He examines the good and the wicked alike; the lawless he hates with all his heart.

Examine me and test me, LORD; judge my desires and thoughts.

You have put us to the test, God; as silver is purified by fire, so you have tested us.

LORD, you have examined me and you know me.

Yet God knows every step I take; if he tests me, he will find me pure.

And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal.

My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent. The Lord is the one who passes judgment on me.

Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I praise the LORD, because he guides me, and in the night my conscience warns me.

At dawn the murderer gets up and goes out to kill the poor, and at night he steals.

Yes, they burned like an oven with their plotting. All night their anger smoldered, and in the morning it burst into flames.

How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned.

That night Paul had a vision in which he saw a Macedonian standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"

One night Paul had a vision in which the Lord said to him, "Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking and do not give up,

for I am with you. No one will be able to harm you, for many in this city are my people."

(SEE 7:3)

All this has happened to us, even though we have not forgotten you or broken the covenant you made with us.

Yet you left us helpless among wild animals; you abandoned us in deepest darkness.

you would surely have discovered it, because you know our secret thoughts.

You can see for yourself that just now in the cave the LORD put you in my power. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said that I would not harm you in the least, because you are the one whom the LORD chose to be king.

May the LORD judge which one of us is wrong! May he punish you for your action against me, for I will not harm you in the least.

The LORD forbid that I should try to harm the one whom the LORD has made king! Let's take his spear and his water jar, and go."

The LORD rewards those who are faithful and righteous. Today he put you in my power, but I did not harm you, whom the LORD made king.

We are proud that our conscience assures us that our lives in this world, and especially our relations with you, have been ruled by God-given frankness and sincerity, by the power of God's grace and not by human wisdom.

I said, "I will be careful about what I do and will not let my tongue make me sin; I will not say anything while evil people are near."

I will keep my solemn promise to obey your just instructions.

Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroys himself.

When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts.

All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being.