The Insecurity of the Wicked

37¹ Don’t fret because of evildoers,
neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither like the green herb. ³ Trust in Yahweh, and do good.
Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. ⁴ Also delight yourself in Yahweh,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to Yahweh.
Trust also in him, and he will do this: ⁶ he will make your righteousness go forth as the light,
and your justice as the noon day sun.

⁷ Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.
Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,
because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing. ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land. ¹⁰ For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.
Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. ¹¹ But the humble shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. ¹² The wicked plots against the just,
and gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³ The Lord will laugh at him,
for he sees that his day is coming. ¹⁴ The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
to kill those who are upright in the way. ¹⁵ Their sword shall enter into their own heart.
Their bows shall be broken. ¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous has,
than the abundance of many wicked. ¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but Yahweh upholds the righteous. ¹⁸ Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.
Their inheritance shall be forever. ¹⁹ They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.
In the days of famine they shall be satisfied. ²⁰ But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.

²¹ The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,
but the righteous give generously. ²² For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off. ²³ A man’s goings are established by Yahweh.
He delights in his way. ²⁴ Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. ²⁵ I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread. ²⁶ All day long he deals graciously, and lends.
His seed is blessed. ²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever. ²⁸ For Yahweh loves justice,
and doesn’t forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. ²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever. ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.
His tongue speaks justice. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart.
None of his steps shall slide. ³² The wicked watches the righteous,
and seeks to kill him. ³³ Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴ Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. ³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power,
spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. ³⁶ But he passed away, and behold, he was not.
Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. ³⁷ Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace. ³⁸ As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.
He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰ Yahweh helps them, and rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
Because they have taken refuge in him.

The Prayer of a Suffering Penitent

38¹ Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your wrath,
neither chasten me in your hot displeasure. ² For your arrows have pierced me,
your hand presses hard on me. ³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation,
neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin. ⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head.
As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. ⁵ My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,
because of my foolishness. ⁶ I am pained and bowed down greatly.
I go mourning all day long. ⁷ For my waist is filled with burning.
There is no soundness in my flesh. ⁸ I am faint and severely bruised.
I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart. ⁹ Lord, all my desire is before you.
My groaning is not hidden from you. ¹⁰ My heart throbs.
My strength fails me.
As for the light of my eyes, it has also left me. ¹¹ My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague.
My kinsmen stand far away.

¹² They also who seek after my life lay snares.
Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
and meditate deceits all day long. ¹³ But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear.
I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth. ¹⁴ Yes, I am as a man who doesn’t hear,
in whose mouth are no reproofs. ¹⁵ For in you, Yahweh, do I hope.
You will answer, Lord my God. ¹⁶ For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me,
or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.” ¹⁷ For I am ready to fall.
My pain is continually before me. ¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity.
I will be sorry for my sin. ¹⁹ But my enemies are vigorous and many.
Those who hate me without reason are numerous. ²⁰ They who also render evil for good are adversaries to me,
because I follow what is good. ²¹ Don’t forsake me, Yahweh.
My God, don’t be far from me. ²² Hurry to help me,
Lord, my salvation.

Hope in the LORD

39¹ I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue.
I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.” ² I was mute with silence.
I held my peace, even from good.
My sorrow was stirred. ³ My heart was hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned:
I spoke with my tongue: ⁴ “Yahweh, show me my end,
what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how frail I am. ⁵ Behold, you have made my days handbreadths.
My lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely every man stands as a breath.” Selah. ⁶ “Surely every man walks like a shadow.
Surely they busy themselves in vain.
He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.

⁷ Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you. ⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish. ⁹ I was mute.
I didn’t open my mouth,
because you did it. ¹⁰ Remove your scourge away from me.
I am overcome by the blow of your hand. ¹¹ When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,
You consume his wealth like a moth.
Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah. ¹² “Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry.
Don’t be silent at my tears.
For I am a stranger with you,
a foreigner, as all my fathers were. ¹³ Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go away, and exist no more.”

Paul's Defense before Agrippa

26¹ Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.”

Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense. ² “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews, ³ especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. ⁴ “Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem; ⁵ having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁶ Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, ⁷ which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa! ⁸ Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead? ⁹ “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. ¹¹ Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹² “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me. ¹⁴ When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you; ¹⁷ delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Paul's Witness to Jews and Gentiles

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. ²¹ For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me. ²² Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, ²³ how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”

Paul Appeals to Agrippa to Believe

²⁴ As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!” ²⁵ But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness. ²⁶ For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” ²⁸ Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?” ²⁹ Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.” ³⁰ The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them. ³¹ When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.” ³² Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”