1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the LORD.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Psalm 27:1–14.
13 The woman Folly is rowdy; she is gullible and knows nothing.
14 She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths:
16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!” To the one who lacks sense, she says,
17 “stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty!”
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Proverbs 9:13–18.
1 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.
4 Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Don’t brag about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great;
7 for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here!” than to demote you in plain view of a noble.
8 Don’t take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterward if your opponent humiliates you?
9 Make your case with your opponent without revealing another’s secret;
10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you, and you’ll never live it down.
11 A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray.
12 A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.
13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.
14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.
15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat only what you need; otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house; otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you.
18 A man giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.
20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day or like pouring vinegar on soda.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
24 Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife.
25 Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat.
26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey or to seek glory after glory.
28 A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Proverbs 25:1–28.
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Acts 2:41.
17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
21 And when they heard that, they entered ginto the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and eforgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Acts 5:17–42.
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Acts 28:31.
11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.
12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.
13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), Hebrews 5:11–14.