Habakkuk’s prayer

1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.3:1 Probably a literary or musical term

2Lord, I have heard of your fame;

I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.

Repeat them in our day,

in our time make them known;

in wrath remember mercy.

3God came from Teman,

the Holy One from Mount Paran.3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.

His glory covered the heavens

and his praise filled the earth.

4His splendour was like the sunrise;

rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden.

5Plague went before him;

pestilence followed his steps.

6He stood, and shook the earth;

he looked, and made the nations tremble.

The ancient mountains crumbled

and the age-old hills collapsed –

but he marches on for ever.

7I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,

the dwellings of Midian in anguish.

8Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?

Was your wrath against the streams?

Did you rage against the sea

when you rode your horses

and your chariots to victory?

9You uncovered your bow,

you called for many arrows.

You split the earth with rivers;

10the mountains saw you and writhed.

Torrents of water swept by;

the deep roared

and lifted its waves on high.

11Sun and moon stood still in the heavens

at the glint of your flying arrows,

at the lightning of your flashing spear.

12In wrath you strode through the earth

and in anger you threshed the nations.

13You came out to deliver your people,

to save your anointed one.

You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,

you stripped him from head to foot.

14With his own spear you pierced his head

when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,

gloating as though about to devour

the wretched who were in hiding.

15You trampled the sea with your horses,

churning the great waters.

16I heard and my heart pounded,

my lips quivered at the sound;

decay crept into my bones,

and my legs trembled.

Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity

to come on the nation invading us.

17Though the fig-tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the sheepfold

and no cattle in the stalls,

18yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

19The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights.