Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. 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 the prophet Habakkuk. According to Shigionoth.[a](A)
2 Lord, I have heard the report about you;
Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds.(B)
Revive your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In your wrath remember mercy!(C)
3 God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.(D)Selah
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of his praise.(E)
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;(F)
he looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.(G)
His pathways are ancient.(H)
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 fury against the sea
when you ride on your horses,
your victorious chariot?(I)
9 You took the sheath from your bow;
the arrows are ready[d] to be used with an oath.[e](J)Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains see you and shudder;(K)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice(L)
and lifts its waves[f] high.
11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,(M)
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.(N)
13 You come out to save your people,(O)
to save your anointed.[g]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot[h] to neck.Selah
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 vast water.(P)
Habakkuk’s Confidence in God Expressed
Apostates: Past and Present
5 Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus[a] saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe;(A) 6 and the angels(B) who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day. 7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah(C) and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions,[b] and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.(D)
8 In the same way these people—relying on their dreams—defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones.(E) 9 Yet when Michael(F) the archangel(G) was disputing with the devil(H) in an argument about Moses’s(I) body, he did not dare utter a slanderous condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct—like irrational animals—by these things they are destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain,(J) have plunged into Balaam’s error(K) for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.(L)
The Apostates’ Doom
12 These people are dangerous reefs[c] at your love feasts(M) as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds;(N) trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead and uprooted. 13 They are 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 It was about these that Enoch,(R) in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones(S) 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly(T) concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” 16 These people are discontented grumblers, living 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) living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are worldly,(Y) not having the Spirit.
Exhortation and Benediction
20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,(Z) 21 keep yourselves in the love of God,(AA) waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
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