Habakkuk 3
English Standard Version
Habakkuk's Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O Lord, (A)I have heard the report of you,
and (B)your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years (C)revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
(D)in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from (E)Teman,
(F)and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 (G)His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
5 (H)Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed (I)at his heels.[a]
6 He stood (J)and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the (K)eternal mountains (L)were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were (M)the everlasting ways.
7 I saw the tents of (N)Cushan in affliction;
(O)the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 (P)Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
(Q)or your indignation against the sea,
(R)when you rode on your horses,
(S)on your chariot of salvation?
9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows.[b] Selah
(T)You split the earth with rivers.
10 (U)The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
(V)the deep gave forth its voice;
(W)it lifted its hands on high.
11 (X)The sun and moon stood still in their place
(Y)at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear.
12 (Z)You marched through the earth in fury;
(AA)you threshed the nations in anger.
13 (AB)You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of (AC)your anointed.
(AD)You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck.[c] Selah
14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.
15 (AE)You trampled the sea with your horses,
the surging of mighty waters.
16 (AF)I hear, and (AG)my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
(AH)rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet (AI)I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 (AJ)yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
(AK)I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
(AL)he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me (AM)tread on my (AN)high places.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 3:5 Hebrew feet
- Habakkuk 3:9 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
- Habakkuk 3:13 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
- Habakkuk 3:19 Hebrew my stringed
Habakkuk 3
New Living Translation
Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk[a]:
2 I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
remember your mercy.
3 I see God moving across the deserts from Edom,[b]
the Holy One coming from Mount Paran.[c]
His brilliant splendor fills the heavens,
and the earth is filled with his praise.
4 His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from his hands,
where his awesome power is hidden.
5 Pestilence marches before him;
plague follows close behind.
6 When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One![d]
7 I see the people of Cushan in distress,
and the nation of Midian trembling in terror.
8 Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers
and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
9 You brandished your bow
and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
10 The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky
as your brilliant arrows flew
and your glittering spear flashed.
12 You marched across the land in anger
and trampled the nations in your fury.
13 You went out to rescue your chosen people,
to save your anointed ones.
You crushed the heads of the wicked
and stripped their bones from head to toe.
14 With his own weapons,
you destroyed the chief of those
who rushed out like a whirlwind,
thinking Israel would be easy prey.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
and the mighty waters piled high.
16 I trembled inside when I heard this;
my lips quivered with fear.
My legs gave way beneath me,[e]
and I shook in terror.
I will wait quietly for the coming day
when disaster will strike the people who invade us.
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,[f]
able to tread upon the heights.
(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Footnotes
- 3:1 Hebrew adds according to shigionoth, probably indicating the musical setting for the prayer.
- 3:3a Hebrew Teman.
- 3:3b Hebrew adds selah; also in 3:9, 13. The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; it is probably a musical or literary term.
- 3:6 Or The ancient paths belong to him.
- 3:16 Hebrew Decay entered my bones.
- 3:19 Or He gives me the speed of a deer.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
