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The Prophet’s Complaint

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and thou wilt not hear?
Or cry to thee “Violence!”
    and thou wilt not save?
Why dost thou make me see wrongs
    and look upon trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    strife and contention arise.

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Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long,(A) Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?(B)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?(C)
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate(D) wrongdoing?(E)
Destruction and violence(F) are before me;
    there is strife,(G) and conflict abounds.

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And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
    make it plain upon tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seem slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come, it will not delay.
Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail,[a]
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:4 Cn: Heb is puffed up
  2. Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord replied:

“Write(A) down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[a] may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(B)
    it speaks of the end(C)
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(D) for it;
    it[b] will certainly come
    and will not delay.(E)

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person(F) will live by his faithfulness[c](G)

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
  2. Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
  3. Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith

Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God,

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Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.(A) For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,(B) but gives us power,(C) love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed(D) of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.(E) Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel,(F) by the power of God.

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13 Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; 14 guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

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13 What you heard from me,(A) keep(B) as the pattern(C) of sound teaching,(D) with faith and love in Christ Jesus.(E) 14 Guard(F) the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.(G)

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The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

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The apostles(A) said to the Lord,(B) “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,(C) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.(D)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me(E) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”(F)

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