] and they came to him where he was staying[bt] in even greater numbers.[bu] From morning until evening he explained things[bv] to them,[bw] testifying[bx] about the kingdom of God[by] and trying to convince[bz] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 Some were convinced[ca] by what he said,[cb] but others refused[cc] to believe. 25 So they began to leave,[cd] unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors[ce] through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing,[cf] but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking,[cg] but will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,[ch]
and their ears are hard of hearing,[ci]
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn,[cj] and I would heal them.”’[ck]
28 “Therefore be advised[cl] that this salvation from God[cm] has been sent to the Gentiles;[cn] they[co] will listen!”[cp]
30 Paul[cq] lived[cr] there two whole years in his own rented quarters[cs] and welcomed[ct] all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God[cu] and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ[cv] with complete boldness[cw] and without restriction.[cx]
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