Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to You, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.(K)
Habakkuk’s Third Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.[a](A)
2 Lord, I have heard the report about You;
Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.
Revive Your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In Your wrath remember mercy!
3 God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.(B)
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.(C)
4 His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from His hand.
This is where His power is hidden.
5 Plague goes before Him,
and pestilence follows in His steps.
6 He stands and shakes[b] the earth;
He looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.
His pathways are ancient.
7 I see the tents of Cushan[c] in distress;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.
8 Are You angry at the rivers, Lord?
Is Your wrath against the rivers?
Or is Your rage against the sea
when You ride on Your horses,
Your victorious chariot?
9 You took the sheath from Your bow;
the arrows are ready[d] to be used with an oath.[e](D)
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains see You and shudder;(E)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice(F)
and lifts its waves[f] high.
11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,(G)
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.
12 You march across the earth with indignation;
You trample down the nations in wrath.
13 You come out to save Your people,
to save Your anointed.[g]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot[h] to neck.
14 You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.
15 You tread the sea with Your horses,
stirring up the great waters.(H)
Habakkuk’s Confidence in God Expressed
16 I heard, and I trembled within;(I)
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
Apostates: Past and Present
5 Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: The Lord[a] first[b] saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe;(A) 6 and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels(B) who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling. 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah(C) and the cities around them committed sexual immorality and practiced perversions,[c] just as angels did, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.(D)
8 Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise defile their flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme glorious ones.(E) 9 Yet Michael(F) the archangel,(G) when he was disputing with the Devil(H) in a debate about Moses’(I) body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people blaspheme anything they don’t understand. What they know by instinct like unreasoning animals—they destroy themselves with these things. 11 Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain,(J) have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam(K) for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.(L)
The Apostates’ Doom
12 These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs[d] at your love feasts.(M) They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds;(N) trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots; 13 wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars(O) for whom the blackness of darkness(P) is reserved forever!(Q)
14 And Enoch,(R) in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied about them:
Look! The Lord comes[e]
with thousands of His holy ones(S)
15 to execute judgment on all
and to convict them[f]
of all their ungodly(T) acts
that they have done in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners
have said against Him.
16 These people are discontented grumblers, walking according to their desires;(U) their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering(V) people for their own advantage.
17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 they told you, “In the end time(W) there will be scoffers(X) walking according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are unbelievers,[g](Y) not having the Spirit.
Exhortation and Benediction
20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit,(Z) 21 keep yourselves in the love of God,(AA) expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
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