Ambacum 3

1 A PRAYER OF THE PROPHET AMBACUM, WITH A SONG.

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, put to Shigionoth.

2 O Lord, I have heard your report, and was afraid: I considered your works, and was amazed: you shall be known between the two living creatures, you shall be acknowledged when the years draw near; you shall be manifested when the time is come; when my soul is troubled, you will in wrath remember mercy.

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.

3 God shall come from Thaeman, and the Holy One from the dark shady mount Pharan. (Pause)

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.

4 His excellence covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness shall be as light; [there were] horns in his hands, and he caused a mighty love of his strength.

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

5 Before his face shall go a report, and it shall go forth into the plains,

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

6 the earth stood at his feet and trembled: he saw, and the nations melted away: the mountains were violently burst through, the everlasting hills melted at his everlasting going forth.

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.

7 Because of troubles I looked upon the tents of the Ethiopians: the tabernacles also of the land of Madiam shall be dismayed.

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

8 Was you angry, O Lord, with the rivers? or [was] your wrath against the rivers, or your anger against the sea? for you will mount on your horses, and your chariots are salvation.

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?

9 Surely you did bend they bow at scepters, says the Lord. (Pause) The land of rivers shall be torn asunder.

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

10 The nations shall see you and be in pain, [as you do] divide the moving waters: the deep uttered her voice, and raised her form on high.

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.

11 The sun was exalted, and the moon stood still in her course: your darts shall go forth at the light, at the brightness of the gleaming of your arms.

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

12 You will bring low the land with threatening, and in wrath you will break down the nations.

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

13 You went forth for the salvation of your people, to save your anointed: you shall bring death on the heads of transgressors; you has brought bands upon [their] neck. (Pause)

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)

14 You did cut asunder the heads of princes with amazement, they shall tremble in it; they shall burst their bridles, [they shall be] as a poor man devouring in secret.

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.

15 And you do cause your horses to enter the sea, disturbing much water.

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

16 I watched, and my belly trembled at the sound of the prayer of my lips, and trembling entered into my bones, and my frame was troubled within me; I will rest in the day of affliction, from going up to the people of my sojourning.

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.

17 For [though] the fig tree shall bear no fruit, and there shall be no produce on the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall produce no food: the sheep have failed from the pasture, and there are no oxen at the cribs;

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:

18 yet I will exult in the Lord, I will joy in God my Saviour.

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

19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will perfectly strengthen my feet; he mounts me upon high places, that I may conquer by his song.

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.