Habakkuk 3
Lexham English Bible
The Prayer of Habakkuk
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O Yahweh, I have heard the report of you;
O Yahweh, I stand in awe of your works.
In the midst of the years, revive it!
In the midst of the years, make it known!
In wrath, may you remember to show compassion.
3 God came from Teman;
the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covers the heavens,
and his praise fills the earth.
4 And his brightness was like the light;
flashing rays came from his hand for him;
And there is the covering of his strength.
5 Before him went Disease,[a]
and Pestilence[b] went out at his feet.
6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and made the nations tremble.
Then the mountains of old were shattered;
the hills of old collapsed.
The ways of old belong to him.
7 Under affliction I saw the tents of Cushan;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian trembled.
8 Was the anger of Yahweh against the rivers?
Was your wrath against the rivers,
or your fury against the sea,
when you mounted upon your horses,
upon your victory chariot?
9 You laid bare the nakedness of your bow,
swearing oaths with the arrows of your word.
You split the earth with rivers.
10 When the mountains saw you they writhed;
a torrent of waters swept by;
the deep gave its voice;
it raised its hands on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still in their place;
at the light of your arrows they moved about;
at the gleam of the flashing of your spear.
12 In fury you marched through the earth;
in anger you trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of wickedness,
laying bare from the foundation to the top.[c]
14 You pierced the head of his warriors with his own arrows;
they came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
their exultation like one who devours the afflicted in ambush.
15 You trampled upon the sea with your horses,
the churning of many waters.
16 I hear and my stomach shakes;
my lips quiver at the sound;
infection enters my bones;
that which is beneath me trembles;
I wait quietly for the day of trouble
to come upon the people attacking us.
17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
nor there be fruit on the vines;
the yield of the olive tree fails,
and the cultivated fields do not yield food;
the flock is cut off from the animal pen,
and there is no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
19 Yahweh, my Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer;
he causes me to walk on my high places.
To the choirmaster with stringed instruments.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 3:5 The Hebrew term is also the name of a Canaanite deity
- Habakkuk 3:5 The Hebrew term is also the name of a Canaanite deity
- Habakkuk 3:13 Or “to the neck”
Habakkuk 3
International Standard Version
Habakkuk’s Prayer of Faith
3 A prayer by the prophet Habakkuk, set to music.[a]
2 Lord, as I listen to what has been said about you,
I am afraid.
Lord, revive your work throughout all of our lives—
reveal yourself[b] throughout all of our lives—
when you[c] are angry,
remember compassion.
3 God comes from Teman[d]—
the Holy One from Mount Paran.[e]
His glory spreads throughout the heavens,
and praises about him fill the earth.
4 His radiance is like sunlight;
beams of light shine[f] from his hand,
where his strength lays hidden.
5 Before him pestilence walks,
and disease follows behind him.[g]
6 He stood up and shook the land;
with his stare he startled the nations.
The age-old mountains were shattered,
and the ancient hilltops bowed down.
His ways are eternal.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
and the tent curtains of the land of Midian in anguish.
8 Was the Lord displeased with the rivers?
Was your anger directed[h] against the watercourses
or your wrath against the sea?
Indeed, you rode upon your horses,
upon your chariots of deliverance.
9 Your bow was exposed,
and your[i] arrows targeted by command.
You split the earth with rivers.
10 When the mountains looked upon you, they trembled;
the overflowing water passed by,
the ocean shouted,
and its waves[j] surged upward.
11 The sun and moon stand still in their orbits;
at the glint of your arrows they speed along,
even at the gleam of your flashing spear.
12 You march through the land in righteous[k] indignation;
you tread down the nations in anger.
13 You marched out to deliver your people,
to deliver with your anointed.
You struck the head of the house of the wicked;
you stripped him naked from head to foot.
14 With his own lances you pierced the heads of his warriors,
who came out like a windstorm to scatter us[l]—
their joy is to devour the afflicted who are in hiding.
15 You rode on the sea with your horses,
even riding[m] the crested waves of mighty waters.
Habakkuk’s Response
16 I heard and I trembled within.
My lips quivered at the noise.
My legs gave way beneath me,[n]
and I trembled.
Nevertheless, I await the day of distress
that will dawn on our invaders.
17 Even though the fig tree does not blossom,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even if the olive harvest fails,
and the fields produce nothing edible;
even if the flock is snatched from the sheepfold,
and there is no herd in the stalls—
18 as for me, I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will find my joy in the God who delivers me.
19 The Lord God is my strength—
he will make my feet like those of a deer,
equipping me to tread on my mountain heights.
For the choir director:
On my stringed instruments.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 3:1 Lit. prayer upon Shigionoth
- Habakkuk 3:2 The Heb. lacks yourself
- Habakkuk 3:2 The Heb. lacks you
- Habakkuk 3:3 I.e. an Edomite desert town
- Habakkuk 3:3 I.e. in the Sinai desert
- Habakkuk 3:4 The Heb. lacks shine
- Habakkuk 3:5 Lit. follows at his feet
- Habakkuk 3:8 The Heb. lacks directed
- Habakkuk 3:9 The Heb. lacks your
- Habakkuk 3:10 Lit. hands
- Habakkuk 3:12 The Heb. lacks righteous
- Habakkuk 3:14 Lit. me
- Habakkuk 3:15 The Heb. lacks even riding
- Habakkuk 3:16 Lit. Rottenness enters my bones
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