Psalm 137; Habakkuk 1:1–4; Habakkuk 2:1–4; Luke 17:5–10; 2 Timothy 1:1–14

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Psalm 137

How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?

By the waters of Babylon,

there we sat down and wept,

when we remembered Zion.

On the willows1 there

we hung up our lyres.

For there our captors

required of us songs,

and our tormentors, mirth, saying,

Sing us one of the songs of Zion!

sHow shall we sing the Lord’s song

in a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

tlet my right hand forget its skill!

Let my utongue stick to the roof of my mouth,

if I do not remember you,

if I do not set Jerusalem

above my highest joy!

Remember, O Lord, against the vEdomites

wthe day of Jerusalem,

how they said, xLay it bare, lay it bare,

down to its foundations!

O daughter of Babylon, ydoomed to be destroyed,

blessed shall he be who zrepays you

with what you have done to us!

Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones

and adashes them against the rock!


Habakkuk 1:1–4

aThe oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

O Lord, bhow long shall I cry for help,

and you will not hear?

Or cry to you cViolence!

and you will not save?

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.

eSo the law is paralyzed,

and justice never goes forth.

fFor the wicked surround the righteous;

so justice goes forth perverted.


Habakkuk 2:1–4

I will htake my stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the tower,

and ilook out to see jwhat he will say to me,

and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith

And the Lord answered me:

kWrite the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so he may run who reads it.

For still lthe vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the endit will not lie.

If it seems slow, mwait for it;

nit will surely come; it will not delay.

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but othe righteous shall live by his faith.1


Luke 17:5–10

Increase Our Faith

cThe apostles said to the Lord, dIncrease our faith! And the Lord said, eIf you had faith like fa grain of mustard seed, you could say to this gmulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

Will any one of you who has a servant1 plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and recline at table? Will he not rather say to him, Prepare supper for me, and hdress properly,2 and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, We are iunworthy servants;3 we have only done what was our duty.


2 Timothy 1:1–14

Greeting

Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God according to cthe promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, dmy beloved child:

eGrace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

fI thank God gwhom I serve, as did my ancestors, hwith a clear conscience, as I remember you iconstantly in my prayers night and day. jAs I remember your tears, kI long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of lyour sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and myour mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you nto fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us oa spirit not of fear but pof power and love and self-control.

Therefore qdo not be ashamed of rthe testimony about our Lord, nor of sme his prisoner, but tshare in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, uwho saved us and vcalled us to1 a holy calling, wnot because of our works but because of vhis own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus xbefore the ages began,2 10 and which now has ybeen manifested through zthe appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, awho abolished death and bbrought life and cimmortality to light through the gospel, 11 dfor which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 ewhich is why I suffer as I do. But fI am not ashamed, for gI know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until hthat day iwhat has been entrusted to me.3 13 jFollow kthe pattern of lthe sound4 words mthat you have heard from me, in nthe faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit owho dwells within us, guard ithe good deposit entrusted to you.