חבקוק ג

A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. In the mode of Shigionoth.

O ETERNAL One! I have learned of Your renown;
I am awed, O ETERNAL One, by Your deeds.
Renew them in these years,
Oh, make them known in these years!
Though angry, may You remember compassion.

God is coming from Teman,
The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
God’s majesty covers the skies,
Such splendor fills the earth:

It is a brilliant light
That gives off rays on every side—
And therein God’s glory is enveloped.

Pestilence marches in front,
And plague comes forth at God’s heels.

God’s standing up makes the earth shake;
A mere glance makes nations tremble.
The age-old mountains are shattered,
The primeval hills sink low.
God’s routes are ancient:

As a scene of havoc I behold
The tents of Cushan;
Shaken are the pavilions
Of the land of Midian!

Are You wroth, O ETERNAL One, with Neharim?
Is Your anger against Neharim,
Your rage against Yam—
That You are driving Your steeds,
Your victorious chariot?

All bared and ready is Your bow.
Sworn are the rods of the word. Selah.
You make the earth burst into streams,

The mountains rock at the sight of You,
A torrent of rain comes down;
Loud roars the deep,
The sky returns the echo.

Sun [and] moon stand still on high
As Your arrows fly in brightness,
Your flashing spear in brilliance.

You tread the earth in rage,
You trample nations in fury.

You have come forth to deliver Your people,
To deliver Your anointed.
You will smash the roof of the villain’s house,
Raze it from foundation to top. Selah.

You will crack [the enemy’s] skull with Your bludgeon;
Blown away shall be his warriors,
Whose delight is to crush me suddenly,
To devour a pauper in an ambush.. / You will crack their skulls with Your bludgeon; / Dispersed, blown like chaff shall be they / Who lie in wait to swallow the innocent, / To devour the poor in an ambush.”

You will make Your steeds tread the sea,
Stirring the mighty waters.

I heard and my bowels quaked,
My lips quivered at the sound;
Rot entered into my bone,
I trembled where I stood.
Yet I wait calmly for the day of distress,
For a people to come to attack us.

Though the fig tree does not bud
And no yield is on the vine,
Though the olive crop has failed
And the fields produce no grain,
Though sheep have vanished from the fold
And no cattle are in the pen,

Yet will I rejoice in GOD,
Exult in the God who delivers me.

The Sovereign GOD is my strength,
Making my feet like the deer’s
And letting me stride upon the heights.
For the leader; with instrumental music.