Habakkuk’s Prayer

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.[a](A)

Lord, I have heard(B) of your fame;
    I stand in awe(C) of your deeds, Lord.(D)
Repeat(E) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.(F)

God came from Teman,(G)
    the Holy One(H) from Mount Paran.[b](I)
His glory covered the heavens(J)
    and his praise filled the earth.(K)
His splendor was like the sunrise;(L)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power(M) was hidden.
Plague(N) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled(O)
    and the age-old hills(P) collapsed(Q)
    but he marches on forever.(R)
I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian(S) in anguish.(T)

Were you angry with the rivers,(U) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea(V)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?(W)
You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.(X)
You split the earth with rivers;
10     the mountains saw you and writhed.(Y)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared(Z)
    and lifted its waves(AA) on high.

11 Sun and moon stood still(AB) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,(AC)
    at the lightning(AD) of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed(AE) the nations.
13 You came out(AF) to deliver(AG) your people,
    to save your anointed(AH) one.
You crushed(AI) the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,(AJ)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched(AK) who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea(AL) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.(AM)

16 I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.(AN)
Yet I will wait patiently(AO) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,(AP)
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,(AQ)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,(AR)
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.(AS)

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;(AT)
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.(AU)

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah(AV) son of Amon(AW) king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”(AX)
declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away both man and beast;(AY)
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky(AZ)
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”[c]

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”(BA)
declares the Lord,(BB)
“I will stretch out my hand(BC) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,(BD)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests(BE)
those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,(BF)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,[d](BG)
those who turn back from following(BH) the Lord
    and neither seek(BI) the Lord nor inquire(BJ) of him.”

Be silent(BK) before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord(BL) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;(BM)
    he has consecrated those he has invited.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish(BN) the officials
    and the king’s sons(BO)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,[e](BP)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.(BQ)

10 “On that day,(BR)
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,(BS)
    wailing(BT) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail,(BU) you who live in the market district[f];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with[g] silver will be destroyed.(BV)
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,(BW)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,(BX)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,(BY)
    either good or bad.’(BZ)
13 Their wealth will be plundered,(CA)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”(CB)

14 The great day of the Lord(CC) is near(CD)
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness(CE) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness(CF)
16     a day of trumpet and battle cry(CG)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.(CH)

17 “I will bring such distress(CI) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,(CJ)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out(CK) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.(CL)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”(CM)

In the fire of his jealousy(CN)
    the whole earth will be consumed,(CO)
for he will make a sudden end
    of all who live on the earth.(CP)

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

Gather together,(CQ) gather yourselves together,
    you shameful(CR) nation,
before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,(CS)
before the Lord’s fierce anger(CT)
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath(CU)
    comes upon you.
Seek(CV) the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness,(CW) seek humility;(CX)
    perhaps you will be sheltered(CY)
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

Gaza(CZ) will be abandoned
    and Ashkelon(DA) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
    and Ekron uprooted.
Woe to you who live by the sea,
    you Kerethite(DB) people;
the word of the Lord is against you,(DC)
    Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
    and none will be left.”(DD)
The land by the sea will become pastures
    having wells for shepherds
    and pens for flocks.(DE)
That land will belong
    to the remnant(DF) of the people of Judah;
    there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
    in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
    he will restore their fortunes.[h](DG)

Moab and Ammon

“I have heard the insults(DH) of Moab(DI)
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,(DJ)
who insulted(DK) my people
    and made threats against their land.(DL)
Therefore, as surely as I live,”
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
“surely Moab(DM) will become like Sodom,(DN)
    the Ammonites(DO) like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder(DP) them;
    the survivors(DQ) of my nation will inherit their land.(DR)

10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,(DS)
    for insulting(DT) and mocking
    the people of the Lord Almighty.(DU)
11 The Lord will be awesome(DV) to them
    when he destroys all the gods(DW) of the earth.(DX)
Distant nations will bow down to him,(DY)
    all of them in their own lands.

Cush

12 “You Cushites,[i](DZ) too,
    will be slain by my sword.(EA)

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,(EB)
leaving Nineveh(EC) utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.(ED)
14 Flocks and herds(EE) will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl(EF) and the screech owl(EG)
    will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
    rubble will fill the doorways,
    the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry(EH)
    that lived in safety.(EI)
She said to herself,
    “I am the one! And there is none besides me.”(EJ)
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!(EK)
All who pass by her scoff(EL)
    and shake their fists.(EM)

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
  2. Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.
  3. Zephaniah 1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  4. Zephaniah 1:5 Hebrew Malkam
  5. Zephaniah 1:9 See 1 Samuel 5:5.
  6. Zephaniah 1:11 Or the Mortar
  7. Zephaniah 1:11 Or in
  8. Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
  9. Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region

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