Habakkuk 3
3
Habakkuk gives praise to the Lord
Habakkuk's prayer
1This is my prayer:#3.1 prayer: The Hebrew text adds “according to the shigionoth”, which may mean a prayer of request or a prayer to be accompanied by a special musical instrument.
2I know your reputation, LORD,
and I am amazed
at what you have done.
Please turn from your anger
and be merciful;
do for us what you did
for our ancestors.
3You are the same Holy God
who came from Teman
and Paran#3.3 Teman…Paran: Teman is a district in Edom, but the name is sometimes used of the whole country of Edom; Paran is the hill country along the western border of the Gulf of Aqaba. In Judges 5.4, the LORD is said to have marched from Edom to help his people; in Deuteronomy 33.2, Paran is mentioned in connection with the LORD's appearance at Sinai. to help us.
The brightness of your glory
covered the heavens,
and your praises were heard
everywhere on earth.
4Your glory shone like the sun,
and light flashed from your hands,
hiding your mighty power.
5Dreadful diseases and plagues
marched in front
and followed behind.
6When you stopped,
the earth shook;
when you stared,
nations trembled;
when you walked
along your ancient paths,
eternal mountains and hills
crumbled and collapsed.
7The tents of desert tribes
in Cushan and Midian#3.7 Cushan and Midian: Tribes of the Arabian desert who were enemies of Israel.
were ripped apart.
8Our LORD, were you angry
with the monsters
of the deep?#3.8 monsters of the deep: The Hebrew text has “rivers and oceans”, which may stand for the powerful monsters that were thought to have lived there before the LORD defeated them.
You attacked in your chariot
and wiped them out.
9Your arrows were ready
and obeyed your commands.#3.9 obeyed your commands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
You split the earth apart
with rivers and streams;
10mountains trembled
at the sight of you;
rain poured from the clouds;
ocean waves roared and rose.
11The sun and moon stood still,
while your arrows and spears
flashed like lightning.
12In your furious anger,
you trampled on nations
13to rescue your people
and save your chosen one.#3.13 chosen one: Or “chosen ones”.
You crushed a nation's ruler
and stripped his evil kingdom
of its power.#3.13 You crushed…power: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
14His troops had come like a storm,
hoping to scatter us
and glad to gobble us up.
To them we were refugees
in hiding—
but you smashed their heads
with their own weapons.#3.14 but you…weapons: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
15Then your chariots churned
the waters of the sea.
Habakkuk's response to God's message
16When I heard this message,#3.16 heard this message: Or “saw this vision”.
I felt weak from fear,
and my lips quivered.
My bones seemed to melt,
and I stumbled around.
But I will patiently wait.
Some day those vicious enemies
will be struck by disaster.#3.16 I will…disaster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Trust in a time of trouble
17Fig trees may no longer bloom,
or vineyards produce grapes;
olive trees may be fruitless,
and harvest time a failure;
sheep pens may be empty,
and cattle stalls vacant—
18but I will still celebrate
because the LORD God
saves me.
19The LORD gives me strength.#2 S 22.34; Ps 18.33.
He makes my feet as sure
as those of a deer,
and he helps me stand
on the mountains.#3.19 stand on the mountains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
To the music director:
Use stringed instruments.
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Habakkuk 3: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Habakkuk 3
3
Habakkuk Prays to the Lord
1This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. It is on shigionoth. Here is what he said.
2 Lord, I know how famous you are.
I have great respect for you
because of your mighty acts.
Do them again for us.
Make them known in our time.
When you are angry,
please have mercy on us.
3God came from Teman.
The Holy One came from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens.
His praise filled the earth.
4His glory was like the sunrise.
Rays of light flashed from his mighty hand.
His power was hidden there.
5He sent plagues ahead of him.
Sickness followed behind him.
6When he stood up, the earth shook.
When he looked at the nations,
they trembled with fear.
The age-old mountains crumbled.
The ancient hills fell down.
But he marches on forever.
7I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble.
The people of Midian were suffering greatly.
8 Lord, were you angry with the rivers?
Were you angry with the streams?
Were you angry with the Red Sea?
You rode your horses and chariots
to overcome it.
9You got your bow ready to use.
You asked for many arrows.
You broke up the surface
of the earth with rivers.
10The mountains saw you and shook.
Floods of water swept by.
The sea roared.
It lifted its waves high.
11The sun and moon stood still in the sky.
They stopped because your flying arrows flashed by.
Your gleaming spear shone like lightning.
12When you were angry, you marched across the earth.
Because of your anger you destroyed the nations.
13You came out to set your people free.
You saved your chosen ones.
You crushed Pharaoh, the leader of that evil land of Egypt.
You stripped him from head to foot.
14His soldiers rushed out to scatter us.
They were laughing at us.
They thought they would easily destroy us.
They saw us as weak people who were trying to hide.
So you wounded Pharaoh’s head with his own spear.
15Your horses charged into the Red Sea.
They stirred up the great waters.
16I listened and my heart pounded.
My lips trembled at the sound.
My bones seemed to rot.
And my legs shook.
But I will be patient.
I’ll wait for the day of trouble to come on Babylon.
It’s the nation that is attacking us.
17The fig trees might not bud.
The vines might not produce any grapes.
The olive crop might fail.
The fields might not produce any food.
There might not be any sheep in the pens.
There might not be any cattle in the barns.
18But I will still be glad
because of what the Lord has done.
God my Savior fills me with joy.
19The Lord and King gives me strength.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.
He helps me walk on the highest places.
This prayer is for the director of music. It should be sung while being accompanied by stringed instruments.
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