Habakkuk 3
1 The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, in the form of an ode.
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to the Shigionoth.
2 O Jehovah, I have heard thy words, and tremble. O Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known, In wrath remember mercy!
I have heard, Lord, of your fame, I have seen, Lord, your work; through the years you have make yourself known, in wrath you remember mercy.
3 God cometh from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran; His glory covereth the heavens, And the earth is full of his praise.
God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from the mountain-land of Paran. (Selah) His glory covers the heavens, and his splendor fills the earth.
4 His brightness is as the light; Rays stream forth from his hand, And there is the hiding-place of his power.
Before him it is like the light, rays he has at his side, where his power is hidden.
5 Before him goeth the pestilence, And the plague followeth his steps.
Before him pestilence stalks, after him plague follows.
6 He standeth, and measureth the earth; He beholdeth, and maketh the nations tremble; The everlasting mountains are broken asunder; The eternal hills sink down; The eternal paths are trodden by him.
He stands, and the earth trembles, he looks, and the nations melt away, and the mountains of old are scattered, the everlasting hills bow down. These are his ways from of old.
7 I see the tents of Cushan in affliction, And the canopies of the land of Midian tremble.
The tents of Cushan are afraid, the curtains of Midian tremble.
8 Is the anger of Jehovah kindled against the rivers, Is thy wrath against the rivers, Is thy indignation against the floods, That thou ridest on with thy horses, Upon thy chariots of victory?
Is your wrath, Lord, with the rivers? Is your anger against the streams? Or your rage against the sea? Is that why you ride on your war-steeds? Why you mount your chariots of victory?
9 Thy bow is made bare; Curses are the arrows of thy word; Thou causest rivers to break forth from the earth.
Why you bare your bow? Why you fill your quiver with shafts? You split the earth with torrents.
10 The mountains see thee and tremble; The flood of waters overflows; The deep uttereth his voice, And lifteth up his hands on high.
The mountains see you and writhe. The tempest of waters sweeps by. The great deep sends forth its voice, and lifts up its hands.
11 The sun and the moon remain in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows which fly, At the brightness of the lightning of thy spear.
The sun forgets to rise. The moon stands still in its place. Your arrows go forth to give light. Your glittering spear is as lightning.
12 Thou marchest through the land in indignation; Thou thrashest the nations in anger;
In rage you stride over the earth. In wrath you trample the nations.
13 Thou goest forth for the deliverance of thy people, For the deliverance of thine anointed. Thou smitest the head of the house of the wicked; Thou destroyest the foundation even to the neck.
You go forth to save your people. You go to help your anointed. You crush the head of the wicked nation, laying him bare from thigh to neck. (Selah)
14 Thou piercest with his own spears the chief of his captains, Who rushed like a whirlwind to scatter us; Who exulted, as if they should devour the distressed in a hiding-place.
You pierced his head with his spears, as his champions storm out to scatter us, as they rejoice to devour the poor secretly.
15 Thou ridest through the sea with thy horses, Through the raging of mighty waters.
You tread the sea with your horses, while the mighty waters roar.
16 I have heard, and my heart trembleth; My lips quiver at the voice; Rottenness entereth into my bones, and my knees tremble, That I must wait in silence for the day of trouble, When the invader shall come up against my people!
I hear, and my body trembles, and at the sound my lips quiver. My bones begin to decay, and my footsteps totter beneath me, while I long for the day of distress to come upon those who attack us.
17 For the fig-tree shall not blossom, And there shall be no fruit upon the vine; The produce of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food. The flocks shall he cut off from the folds, And there shall be no herd in the stalls.
Though the fig tree bears no fruit, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive harvest fails, and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 Yet will I rejoice in Jehovah, I will exult in God, my helper.
yet I will exult in the Lord, and rejoice in the God who saves me.
19 The Lord Jehovah is my strength; He will make my feet like the hind's, And cause me to walk upon my high places. “To the leader of the music on my stringed instruments.”
The Lord God is my strength; he makes my feet as sure as the feet of deer, and causes me to walk on the heights! To the music director: Use stringed instruments.
