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Habakkuk’s Prayer

This is the prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on shigionoth.

Lord, I have heard the news about you;
    I am amazed at what you have done.
Lord, do great things once again in our time;
    make those things happen again in our own days.
Even when you are angry,
    remember to be kind.

God is coming from Teman;
    the Holy One comes from Mount Paran.[a] Selah
His glory covers the skies,
    and his praise fills the earth.
He is like a bright light.
    Rays of light shine from his hand,
    and there he hides his power.
Sickness goes before him,
    and disease follows behind him.
He stands and shakes the earth.
    He looks, and the nations shake with fear.
The mountains, which stood for ages, break into pieces;
    the old hills fall down.
    God has always done this.

I saw that the tents of Cushan were in trouble
    and that the tents of Midian trembled.
Lord, were you angry at the rivers,
    or were you angry at the streams?
Were you angry with the sea
    when you rode your horses and chariots of victory?[b]
You uncovered your bow
    and commanded many arrows to be brought to you. Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw you and shook with fear.
The rushing water flowed.
    The sea made a loud noise,
    and its waves rose high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky;
    they stopped when they saw the flash of your flying arrows
    and the gleam of your shining spear.
12 In anger you marched on the earth;
    in anger you punished the nations.
13 You came out to save your people,
    to save your chosen one.
You crushed the leader of the wicked ones
    and took everything he had, from head to toe. Selah
14 With the enemy’s own spear you stabbed the leader of his army.
    His soldiers rushed out like a storm to scatter us.
They were happy
    as they were robbing the poor people in secret.
15 But you marched through the sea with your horses,
    stirring the great waters.

16 I hear these things, and my body trembles;
    my lips tremble when I hear the sound.
My bones feel weak,
    and my legs shake.

But I will wait patiently for the day of disaster
    that will come to the people who attack us.
17 Fig trees may not grow figs,
    and there may be no grapes on the vines.
There may be no olives growing
    and no food growing in the fields.
There may be no sheep in the pens
    and no cattle in the barns.
18 But I will still be glad in the Lord;
    I will rejoice in God my Savior.
19 The Lord God is my strength.
    He makes me like a deer that does not stumble
    so I can walk on the steep mountains.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Footnotes

  1. 3:3 Teman . . . Paran God is seen as again coming from the direction of Mount Sinai. He came from Sinai when he rescued his people from Egypt.
  2. 3:8 sea . . . victory This is probably talking about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.

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.