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A Prayer of Habakkuk

This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk:[a]

O Lord, I have heard of what you have done,
    and I am filled with awe.
Now do again in our times
    the great deeds you used to do.
Be merciful, even when you are angry.

God is coming again from Edom;
    the holy God is coming from the hills of Paran.
His splendor covers the heavens,
    and the earth is full of his praise.
He comes with the brightness of lightning;
    light flashes from his hand,
    there where his power is hidden.
He sends disease before him
    and commands death to follow him.
When he stops, the earth shakes;
    at his glance the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains are shattered;
    the everlasting hills sink down,
    the hills where he walked in ancient times.

I saw the people of Cushan afraid
    and the people of Midian tremble.
Was it the rivers that made you angry, Lord?
    Was it the sea that made you furious?
You rode upon the clouds;
    the storm cloud was your chariot,
    as you brought victory to your people.
You got ready to use your bow,
    ready to shoot your arrows.[b]
Your lightning split open the earth.
10 When the mountains saw you, they trembled;
    water poured down from the skies.
The waters under the earth roared,
    and their waves rose high.
11 At the flash of your speeding arrows
    and the gleam of your shining spear,
    the sun and the moon stood still.
12 You marched across the earth in anger;
    in fury you trampled the nations.
13 You went out to save your people,
    to save your chosen king.
You struck down the leader of the wicked
    and completely destroyed his followers.[c]
14 Your arrows pierced the commander of his army
    when it came like a storm to scatter us,
    gloating like those who secretly oppress the poor.[d]
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
    and the mighty waters foamed.

16 I hear all this, and I tremble;
    my lips quiver with fear.
My body goes limp,
    and my feet stumble[e] beneath me.

I will quietly wait for the time to come
    when God will punish those who attack us.

17 Even though the fig trees have no fruit
    and no grapes grow on the vines,
even though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no grain,
even though the sheep all die
    and the cattle stalls are empty,
18 I will still be joyful and glad,
    because the Lord God is my savior.
19 (A)The Sovereign Lord gives me strength.
    He makes me sure-footed as a deer
    and keeps me safe on the mountains.

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:1 Hebrew has an additional phrase, the meaning of which is unclear.
  2. Habakkuk 3:9 Probable text ready to shoot your arrows; Hebrew unclear.
  3. Habakkuk 3:13 Probable text completely … followers; Hebrew unclear.
  4. Habakkuk 3:14 Verse 14 in Hebrew is unclear.
  5. Habakkuk 3:16 Probable text my feet stumble; Hebrew I am excited, because.

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.