God Racing on the Crest of the Waves

1-2 A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk, with orchestra:

God, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you,
    and I’m stopped in my tracks, down on my knees.
Do among us what you did among them.
    Work among us as you worked among them.
And as you bring judgment, as you surely must,
    remember mercy.

* * *

3-7 God’s on his way again,
    retracing the old salvation route,
Coming up from the south through Teman,
    the Holy One from Mount Paran.
Skies are blazing with his splendor,
    his praises sounding through the earth,
His cloud-brightness like dawn, exploding, spreading,
    forked-lightning shooting from his hand—
    what power hidden in that fist!
Plague marches before him,
    pestilence at his heels!
He stops. He shakes Earth.
    He looks around. Nations tremble.
The age-old mountains fall to pieces;
    ancient hills collapse like a spent balloon.
The paths God takes are older
    than the oldest mountains and hills.
I saw everyone worried, in a panic:
    Old wilderness adversaries,
Cushan and Midian, were terrified,
    hoping he wouldn’t notice them.

* * *

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

God came from Teman,(F)
    the Holy One(G) from Mount Paran.[a](H)
His glory covered the heavens(I)
    and his praise filled the earth.(J)
His splendor was like the sunrise;(K)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power(L) was hidden.

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Footnotes

  1. 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.