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A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, set to Shigionoth.

O Jehovah, I have heard [a]the report of thee, and [b]am afraid:
O Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years;
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.
God [c]came from Teman,
And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah
His glory covered the heavens,
And the earth was full of his praise.
And his brightness was as the light;
He had [d]rays coming forth [e]from his hand;
And there was the hiding of his power.
Before him went the pestilence,
And [f]fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
He stood, and [g]measured the earth;
He beheld, and drove asunder the nations;
And the eternal mountains were scattered;
The everlasting hills did bow;
[h]His goings were as of old.
I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers?
Was thine anger against the rivers,
Or thy wrath against the sea,
That thou didst ride upon thy horses,
Upon thy chariots of salvation?
Thy bow was made quite bare;
[i]The oaths to the tribes were a sure word. Selah
Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw thee, and [j]were afraid;
The tempest of waters passed by;
The deep uttered its voice,
And lifted up its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation,
At the light of thine arrows as they went,
At the shining of thy glittering spear.
12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation;
Thou didst thresh the nations in anger.
13 Thou [k]wentest forth for the salvation of thy people,
[l]For the salvation of thine anointed;
[m]Thou [n]woundest the head out of the house of the wicked man,
Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. Selah
14 Thou [o]didst pierce with his own staves the head of his [p]warriors:
They came as a whirlwind to scatter me;
Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
15 Thou [q]didst tread the sea with thy horses,
The [r]heap of mighty waters.

16 I heard, and my body trembled,
My lips quivered at the voice;
Rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble in my place;
Because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble,
[s]For the coming up of the people that invadeth us.
17 For though the fig-tree shall not flourish,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
The labor of the olive shall fail,
And the fields shall yield no food;
The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength;
And he maketh my feet like hinds’ feet,
And will make me to walk upon my high places.

For the Chief Musician, on my stringed instruments.

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:2 Or, thy fame
  2. Habakkuk 3:2 Or, was
  3. Habakkuk 3:3 Or, cometh (and similarly to the end of verse 15)
  4. Habakkuk 3:4 Hebrew horns.
  5. Habakkuk 3:4 Or, at his side
  6. Habakkuk 3:5 Or, burning coals
  7. Habakkuk 3:6 Or, shook
  8. Habakkuk 3:6 Or, His ways are everlasting
  9. Habakkuk 3:9 Or, Sworn were the chastisements (Hebrew rods) of thy word
  10. Habakkuk 3:10 Or, were in pain
  11. Habakkuk 3:13 Or, art come
  12. Habakkuk 3:13 Or, For salvation (or, victory) with thine anointed
  13. Habakkuk 3:13 Or, Thou didst smite off the head from the house etc.
  14. Habakkuk 3:13 Or, hast wounded
  15. Habakkuk 3:14 Or, hast pierced
  16. Habakkuk 3:14 Or, hordes. Or, villages
  17. Habakkuk 3:15 Or, hast trodden
  18. Habakkuk 3:15 Or, surge
  19. Habakkuk 3:16 Or, When there shall come up against the people he that invadeth them

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.