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This is the prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to shigionoth.[a]

O Lord, I have heard the report about you,
    and I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
    In the midst of our years revive those deeds.
    In the midst of our years reveal them again.
    In your rage, remember to have mercy.
God comes from Teman. Interlude[b]
    The Holy One comes from Mount Paran.
    His splendor covers the heavens,
    and his praises fill the earth.
His brightness is like lightning.
    Lightning bolts flash out from his hand,[c]
        where his strength is hidden.
Contagious disease goes ahead of him,
    and plague follows after him.
He stands up and shakes[d] the earth.
    He looks, and the nations jump in fright.
    The ancient mountains are shattered.
    The age-old hills are flattened.
    But he goes on forever.
I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble.
    The tent curtains in the land of Midian were trembling.
Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?
    Was your anger against the rivers?
    Or was your fury against the sea?
    Is that why you hitched up your horses
    and rode your chariots of salvation?
You unsheathed your bow Interlude
    and called for arrows.
    You split the earth with rivers.
10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
    A flood of water sweeps through.
    The great deep roars
    and lifts its hands high.
11 The sun and the moon stand still in their palace
        when your flying arrows flash,
        when your spear is bright as lightning.
12 In fury you march through the earth.
    In anger you trample the nations.
13 You march out to save your people,
    to deliver your anointed one.
    You strike the head of the wicked nation to lay him out Interlude
        naked from his buttocks to his neck.[e]
14 With their own shafts you pierce the heads of warriors
        when they storm out to scatter us.
    Their celebration is like that of those who devour the poor in secret,
15 but you trample on the sea with your horses,
    on the surging, powerful waters.
16 When I hear about it, my stomach churns.
    The sound makes my lips quiver.
    My bones decay,
    and my knees tremble,
    as I wait for the day of disaster to come upon the people who attack us.

17 The fig tree may have no buds.
    The vines may have no grapes.
    The olive tree may fail to produce.
    The fields may yield no food.
    The sheep may be cut off from their flock,
    and there may be no cattle in the barns,
18 but I will delight in the Lord
    and rejoice in God who saves me.
19 The Lord God is my strength.
    He will give me feet like a deer
    and make me leap along the high hills.

To the choir director. On my stringed instruments.

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:1 Shigionoth may be the name of an instrument, or it may be a musical term.
  2. Habakkuk 3:3 Hebrew selah. This term seems to refer to a musical interlude that creates a pause for meditation.
  3. Habakkuk 3:4 Or His brightness is like daylight. A ray of light shines from his hand. The meaning of this verse is uncertain.
  4. Habakkuk 3:6 Or measures
  5. Habakkuk 3:13 Or splitting him open from the lower body to the neck. This phrase may refer to exposing nakedness, to eviscerating someone, or to both.

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.

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.