Psalms 43

 ¹  Declare me innocent, O God!
  Defend me against these ungodly people.
  Rescue me from these unjust liars.
 ²  For you are God, my only safe haven.
  Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in grief,
  oppressed by my enemies?
 ³  Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.  ⁴  There I will go to the altar of God,
  to God—the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
  O God, my God!

 ⁵  "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God!"

Psalms 44

For the choir director: A psalm [1]  of the descendants of Korah.
 ¹  O God, we have heard it with our own ears—
  our ancestors have told us
of all you did in their day,
  in days long ago:
 ²  You drove out the pagan nations by your power
  and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies
  and set our ancestors free.
 ³  They did not conquer the land with their swords;
  it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
  and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
  for you loved them.

 ⁴  You are my King and my God.
  You command victories for Israel. [4] 
 ⁵  Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
  only in your name can we trample our foes.
 ⁶  I do not trust in my bow;
  I do not count on my sword to save me.
 ⁷  You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
  you disgrace those who hate us.
 ⁸  "O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name."  ⁹  But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.
  You no longer lead our armies to battle.
 ¹⁰  You make us retreat from our enemies
  and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.
 ¹¹  You have butchered us like sheep
  and scattered us among the nations.
 ¹²  You sold your precious people for a pittance,
  making nothing on the sale.
 ¹³  You let our neighbors mock us.
  We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
 ¹⁴  You have made us the butt of their jokes;
  they shake their heads at us in scorn.
 ¹⁵  We can't escape the constant humiliation;
  shame is written across our faces.
 ¹⁶  All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.
  All we see are our vengeful enemies.

 ¹⁷  All this has happened though we have not forgotten you.
  We have not violated your covenant.
 ¹⁸  Our hearts have not deserted you.
  We have not strayed from your path.
 ¹⁹  Yet you have crushed us in the jackal's desert home.
  You have covered us with darkness and death.
 ²⁰  If we had forgotten the name of our God
  or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
 ²¹  God would surely have known it,
  for he knows the secrets of every heart.
 ²²  But for your sake we are killed every day;
  we are being slaughtered like sheep.

 ²³  Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
  Get up! Do not reject us forever.
 ²⁴  Why do you look the other way?
  Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?
 ²⁵  We collapse in the dust,
  lying face down in the dirt.
 ²⁶  Rise up! Help us!
  Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

Psalms 45

For the choir director: A love song to be sung to the tune "Lilies." A psalm [1]  of the descendants of Korah.
 ¹  Beautiful words stir my heart.
  I will recite a lovely poem about the king,
  for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

 ²  You are the most handsome of all.
  Gracious words stream from your lips.
  God himself has blessed you forever.
 ³  Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!
  You are so glorious, so majestic!
 ⁴  In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!  ⁵  Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies' hearts.
  The nations fall beneath your feet.

 ⁶  Your throne, O God, [6]  endures forever and ever.
  You rule with a scepter of justice.
 ⁷  You love justice and hate evil.
  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
  pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
 ⁸  Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes.
  In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.
 ⁹  Kings' daughters are among your noble women.
  At your right side stands the queen,
  wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!

 ¹⁰  Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
  Forget your people and your family far away.
 ¹¹  For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
  honor him, for he is your lord.
 ¹²  The princess of Tyre [12]  will shower you with gifts.
  The wealthy will beg your favor.
 ¹³  The bride, a princess, looks glorious
  in her golden gown.
 ¹⁴  In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
  accompanied by her bridesmaids.
 ¹⁵  What a joyful and enthusiastic procession
  as they enter the king's palace!

 ¹⁶  Your sons will become kings like their father.
  You will make them rulers over many lands.
 ¹⁷  I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

<<  44:<%=ftSC%>TITLE Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.
<<  44:4 Hebrew for Jacob. The names "Jacob" and "Israel" are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
<<  45:<%=ftSC%>TITLE Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.
<<  45:6 Or Your divine throne.
<<  45:12 Hebrew The daughter of Tyre.

Acts 27 : 27-44

The Shipwreck
 ²⁷  About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, [27]  the sailors sensed land was near.  ²⁸  They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep. [28]   ²⁹  At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
   ³⁰  Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship.  ³¹  But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, "You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard."  ³²  So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.
   ³³  Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. "You have been so worried that you haven't touched food for two weeks," he said.  ³⁴  "Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish."  ³⁵  Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.  ³⁶  Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat—  ³⁷  all 276 of us who were on board.  ³⁸  After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.
   ³⁹  When morning dawned, they didn't recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground.  ⁴⁰  So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore.  ⁴¹  But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.
   ⁴²  The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn't swim ashore and escape.  ⁴³  But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn't let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land.  ⁴⁴  The others held onto planks or debris from the broken ship. [44]  So everyone escaped safely to shore.

<<  27:27 The Sea of Adria includes the central portion of the Mediterranean.
<<  27:28 Greek 20 fathoms . . . 15 fathoms [37 meters . . . 27 meters].
<<  27:44 Or or were helped by members of the ship's crew.