Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Habakkuk’s Vision of the Divine Warrior
3 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:[a]
2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did;[b]
I am awed,[c] Lord, by what you accomplished.[d]
In our time[e] repeat those deeds;[f]
in our time reveal them again.[g]
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy![h]
3 God comes[i] from Teman,[j]
the Holy One[k] from Mount Paran.[l] Selah.[m]
His splendor has covered the skies,[n]
the earth is full of his glory.[o]
4 His brightness will be as lightning;[p]
a two-pronged lightning bolt flashing from his hand.[q]
This is the outward display of his power.[r]
5 Plague will go[s] before him;
pestilence[t] will march[u] right behind him.[v]
6 He took his battle position[w] and shook[x] the earth;
with a mere look he frightened[y] the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrated;[z]
the primeval hills were flattened.
His are ancient roads.[aa]
7 I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble;[ab]
the tent curtains of the land of Midian were[ac] shaking.[ad]
8 Was[ae] the Lord mad at the rivers?
Were you angry with the rivers?
Were you enraged at the sea?[af]
Such that[ag] you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots,[ah]
your victorious chariots?[ai]
9 Your bow is ready for action;[aj]
you commission your arrows.[ak] Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.[al]
10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through.[am]
The great deep[an] shouts out;
it lifts its hands high.[ao]
11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses;[ap]
the flash of your arrows drives them away,[aq]
the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.[ar]
12 You furiously stomp on the earth;
you angrily trample down the nations.
13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant.[as]
You strike the leader of the wicked nation,[at]
laying him open from the lower body to the neck.[au] Selah.
14 You pierce the heads of his warriors[av] with a spear.[aw]
They storm forward to scatter us;[ax]
they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition.[ay]
15 But you trample on the sea with your horses,
on the surging, raging waters.[az]
Habakkuk Declares His Confidence
5 Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts[a] once for all[b]) that Jesus,[c] having saved the[d] people out of the land of Egypt, later[e] destroyed those who did not believe. 6 You also know that[f] the angels who did not keep within their proper domain[g] but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept[h] in eternal chains[i] in utter[j] darkness, locked up[k] for the judgment of the great Day. 7 So also[l] Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns,[m] since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire[n] in a way similar to[o] these angels,[p] are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet these men,[q] as a result of their dreams,[r] defile the flesh, reject authority,[s] and insult[t] the glorious ones.[u] 9 But even[v] when Michael the archangel[w] was arguing with the devil and debating with him[x] concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend.[y] 11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path,[z] and because of greed[aa] have abandoned themselves[ab] to[ac] Balaam’s error; hence,[ad] they will certainly perish[ae] in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These men are[af] dangerous reefs[ag] at your love feasts,[ah] feasting without reverence,[ai] feeding only themselves.[aj] They are[ak] waterless[al] clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit[am]—twice dead,[an] uprooted; 13 wild sea waves,[ao] spewing out the foam of[ap] their shame;[aq] wayward stars[ar] for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness[as] have been reserved.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam,[at] even prophesied of them,[au] saying, “Look! The Lord is coming[av] with thousands and thousands[aw] of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on[ax] all, and to convict every person[ay] of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds[az] that they have committed,[ba] and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[bb] 16 These people are grumblers and[bc] fault-finders who go[bd] wherever their desires lead them,[be] and they give bombastic speeches,[bf] enchanting folks[bg] for their own gain.[bh]
Exhortation to the Faithful
17 But you, dear friends—recall the predictions[bi] foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.[bj] 18 For they said to you, “At the end of time[bk] there will come[bl] scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires.”[bm] 19 These people are divisive,[bn] worldly,[bo] devoid of the Spirit.[bp] 20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit,[bq] 21 maintain[br] yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating[bs] the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life.[bt]
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