Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;
I (B)make supplication with my voice to the Lord.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit [c]was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me;
[d]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 “(M)Give heed to my cry,
For I am (N)brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 “(P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)deal bountifully with me.”
God’s Deliverance of His People
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to [a]Shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have (A)heard [b]the report about You and [c]I (B)fear.
O Lord, (C)revive (D)Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember [d](E)mercy.
3 God comes from (F)Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount (G)Paran. Selah.
His (H)splendor covers the heavens,
And the (I)earth is full of His praise.
4 His (J)radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His (K)power.
5 Before Him goes (L)pestilence,
And (M)plague comes [e]after Him.
6 He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and (N)startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills [f]collapsed.
His ways are (O)everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan under (P)distress,
The tent curtains of the land of (Q)Midian were trembling.
8 Did the Lord rage against the (R)rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the (S)sea,
That You (T)rode on Your horses,
On Your (U)chariots of salvation?
9 Your (V)bow was made bare,
The rods of [g]chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You (W)cleaved the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep (X)uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
11 (Y)Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the (Z)light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.
12 In indignation You (AA)marched through the earth;
In anger You [h](AB)trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the (AC)salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your (AD)anointed.
You struck the (AE)head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from [i]thigh to neck. Selah.
14 You pierced with his (AF)own [j]spears
The head of his [k]throngs.
They (AG)stormed in to scatter [l]us;
Their exultation was like those
Who (AH)devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You (AI)trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the (AJ)surge of many waters.
5 Now I desire to (A)remind you, though (B)you know all things once for all, that [a]the Lord, (C)after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, [b]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And (D)angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has (E)kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as (F)Sodom and Gomorrah and the (G)cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and (H)went after [c]strange flesh, are exhibited as an [d](I)example in undergoing the (J)punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, (K)defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile [e]angelic majesties. 9 But (L)Michael (M)the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about (N)the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “(O)The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But (P)these men revile the things which they do not understand; and (Q)the things which they know by instinct, (R)like unreasoning animals, by these things they are [f]destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone (S)the way of Cain, and for pay [g]they have rushed headlong into (T)the error of Balaam, and (U)perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are the men who are [h]hidden reefs (V)in your love feasts when they feast with you (W)without fear, caring for themselves; (X)clouds without water, (Y)carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, [i]doubly dead, (Z)uprooted; 13 (AA)wild waves of the sea, casting up (AB)their own [j]shame like foam; wandering stars, (AC)for whom the [k]black darkness has been reserved forever.
14 It was also about these men that (AD)Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “(AE)Behold, the Lord came with [l]many thousands of His holy ones, 15 (AF)to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which (AG)ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These are (AH)grumblers, finding fault, (AI)following after their own lusts; [m]they speak (AJ)arrogantly, flattering people (AK)for the sake of gaining an advantage.
Keep Yourselves in the Love of God
17 But you, (AL)beloved, (AM)ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by (AN)the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “(AO)In the last time there will be mockers, (AP)following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, [n](AQ)worldly-minded, [o]devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, (AR)beloved, (AS)building yourselves up on your most holy (AT)faith, (AU)praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, (AV)waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.