Jer. 45

45:1 The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to him. (This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.) 2Jeremiah said, “The Lord God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch. 3‘You have said, “I feel so hopeless! For the Lord has added sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’”

4The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell Baruch, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to tear down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted. I will do this throughout the whole earth. 5Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the Lord, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go.”’”

Ps. 27

27:1 By David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I fear no one.

The Lord protects my life.

I am afraid of no one.

2When evil men attack me

to devour my flesh,

when my adversaries and enemies attack me,

they stumble and fall.

3Even when an army is deployed against me,

I do not fear.

Even when war is imminent,

I remain confident.

4I have asked the Lord for one thing—

this is what I desire!

I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,

so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord

and contemplate in his temple.

5He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger;

he will hide me in his home.

He will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit.

6Now I will triumph

over my enemies who surround me.

I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy.

I will sing praises to the Lord.

7Hear me, O Lord, when I cry out.

Have mercy on me and answer me.

8My heart tells me to pray to you,

and I do pray to you, O Lord.

9Do not reject me.

Do not push your servant away in anger.

You are my deliverer.

Do not forsake or abandon me,

O God who vindicates me.

10Even if my father and mother abandoned me,

the Lord would take me in.

11Teach me how you want me to live, Lord;

lead me along a level path because of those who wait to ambush me.

12Do not turn me over to my enemies,

for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.

13Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience

the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?

14Rely on the Lord!

Be strong and confident!

Rely on the Lord!

Acts 27:13–38

27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they could carry out their purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete. 14Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island. 15When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. 17After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, thus letting themselves be driven along. 18The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, they began throwing the cargo overboard, 19and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.

21Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss. 22And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. 23For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me 24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’ 25Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told. 26But we must run aground on some island.”

27When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. 28They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. 29Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear. 30Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away.

33As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing. 34Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 35After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. 36So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 37(We were in all 276 persons on the ship.) 38When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.