Psalm 142

New International Version

Psalm 142^[a]

A maskil^[b] of David. When he was in the cave.^(A) A prayer.

¹I cry aloud^(B) to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.^(C)
²I pour out before him my complaint;^(D)
before him I tell my trouble.^(E)

³When my spirit grows faint^(F) within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
    people have hidden a snare for me.
⁴Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
    no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;^(G)
    no one cares^(H) for my life.

⁵I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,^(I)
my portion^(J) in the land of the living.”^(K)

⁶Listen to my cry,^(L)
    for I am in desperate need;^(M)
rescue me^(N) from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong^(O) for me.
⁷Set me free from my prison,^(P)
    that I may praise your name.^(Q)
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.^(R)

Footnotes

Psalm 142:1 In Hebrew texts 142:1-7 is numbered 142:2-8.
Psalm 142:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

Habakkuk 3:1-16

New International Version

Habakkuk’s Prayer

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.^[a]^(A)

²Lord, I have heard^(B) of your fame;
    I stand in awe^(C) of your deeds, Lord.^(D)
Repeat^(E) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.^(F)

³God came from Teman,^(G)
    the Holy One^(H) from Mount Paran.^[b]^(I)
His glory covered the heavens^(J)
    and his praise filled the earth.^(K)
⁴His splendor was like the sunrise;^(L)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power^(M) was hidden.
⁵Plague^(N) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
⁶He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled^(O)
    and the age-old hills^(P) collapsed^(Q)—
    but he marches on forever.^(R)
⁷I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian^(S) in anguish.^(T)

⁸Were you angry with the rivers,^(U) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea^(V)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?^(W)
⁹You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.^(X)
You split the earth with rivers;
¹⁰    the mountains saw you and writhed.^(Y)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared^(Z)
    and lifted its waves^(AA) on high.

¹¹Sun and moon stood still^(AB) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,^(AC)
    at the lightning^(AD) of your flashing spear.
¹²In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed^(AE) the nations.
¹³You came out^(AF) to deliver^(AG) your people,
    to save your anointed^(AH) one.
You crushed^(AI) the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
¹⁴With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,^(AJ)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched^(AK) who were in hiding.
¹⁵You trampled the sea^(AL) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.^(AM)

¹⁶I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.^(AN)
Yet I will wait patiently^(AO) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.

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Footnotes

Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.

Jude 5-21

New International Version

⁵Though you already know all this,^(A) I want to remind you^(B) that the Lord^[a] at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.^(C) ⁶And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.^(D) ⁷In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah^(E) and the surrounding towns^(F) gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.^(G)

⁸In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.^(H) ⁹But even the archangel^(I) Michael,^(J) when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,^(K) did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”^[b]^(L) ¹⁰Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.^(M)

¹¹Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;^(N) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;^(O) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.^(P)

¹²These people are blemishes at your love feasts,^(Q) eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves.^(R) They are clouds without rain,^(S) blown along by the wind;^(T) autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted^(U)—twice dead. ¹³They are wild waves of the sea,^(V) foaming up their shame;^(W) wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.^(X)

¹⁴Enoch,^(Y) the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming^(Z) with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones^(AA) ¹⁵to judge^(AB) everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”^[c]^(AC) ¹⁶These people are grumblers^(AD) and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires;^(AE) they boast^(AF) about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

A Call to Persevere

¹⁷But, dear friends, remember what the apostles^(AG) of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.^(AH) ¹⁸They said to you, “In the last times^(AI) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”^(AJ) ¹⁹These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.^(AK)

²⁰But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up^(AL) in your most holy faith^(AM) and praying in the Holy Spirit,^(AN) ²¹keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait^(AO) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.^(AP)

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Footnotes

Jude 1:5 Some early manuscripts Jesus
Jude 1:9 Jude is alluding to the Jewish Testament of Moses (approximately the first century a.d.).
Jude 1:15 From the Jewish First Book of Enoch (approximately the first century b.c.)