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Yet I Will Exalt in Yahweh

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to [a]Shigionoth.

O Yahweh, I have (A)heard [b]the report about You, and [c]I (B)fear.
O Yahweh, (C)revive (D)Your work in the midst of the years;
In the midst of the years make it known;
In rage remember (E)compassion.

God comes from (F)Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount (G)Paran. Selah.
His (H)splendor covers the heavens,
And the (I)earth is full of His praise.
His (J)brightness is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His (K)strength.
Before Him goes (L)pestilence,
And (M)plague comes [d]after Him.
He stood and [e]measured out the earth;
He looked and (N)startled the nations.
So the perpetual mountains were shattered;
The ancient hills [f]collapsed.
His ways are (O)everlasting.
I saw the tents of Cushan under (P)wickedness;
The tent curtains of the land of (Q)Midian were trembling.

Did Yahweh’s fury burn against the (R)rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the (S)sea,
That You (T)rode on Your horses,
On Your (U)chariots of salvation?
Your (V)bow was made bare;
Rods were sworn unto battle by word. Selah.
You (W)split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and writhed;
The downpour of waters passed by.
The deep (X)gave forth its voice;
It lifted high its hands.
11 (Y)Sun and moon stood in their lofty places;
They went away at the (Z)light of Your arrows,
At the brightness of Your flashing spear.
12 In indignation You (AA)marched through the earth;
In anger You [g](AB)trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the (AC)salvation of Your people,
For salvation with Your (AD)anointed.
You crushed the (AE)head of the house of the wicked
To lay him bare from [h]thigh to neck. Selah.
14 You pierced with his (AF)own sharpened rods
The head of his [i]throngs.
They (AG)stormed in to scatter [j]us;
Their exultation was like those
Who (AH)devour the afflicted in secret.
15 You (AI)tread on the sea with Your horses,
On the (AJ)surge of many waters.

16 I heard, and my [k]inward parts (AK)trembled;
At the sound my lips tingled.
Decay enters my (AL)bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must (AM)wait quietly for the day of distress,
[l]For the (AN)people to arise who will invade us.
17 Though the (AO)fig tree should not blossom
And there be no produce on the vines,
Though the yield of the (AP)olive should fail
And the fields yield no food,
Though the (AQ)flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be (AR)no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will (AS)exult in Yahweh;
I will (AT)rejoice in the (AU)God of my salvation.
19 Yahweh, the Lord, is my [m](AV)strength,
And (AW)He has set my feet like hinds’ feet
And makes me tread on my (AX)high places.

[n]For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:1 Possibly a wild, passionate, and animated song
  2. Habakkuk 3:2 Or Your report
  3. Habakkuk 3:2 Or I stand in awe of Your work, O Yahweh; In the midst of the years revive it,
  4. Habakkuk 3:5 Lit at His feet
  5. Habakkuk 3:6 Or shook
  6. Habakkuk 3:6 Or sank down; lit bowed
  7. Habakkuk 3:12 Or thresh
  8. Habakkuk 3:13 Lit foundation
  9. Habakkuk 3:14 Or warriors, villagers
  10. Habakkuk 3:14 Lit me
  11. Habakkuk 3:16 Lit belly
  12. Habakkuk 3:16 Or To come upon the people who will
  13. Habakkuk 3:19 Lit valor
  14. Habakkuk 3:19 Belonging to the choir director’s anthology

This is the prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to shigionoth.[a]

O Lord, I have heard the report about you,
    and I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
    In the midst of our years revive those deeds.
    In the midst of our years reveal them again.
    In your rage, remember to have mercy.
God comes from Teman. Interlude[b]
    The Holy One comes from Mount Paran.
    His splendor covers the heavens,
    and his praises fill the earth.
His brightness is like lightning.
    Lightning bolts flash out from his hand,[c]
        where his strength is hidden.
Contagious disease goes ahead of him,
    and plague follows after him.
He stands up and shakes[d] the earth.
    He looks, and the nations jump in fright.
    The ancient mountains are shattered.
    The age-old hills are flattened.
    But he goes on forever.
I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble.
    The tent curtains in the land of Midian were trembling.
Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?
    Was your anger against the rivers?
    Or was your fury against the sea?
    Is that why you hitched up your horses
    and rode your chariots of salvation?
You unsheathed your bow Interlude
    and called for arrows.
    You split the earth with rivers.
10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
    A flood of water sweeps through.
    The great deep roars
    and lifts its hands high.
11 The sun and the moon stand still in their palace
        when your flying arrows flash,
        when your spear is bright as lightning.
12 In fury you march through the earth.
    In anger you trample the nations.
13 You march out to save your people,
    to deliver your anointed one.
    You strike the head of the wicked nation to lay him out Interlude
        naked from his buttocks to his neck.[e]
14 With their own shafts you pierce the heads of warriors
        when they storm out to scatter us.
    Their celebration is like that of those who devour the poor in secret,
15 but you trample on the sea with your horses,
    on the surging, powerful waters.
16 When I hear about it, my stomach churns.
    The sound makes my lips quiver.
    My bones decay,
    and my knees tremble,
    as I wait for the day of disaster to come upon the people who attack us.

17 The fig tree may have no buds.
    The vines may have no grapes.
    The olive tree may fail to produce.
    The fields may yield no food.
    The sheep may be cut off from their flock,
    and there may be no cattle in the barns,
18 but I will delight in the Lord
    and rejoice in God who saves me.
19 The Lord God is my strength.
    He will give me feet like a deer
    and make me leap along the high hills.

To the choir director. On my stringed instruments.

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 3:1 Shigionoth may be the name of an instrument, or it may be a musical term.
  2. Habakkuk 3:3 Hebrew selah. This term seems to refer to a musical interlude that creates a pause for meditation.
  3. Habakkuk 3:4 Or His brightness is like daylight. A ray of light shines from his hand. The meaning of this verse is uncertain.
  4. Habakkuk 3:6 Or measures
  5. Habakkuk 3:13 Or splitting him open from the lower body to the neck. This phrase may refer to exposing nakedness, to eviscerating someone, or to both.