Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him.

⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

⁷ 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, ye people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁹ Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; if weighed in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

¹⁰ Trust not in oppression, and put not vain hope in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

¹¹ God hath spoken this once, twice have I heard this: that power belongeth unto God.

¹² Also unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for Thou renderest to every man according to his work.

⁷ O Lord, Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; Thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed. I am in derision daily; every one mocketh me.

⁸ For when I spoke, I cried out; I cried, “Violence and despoliation!” because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me and a derision daily.

⁹ Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.” But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not hold back.

¹⁰ For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. “Report,” say they, “and we will report it!” All in my company watched for my halting, saying, “Perhaps he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him; and we shall take our revenge on him.”

¹¹ But the Lord is with me as a mighty, fearsome one; therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail. They shall be greatly ashamed, for they shall not prosper; their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

¹² But, O Lord of hosts, who triest the righteous and seest the reins and the heart, let me see Thy vengeance on them, for unto Thee have I opened my cause.

¹³ Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord; for He hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

3 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both of which I stir up your purity of mind by way of remembrance,

² that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

³ knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after 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 the creation.”

⁵ For of this they are willfully ignorant: that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water,

⁶ whereby the world as it then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

⁷ But the heavens and the earth which now are, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.