1The prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, for unknowing men. (The prayer of the prophet Habakkuk, for those without knowledge.)

2Lord, I heard thy praising, and I dreaded; Lord, it is thy work, in the middle of years, quicken thou it. In the middle of years, thou shalt make (thyself) known; when thou shalt be wroth, thou shalt have mind of mercy. (Lord, I have heard of thy deeds, and I am filled with reverence for thee; Lord, it is thy work, in the midst of the years, quicken thou it or do thou it again. In the midst of the years, thou shalt make thyself known; even when thou shalt be angry, thou shalt remember to be merciful.)

3God shall come from the south, and the holy from the mount of Paran. The glory of him covered heavens, and the earth is full of his praising. (God shall come from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory shall cover the heavens, and the earth shall be full of his praising.)

4The shining of him shall be as light; (with) horns in the hands of him. There the strength of him was hid, (His shining shall be like the light; with rays coming from his hands. That is where his strength, or his power, is hidden,)

5death shall go before his face; the devil shall go out before his feet. (death shall go out before him; and the devil shall follow his feet or and the devil shall follow him.)

6He stood, and meted the earth; he beheld, and unbound folks, and hills of the world were all-broken; the little hills of the world were bowed down, of the ways of his everlastingness. (He shall stand, and shall measure the earth; he shall look, and the nations shall tremble, or shall shake; the mountains of the world shall be altogether broken, and the little hills of the world shall be bowed down, unto his everlasting ways.)

7For wickedness I saw the tents of Ethiopia, the skins of the land of Midian shall be troubled. (I saw that the tents of Cushan were under wickedness, and that the tent curtains of the lands of Midian were troubled, or trembled.)

8Lord, whether in floods thou art wroth, either in floods is thy strong vengeance, either in the sea is thine indignation? Which shalt ascend on thine horses; and on thy four-horsed carts is salvation. (Lord, art thou angry with the rivers, or is thy indignation against the sea? Thou shalt go upon thy horses; and salvation, or deliverance, is in thy four-horsed carts, or and victory is in thy chariots.)

9Thou raising shalt raise thy bow, (according to the) oaths to lineages which thou hast spoken; thou shalt part the floods of earth. (Thou shalt raise thy bow, in accordance with the oaths to the tribes which thou hast spoken; thou shalt divide the earth with thy rivers.)

10Waters saw thee, and hills sorrowed, the gutter of waters passed; deepness gave his voice, highness raised his hands. (The mountains saw thee, and they trembled; the waters from the gutters of the heavens passed by; the depths gave their voices, and raised up their hands into the highness, or on high.)

11The sun and moon stood in their dwelling place; in the light of thine arrows they shall go, in the shining of thy spear glistening. (The sun and the moon stood in their dwelling places; they shall go in the light of thy arrows, and in the shining of thy glistening spear.)

12In gnashing thou shalt defoul earth, and in strong vengeance thou shalt astonish folks. (Thou shalt defile the earth with thy gnashing, and thou shalt greatly astonish the nations with thy vengeance.)

13Thou art gone out into health of thy people, into health with thy christ; thou hast smitten the head of the house of the unpious man, thou hast made naked the foundament till to the neck. (Thou hast gone forth for the salvation of thy people, and for the salvation of thy anointed king; thou hast struck the head of the house of the unrighteous, or of the wicked, and thou hast made naked its foundations unto the neck, or unto the rock.)

14Thou cursedest the sceptre, either power, of him, (that is), the head of his fighters, to men coming as whirlwind for to scatter me; (thou heardest) the joying withoutforth of them, as of him that devoureth a poor man in huddles. (Thou hast cursed his sceptre, or his power, that is, thou hast pierced the leaders of his fighting men, who came like a whirlwind to destroy me; thou hast heard their rejoicing, like those who devour the poor in secret.)

15Thou madest a way in the sea to thine horses, in clay of many waters. (Thou hast made a way in the sea with thy horses, through the clay of many waters.)

16I heard, and my womb is troubled together; my lips trembled together of the voice. Rot entered in[to] my bones, and sprang under me; that I rest again in the day of tribulation, and I shall go up to our people girded together. (I heard, and my belly altogether shook; my lips altogether trembled at the sound. Rot entered into my bones, and sprang up under me. O! that I might rest again after the day of tribulation, when thou shalt go up against those who assail us.)

17For the fig tree shall not flower, and burgeoning shall not be in vineyards; the work of [the] olive tree shall lie (down), and fields shall not bring (forth) meat; a sheep shall be cut away from the fold, a drove shall not be in cratches. (Yea, though the fig tree flowereth not, and burgeoning be not be in the vineyards; the work of the olive tree falleth down, and the fields bring not forth a harvest; and the sheep be cut away from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls;)

18Forsooth I shall have joy in the Lord, and I shall make joy withoutforth in God my Jesus. (still I shall have joy in the Lord, and I shall rejoice in God my Saviour.)

19God the Lord is my strength, and he shall put my feet as of harts; and on mine high things, the overcomer shall lead forth me, singing in psalms. (The Lord God is my strength, and he shall make my feet like the feet of harts; and the Overcomer shall lead me forth on the high places, singing in psalms.)