Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The (A)pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:
2 (B)How long, Lord, have I called for help,
And You do not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do (C)not save.
3 Why do You make me (D)see disaster,
And make me look at destitution?
Yes, (E)devastation and violence are before me;
(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the (G)Law [a]is ignored,
And justice [b]is never upheld.
For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (I)confused.
God Answers the Prophet
2 I will (A)stand at my guard post
And station myself on the watchtower;
And I will (B)keep watch to see (C)what He will say to me,
And how I may reply [a]when I am reprimanded.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said,
“(D)Write down the vision
And inscribe it clearly on tablets,
So that one who [b]reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for the (E)appointed time;
It [c]hurries toward the goal and it will not [d]fail.
Though it delays, (F)wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it (G)will not delay long.
Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.
A Psalm of David.
37 (A)Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be (B)envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will (C)wither quickly like the grass,
And (D)decay like the green plants.
3 (E)Trust in the Lord and do good;
(F)Live in the land and [a](G)cultivate faithfulness.
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,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out (K)your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment (L)as the noonday.
7 [b]Rest in the Lord and (M)wait [c]patiently for Him;
(N)Do not get upset because of one who is (O)successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and (P)abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For (Q)evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will (R)inherit the land.
Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God, according to the promise of (D)life in Christ Jesus,
2 To (E)Timothy, my beloved [b](F)son: (G)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 (H)I thank God, whom I (I)serve with a (J)clear conscience [c]the way my forefathers did, (K)as I constantly remember you in my [d]prayers night and day, 4 (L)longing to see you, (M)even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 [e]For I am mindful of the (N)sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and (O)your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh (P)the gift of God which is in you through (Q)the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a (R)spirit of [f]timidity, but of power and love and [g]discipline.
8 Therefore (S)do not be ashamed of the (T)testimony of our Lord or of me (U)His prisoner, but join with me in (V)suffering for the (W)gospel according to the power of God, 9 who (X)saved us and (Y)called us with a holy (Z)calling, (AA)not according to our works, but according to His own (AB)purpose and grace, which was granted to us in (AC)Christ Jesus from (AD)all eternity, 10 but has (AE)now been revealed by the (AF)appearing of our Savior (AG)Christ Jesus, who (AH)abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (AI)for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but (AJ)I am not ashamed, for I know (AK)whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to (AL)protect what I have entrusted to Him [h]until (AM)that day. 13 (AN)Hold on to the (AO)example of (AP)sound words (AQ)which you have heard from me, in the (AR)faith and love which are in (AS)Christ Jesus. 14 Protect, through the Holy Spirit who (AT)dwells in us, the [i](AU)treasure which has been entrusted to you.
5 (A)The apostles said to (B)the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 But (C)the Lord said, “If you [a]had faith [b]the size of (D)a mustard seed, you could say to this (E)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would [c]obey you.
7 “Now which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him after he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline at the table to eat’? 8 On the contrary, will he not say to him, ‘(F)Prepare something for me to eat, and properly [d]clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and [e]afterward you [f]may eat and drink’? 9 He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are [g]unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
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