December 3

Habakkuk 1:1-4

1 aThe oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk's Complaint

2 O Lord, bhow long shall I cry for help,

and you will not hear?

Or cry to you c“Violence!”

and you will not save?

3 dWhy do you make me see iniquity,

and why do you idly look at wrong?

Destruction cand violence are before me;

strife and contention arise.

4 eSo the law is paralyzed,

and justice never goes forth.

fFor the wicked surround the righteous;

so justice goes forth perverted.

Psalm 94

The Lord Will Not Forsake His People

94 O Lord, God of pvengeance,

O God of vengeance, qshine forth!

2 rRise up, O sjudge of the earth;

repay to the tproud what they deserve!

3 O Lord, uhow long shall the wicked,

how long shall vthe wicked exult?

4 They pour out their warrogant words;

all xthe evildoers boast.

5 They ycrush your people, O Lord,

and afflict your heritage.

6 They kill zthe widow and the sojourner,

and murder zthe fatherless;

7 aand they say, “The Lord does not see;

the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8 bUnderstand, O dullest of the people!

Fools, when will you be wise?

9 cHe who planted the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10 He who ddisciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?

He who eteaches man knowledge—

11 fthe Lord—knows the thoughts of man,

that they are gbut a breath.1

12 hBlessed is the man whom you idiscipline, O Lord,

and whom you teach out of your law,

13 to give him jrest from kdays of trouble,

until la pit is dug for the wicked.

14 mFor the Lord will not forsake his npeople;

he will not abandon his nheritage;

15 for ojustice will return to the righteous,

and all the upright in heart will pfollow it.

16 qWho rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17 rIf the Lord had not been my help,

my soul would soon have lived in the land of ssilence.

18 When I thought, t“My foot slips,”

your steadfast love, O Lord, uheld me up.

19 When the cares of my heart are many,

your consolations cheer my soul.

20 Can wwicked rulers be allied with you,

those who frame injustice by xstatute?

21 They yband together against the life of the righteous

and condemn zthe innocent to death.2

22 But the Lord has become my astronghold,

and my God bthe rock of my crefuge.

23 He will bring back on them dtheir iniquity

and ewipe them out for their wickedness;

the Lord our God will wipe them out.