Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
1 (A)The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Habakkuk's Complaint
2 O Lord, (B)how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you (C)“Violence!”
and you will not save?
3 (D)Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction (E)and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4 (F)So the law is paralysed,
and justice never goes forth.
(G)For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
2 I will (A)take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and (B)look out to see (C)what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith
2 And the Lord answered me:
(D)“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 For still (E)the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, (F)wait for it;
(G)it will surely come; it will not delay.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but (H)the righteous shall live by his faith.[a]
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
[a] Of David.
37 (A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not (B)envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon (C)fade like (D)the grass
and wither (E)like the green herb.
3 (F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
(G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.[b]
4 (H)Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will (I)give you the desires of your heart.
5 (J)Commit your way to the Lord;
(K)trust in him, and he will act.
6 (L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as (M)the noonday.
7 (N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
(O)fret not yourself over the one who (P)prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 (Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
(R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 (S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall (T)inherit the land.
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of Christ Jesus (B)by the will of God according to (C)the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, (D)my beloved child:
(E)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You
3 (F)I thank God (G)whom I serve, as did my ancestors, (H)with a clear conscience, as I remember you (I)constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 (J)As I remember your tears, (K)I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of (L)your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and (M)your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you (N)to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us (O)a spirit not of fear but (P)of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore (Q)do not be ashamed of (R)the testimony about our Lord, nor of (S)me his prisoner, but (T)share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 (U)who saved us and (V)called us to[a] a holy calling, (W)not because of our works but because of (X)his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus (Y)before the ages began,[b] 10 and which now has (Z)been manifested through (AA)the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, (AB)who abolished death and (AC)brought life and (AD)immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (AE)for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 (AF)which is why I suffer as I do. But (AG)I am not ashamed, for (AH)I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until (AI)that Day (AJ)what has been entrusted to me.[c] 13 (AK)Follow (AL)the pattern of (AM)the sound[d] words (AN)that you have heard from me, in (AO)the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit (AP)who dwells within us, guard (AQ)the good deposit entrusted to you.
Increase Our Faith
5 (A)The apostles said to the Lord, (B)“Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, (C)“If you had faith like (D)a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this (E)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you.
Unworthy Servants
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant[a] ploughing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and (F)dress properly,[b] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterwards you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are (G)unworthy servants;[c] we have only done what was our duty.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.