Jer. 41

41:1 But in the seventh month Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of Zedekiah’s chief officers, came with 10 of his men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together with him there at Mizpah, 2Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the 10 men who were with him stood up, pulled out their swords, and killed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Thus Ishmael killed the man that the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country. 3Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian soldiers who happened to be there.

4On the day after Gedaliah had been murdered, before anyone even knew about it, 580 men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning. They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He was pretending to cry as he walked along. When he met them, he said to them, “Come with me to meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” 7But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw their bodies in a cistern. 8But there were 10 men among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us. For we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have hidden in a field.” So he spared their lives and did not kill them along with the rest. 9Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed was a large one that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies. 10Then Ishmael took captive all the people who were still left alive in Mizpah. This included the royal princesses and all the rest of the people in Mizpah that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had put under the authority of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took all these people captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

11Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the atrocities that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed. 12So they took all their troops and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the large pool at Gibeon. 13When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, they were glad. 14All those people that Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.

16Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led off all the people who had been left alive at Mizpah. They had rescued them from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. They led off the men, women, children, soldiers, and court officials whom they had brought away from Gibeon. 17They set out to go to Egypt to get away from the Babylonians, but stopped at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem. 18They were afraid of what the Babylonians might do because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country.

Ps. 22

22:1 For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”; a psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.

2My God, I cry out during the day,

but you do not answer,

and during the night my prayers do not let up.

3You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.

4In you our ancestors trusted;

they trusted in you and you rescued them.

5To you they cried out, and they were saved;

in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm, not a man;

people insult me and despise me.

7All who see me taunt me;

they mock me and shake their heads.

8They say,

“Commit yourself to the Lord!

Let the Lord rescue him!

Let the Lord deliver him, for he delights in him.”

9Yes, you are the one who brought me out from the womb

and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.

10I have been dependent on you since birth;

from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Do not remain far away from me,

for trouble is near and I have no one to help me.

12Many bulls surround me;

powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.

13They open their mouths to devour me

like a roaring lion that rips its prey.

14My strength drains away like water;

all my bones are dislocated.

My heart is like wax;

it melts away inside me.

15The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery;

my tongue sticks to my gums.

You set me in the dust of death.

16Yes, wild dogs surround me—

a gang of evil men crowd around me;

like a lion they pin my hands and feet.

17I can count all my bones;

my enemies are gloating over me in triumph.

18They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;

they are rolling dice for my garments.

19But you, O Lord, do not remain far away.

You are my source of strength. Hurry and help me!

20Deliver me from the sword.

Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lion

and from the horns of the wild oxen.

You have answered me.

22I will declare your name to my countrymen.

In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.

23You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him.

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him.

All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him.

24For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed.

He did not ignore him;

when he cried out to him, he responded.

25You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.

26Let the oppressed eat and be filled.

Let those who seek his help praise the Lord.

May you live forever!

27Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him.

Let all the nations worship you.

28For the Lord is king

and rules over the nations.

29All the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship;

all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives.

30A whole generation will serve him;

they will tell the next generation about the Lord.

31They will come and tell about his saving deeds;

they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.

Acts 25:1–12

25:1 Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him. 3Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. 4Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself intended to go there shortly. 5“So,” he said, “let your leaders go down there with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him.”

6After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. 7When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove. 8Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges?” 10Paul replied, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. 11If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!”