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Habakkuk's Prayer

¹ Shigionoth tells of this prayer of Habakkuk, the man of God.

² O Lord, I have heard of what You have done, and I am filled with fear. O Lord, do again in our times the great things which You have done before. Remember to show loving-kindness, even when You are angry.

³ God comes from Teman. The Holy One comes from Mount Paran. His shining-greatness covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise. ⁴ He is as bright as the sun. He has light shining from His hand, where His power is hidden. ⁵ Disease goes before Him, and much trouble comes after Him. ⁶ He stood and looked over the earth. He looked and shook the nations. The lasting mountains were broken to pieces, and the old hills fell down. His ways last forever. ⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble. The tent curtains of the land of Midian were shaking.

⁸ Were You angry with the rivers, O Lord? Was Your anger against the rivers? Or were You angry with the sea? You rode on Your horses. You rode on Your war-wagons saving people. ⁹ You took the covering off Your bow and put the arrows to the string. You divided the earth with rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains saw You and shook. The flood of waters flowed by. The sea made its noise and its waves rose high. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the light of Your arrows, at the shining of Your spear. ¹² You walked over the earth in Your anger. In anger You crushed the nations under foot. ¹³ You went to save Your people, to save Your chosen ones. You crushed the leader of the land of the sinful and laid him open from thighs to neck. ¹⁴ With his own spear You cut through the head of his soldiers. They came like a storm to send us everywhere, finding joy as if they were destroying in secret those who had it very hard. ¹⁵ You stepped on the sea with Your horses, on the waves of many waters.

¹⁶ I heard and my body shook. My lips shook at the sound. My bones began to waste away and my legs shook. Yet I will be quiet and wait for the day of trouble to come upon the people who fight against us. ¹⁷ Even if the fig tree does not grow figs and there is no fruit on the vines, even if the olives do not grow and the fields give no food, even if there are no sheep within the fence and no cattle in the cattle-building, ¹⁸ yet I will have joy in the Lord. I will be glad in the God Who saves me. ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength. He has made my feet like the feet of a deer, and He makes me walk on high places.

This is for the song leader, on my different kinds of harps.