Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my [a]expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be [b]moved.
7 (A)In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
(B)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry
7 O Lord, You [a]induced me, and I was persuaded;
(A)You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
(B)I am [b]in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
(C)I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a (D)burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And (E)I could not.
10 (F)For I heard many [c]mocking:
“Fear on every side!”
“Report,” they say, “and we will report it!”
(G)All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying,
“Perhaps he can be induced;
Then we will prevail against him,
And we will take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is (H)with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not (I)prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their (J)everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who (K)test the righteous,
And see the [d]mind and heart,
(L)Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For I have pleaded my cause before You.
13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For (M)He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers.
God’s Promise Is Not Slack(A)
3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which (B)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words (C)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, (D)and of the commandment of [a]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, (E)walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of (F)creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that (G)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth (H)standing out of water and in the water, 6 (I)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But (J)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for (K)fire until the day of judgment and [b]perdition of ungodly men.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.