Habakkuk 3

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, put to Shigionoth.

The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:

2 O Lord, word of you has come to my ears; I have seen your work, O Lord; when the years come near make it clear; in wrath keep mercy in mind.

Yahweh, I have heard your report, and I am afraid. Yahweh, revive your work in the midst of these times; in the midst of these times make it known; remember to have compassion in your wrath.

3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. (Selah) The heavens were covered with his glory, and the earth was full of his praise.

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. (Selah) His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

4 He was shining like the light; he had rays coming out from his hand: there his power was kept secret.

With brightness like the light, two-pronged rays flash from his hand; and there he hid his power.

5 Before him went disease, and flames went out at his feet.

Deadly disease went before him, and the plague followed him.

6 From his high place he sent shaking on the earth; he saw and nations were suddenly moved: and the eternal mountains were broken, the unchanging hills were bent down; his ways are eternal.

He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations. Even the eternal mountains were shattered, and the everlasting hills bowed down. His path is everlasting.

7 The curtains of Cushan were troubled, and the tents of Midian were shaking.

I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, and the fabric of the tents in the land of Midian trembling.

8 Was your wrath burning against the rivers? were you angry with the sea, that you went on your horses, on your war-carriages of salvation?

Was Yahweh angry at the rivers? Was your wrath against the rivers, or your fury against the sea, when you rode upon your horses and your victorious chariots?

9 Your bow was quite uncovered. (Selah) By you the earth was cut through with rivers.

You have brought out your bow without a cover; you put arrows to your bow! (Selah) You divided the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains saw you and were moved with fear; the clouds were streaming with water: the voice of the deep was sounding; the sun did not come up, and the moon kept still in her place.

The mountains saw you and twisted in pain. Downpours of water passed over them; the deep sea raised a shout. It lifted up its waves.

11 At the light of your arrows they went away, at the shining of your polished spear.

The sun and moon stood still in their high places at the flash of your arrows as they fly, at the lightning of your flashing spear.

12 You went stepping through the land in wrath, crushing the nations in your passion.

You have marched over the earth with indignation. In wrath you have threshed the nations.

13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of the one on whom your holy oil was put; wounding the head of the family of the evil-doer, uncovering the base even to the neck. (Selah)

You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed one. You shatter the head of the house of the wicked to lay bare from the base up to the neck. (Selah)

14 You have put your spears through his head, his horsemen were sent in flight like dry stems; they had joy in driving away the poor, in making a meal of them secretly.

You have pierced the head of his warriors with his own arrows since they came like a storm to scatter us, their gloating was like one who devours the poor in a hiding place.

15 The feet of your horses were on the sea, on the mass of great waters.

You have traveled over the sea with your horses, and heaped up the great waters.

16 Hearing it, my inner parts were moved, and my lips were shaking at the sound; my bones became feeble, and my steps were uncertain under me: I gave sounds of grief in the day of trouble, when his forces came up against the people in bands.

I heard, and my inner parts trembled! My lips quivered at the sound. Decay comes into my bones, and under myself I tremble as I wait quietly for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.

17 For though the fig-tree has no flowers, and there is no fruit on the vine, and work on the olive comes to nothing, and the fields give no food; and the flock is cut off from its resting-place, and there is no herd in the cattle-house:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no produce from the vines; and though the produce of the olive tree disappoints and the fields yield no food; and though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, this is what I will do.

18 Still, I will be glad in the Lord, my joy will be in the God of my salvation.

Still, I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful because of the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength, and he makes my feet like roes' feet, guiding me on my high places. For the chief music-maker on corded instruments.

The Lord Yahweh is my strength and he makes my feet like the deer's. He makes me go forward on my high places. —To the music director, on my stringed instruments.