and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem.

Some people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "David is hiding out in our territory at Horesh on Mount Hachilah, in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.

Saul answered, "May the LORD bless you for being so kind to me!

Then the officials went to the king and said, "This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them."

With many vows he said to her, "I swear that I will give you anything you ask for, even as much as half my kingdom!"

The girl hurried back at once to the king and demanded, "I want you to give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!"

Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus.

On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies.

and said to them, "You brought this man to me and said that he was misleading the people. Now, I have examined him here in your presence, and I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes you accuse him of.

So I will have him whipped and let him go."

The whole crowd cried out, "Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us!"

Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he appealed to the crowd again.

Pilate said to them the third time, "But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free."

So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.

The next morning some Jews met together and made a plan. They took a vow that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.

Then they went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn vow together not to eat a thing until we have killed Paul.

"I myself thought that I should do everything I could against the cause of Jesus of Nazareth.

Many times I had them punished in the synagogues and tried to make them deny their faith. I was so furious with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

Wicked people watch good people and try to kill them;

but the LORD will not abandon them to their enemy's power or let them be condemned when they are on trial.

Protect me from the plots of the wicked, from mobs of evil people.

They are quick to spread their shameless lies; they destroy good people with cowardly slander.

They make evil plans and say, "We have planned a perfect crime." The human heart and mind are a mystery.

Save me, LORD, from evildoers; keep me safe from violent people.

Their tongues are like deadly snakes; their words are like a cobra's poison.

The proud have set a trap for me; they have laid their snares, and along the path they have set traps to catch me.

Then the people said, "Let's do something about Jeremiah! There will always be priests to instruct us, the wise to give us counsel, and prophets to proclaim God's message. Let's bring charges against him and stop listening to what he says."

People will do these things to you because they have not known either the Father or me.

Why not say, then, "Let us do evil so that good may come"? Some people, indeed, have insulted me by accusing me of saying this very thing! They will be condemned, as they should be.