Daily Readings - 22/05/2026

^25:13 Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice[*a] arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus.

^25:14 Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody,

^25:15 and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation.

^25:16 But I told them that Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge.

^25:17 So they came here with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next day and had the man brought in.

^25:18 When confronted with him, his accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected;

^25:19 but they had some argument or other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive.

^25:20 Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there on this issue.

^25:21 But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar.’

^103:1 Bless Yahweh, my soul, bless his holy name, all that is in me!

^103:2 Bless Yahweh, my soul, and remember all his kindnesses:

^103:3 in forgiving all your offences, in curing all your diseases,

^103:4 in redeeming your life from the Pit, in crowning you with love and tenderness,

^103:5 in filling your years with prosperity, in renewing your youth like an eagle’s[*a]

^103:6 Yahweh, who does what is right, is always on the side of the oppressed;

^103:7 he revealed his intentions to Moses, his prowess to the sons of Israel.

^103:8 Yahweh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger, most loving;

^103:9 his indignation does not last for ever, his resentment exists a short time only;

^103:10 he never treats us, never punishes us, as our guilt and our sins deserve.

^103:11 No less than the height of heaven over earth is the greatness of his love for those who fear him;

^103:12 he takes our sins farther away than the east is from the west.

^103:13 As tenderly as a father treats his children, so Yahweh treats those who fear him;

^103:14 he knows what we are made of, he remembers we are dust.

^103:15 Man lasts no longer than grass, no longer than a wild flower he lives,

^103:16 one gust of wind, and he is gone, never to be seen there again;

^103:17 yet Yahweh’s love for those who fear him lasts from all eternity and for ever, like his goodness to their children’s children,

^103:18 as long as they keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

^103:19 Yahweh has fixed his throne in the heavens, his empire is over all.

^103:20 Bless Yahweh, all his angels, heroes mighty to enforce his word, attentive to his word of command.

^103:21 Bless Yahweh, all his armies, servants to enforce his will.

^103:22 Bless Yahweh, all his creatures in every part of his empire! Bless Yahweh, my soul.

^21:15 After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs’.

^21:16 A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep’.

^21:17 Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

^21:18 ‘I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’

^21:19 In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me’.