Habakkuk 3

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigyonoth.

A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, set to victorious music.

2 O Lord, I have heard thy fame, [and] was afraid: O Lord, thy work—in the midst of the years [of sorrow] revive thou it, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

LORD, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Renew your work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make it known. In wrath, you remember mercy.

3 [When] God from Theman came, and the Holy One from mount Paran, (Selah) his glory covered the heavens, and of his praise the earth was full.

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

4 And [his] brightness was like the sunlight; rays streamed forth out of his hand unto them; and there was the hiding of his power.

His splendor is like the sunrise. Rays shine from his hand, where his power is hidden.

5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth in his steps.

Plague went before him, and pestilence followed his feet.

6 He stood forward, and made the earth tremble; he looked and dispersed nations; and there burst asunder the everlasting mountains; there sunk the perpetual hills: the ways of the world are his.

He stood, and shook the earth. He looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains were crumbled. The age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal.

7 In affliction I saw the tents of Cushan: they trembled—the curtains of the land of Midian.

I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction. The dwellings of the land of Midian trembled.

8 Was the Lord wroth against the rivers? yea, was against the rivers thy anger [kindled]? was against the sea thy wrath that thou rodest upon thy horses, thy chariots of victory!

Was the LORD displeased with the rivers? Was your anger against the rivers, or your wrath against the sea, that you rode on your horses, on your chariots of salvation?

9 Laid quite bare is thy bow, like severe rods of punishment [goeth forth] thy word, (Selah) into rivers thou splittest the earth.

You uncovered your bow. You called for your sworn arrows. (Selah) You split the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains saw thee, they trembled; the flowing waters passed along: the deep issued forth its voice, the height lifted up its hands.

The mountains saw you, and were afraid. The storm of waters passed by. The deep roared and lifted up its hands on high.

11 The sun and moon stood still in their dwelling: at the light of thy arrows they walked along, at the shining of the flaming glitter of thy spear.

The sun and moon stood still in the sky, at the light of your arrows as they went, at the shining of your glittering spear.

12 In indignation thou marchest through the earth, in anger thou treadest down nations.

You marched through the land in wrath. You threshed the nations in anger.

13 Thou wentest forth to the assistance of thy people, to the assistance of thy anointed: thou didst wound the head out of the house of the wicked, destroy the foundation with the high-towering walls. (Selah)

You went forth for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot. (Selah)

14 Thou didst strike through with his own spears the chiefs of his villages, who rushed out furiously to scatter me; who rejoiced greatly as though they were to devour the poor in secret.

You pierced the heads of his warriors with their own spears. They came as a whirlwind to scatter me, gloating as if to devour the wretched in secret.

15 [But] thou didst pass along over the sea with thy horses, over the piled up billows of great waters.

You trampled the sea with your horses, churning mighty waters.

16 I heard it, and my inmost parts trembled; at the report my lips quivered; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place, that I should rest till the day of distress, till the withdrawing of the people that will invade us with its troops.

I heard, and my body trembled. My lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place, because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people who invade us.

17 For the fig-tree doth not bud, and no fruit is on the vines; the productiveness of the olive deceiveth, and the fields yield no food; from the fold the flocks are cut off, and there are no herds in the stalls.

For though the fig tree doesn't flourish, nor fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive fails, the fields yield no food; the flocks are cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the God of my salvation.

yet I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord Eternal is my strength, and he maketh my feet fleet as those of the hinds, and he will cause me to tread upon my high places. To the chief musician of my songs.

The LORD is my strength. He makes my feet like deer's feet, and enables me to go in high places. For the music director, on my stringed instruments.