Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
142 An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.
2 I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.
3 When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way [in] which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.
4 Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.
5 I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, `Thou [art] my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.'
6 Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.
7 Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet concerning erring ones:
2 O Jehovah, I heard thy report, I have been afraid, O Jehovah, Thy work! in midst of years revive it, In the midst of years Thou makest known In anger Thou dost remember mercy.
3 God from Teman doth come, The Holy One from mount Paran. Pause! Covered the heavens hath His majesty, And His praise hath filled the earth.
4 And the brightness is as the light, He hath rays out of His hand, And there -- the hiding of His strength.
5 Before Him goeth pestilence, And a burning flame goeth forth at His feet.
6 He hath stood, and He measureth earth, He hath seen, and He shaketh off nations, And scatter themselves do mountains of antiquity, Bowed have the hills of old, The ways of old [are] His.
7 Under sorrow I have seen tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian.
8 Against rivers hath Jehovah been wroth? Against rivers [is] Thine anger? Against the sea [is] Thy wrath? For Thou dost ride on Thy horses -- Thy chariots of salvation?
9 Utterly naked Thou dost make Thy bow, Sworn are the tribes -- saying, `Pause!' [With] rivers Thou dost cleave the earth.
10 Seen thee -- pained are mountains, An inundation of waters hath passed over, Given forth hath the deep its voice, High its hands it hath lifted up.
11 Sun -- moon -- hath stood -- a habitation, At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the glittering of thy spear.
12 In indignation Thou dost tread earth, In anger Thou dost thresh nations.
13 Thou hast gone forth for the salvation of Thy people, For salvation with Thine anointed, Thou hast smitten the head of the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation unto the neck. Pause!
14 Thou hast pierced with his staves the head of his leaders, They are tempestuous to scatter me, Their exultation [is] as to consume the poor in secret.
15 Thou hast proceeded through the sea with Thy horses -- the clay of many waters.
16 I have heard, and my belly trembleth, At the noise have my lips quivered, Rottenness doth come into my bones, And in my place I do tremble, That I rest for a day of distress, At the coming up of the people, he overcometh it.
5 and to remind you I intend, you knowing once this, that the Lord, a people out of the land of Egypt having saved, again those who did not believe did destroy;
6 messengers also, those who did not keep their own principality, but did leave their proper dwelling, to a judgment of a great day, in bonds everlasting, under darkness He hath kept,
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before -- an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering.
8 In like manner, nevertheless, those dreaming also the flesh indeed do defile, and lordship they put away, and dignities they speak evil of,
9 yet Michael, the chief messenger, when, with the devil contending, he was disputing about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring up an evil-speaking judgment, but said, `The Lord rebuke thee!'
10 and these, as many things indeed as they have not known, they speak evil of; and as many things as naturally (as the irrational beasts) they understand, in these they are corrupted;
11 wo to them! because in the way of Cain they did go on, and to the deceit of Balaam for reward they did rush, and in the gainsaying of Korah they did perish.
12 These are in your love-feasts craggy rocks; feasting together with you, without fear shepherding themselves; clouds without water, by winds carried about; trees autumnal, without fruit, twice dead, rooted up;
13 wild waves of a sea, foaming out their own shames; stars going astray, to whom the gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept.
14 And prophesy also to these did the seventh from Adam -- Enoch -- saying, `Lo, the Lord did come in His saintly myriads,
15 to do judgment against all, and to convict all their impious ones, concerning all their works of impiety that they did impiously, and concerning all the stiff things that speak against Him did impious sinners.'
16 These are murmurers, repiners; according to their desires walking, and their mouth doth speak great swellings, giving admiration to persons for the sake of profit;
17 and ye, beloved, remember ye the sayings spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 that they said to you, that in the last time there shall be scoffers, after their own desires of impieties going on,
19 these are those setting themselves apart, natural men, the Spirit not having.
20 And ye, beloved, on your most holy faith building yourselves up, in the Holy Spirit praying,
21 yourselves in the love of God keep ye, waiting for the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ -- to life age-during;