Habakkuk 3

1 A PRAYER OF HABACUC THE PROPHET FOR IGNORANCES.

The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:

2 O Lord, I have heard thy hearing, and was afraid. O Lord, thy work, in the midst of the years bring it to life: In the midst of the years thou shalt make it known: when thou art angry, thou wilt remember mercy.

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 will come from the south, and the holy one from mount Pharan: His glory covered the heavens, and the earth is 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 His brightness shall be as the light; horns are in his hands: There is his strength hid:

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

5 Death shall go before his face. And the devil shall go forth before his feet.

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

6 He stood and measured the earth. He beheld, and melted the nations: and the ancient mountains were crushed to pieces. The hills of the world were bowed down by the journeys of his eternity.

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 I saw the tents of Ethiopia for their iniquity, the curtains of the land of Madian shall be troubled.

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

8 Wast thou angry, O Lord, with the rivers? or was thy wrath upon the rivers? or thy indignation in the sea? Who will ride upon thy horses: and thy chariots are 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 Thou wilt surely take up thy bow: according to the oaths which thou hast spoken to the tribes. Thou wilt divide the rivers of the earth.

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 thee, and were grieved: the great body of waters passed away. The deep put forth its voice: the deep lifted up its hands.

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 The sun and the moon stood still in their habitation, in the light of thy arrows, they shall go in the brightness of thy glittering 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 In thy anger thou wilt tread the earth under foot: in thy wrath thou wilt astonish the nations.

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

13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ. Thou struckest the head of the house of the wicked: thou hast laid bare his foundation even to the neck.

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 Thou hast cursed his sceptres, the head of his warriors, them that came out as a whirlwind to scatter me. Their joy was like that of him that devoureth the poor man in secret.

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 Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses, in the mud of many waters.

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

16 I have heard and my bowels were troubled: my lips trembled at the voice. Let rottenness enter into my bones, and swarm under me. That I may rest in the day of tribulation: that I may go up to our people that are girded.

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 the fig tree shall not blossom: and there shall be no spring in the vines. The labour of the olive tree shall fail: and the fields shall yield no food: the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

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 But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus.

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 will make my feet like the feet of harts: and he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.

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.