Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk 3:1

The Problem of Assyria An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (1200 word vocabulary) on the Book of Habakkuk Translators could also find the translated Bible text useful, as the writer translated from the Hebrew text. www.easyenglish.info Gordon Churchyard This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words that are in boxes are from the Bible.

A word list is at the end. It explains words with a *star by them.

The words in brackets are not in the Hebrew Bible.

Chapter 3 v1 (These are) the words that the *prophet Habakkuk prayed. (He used music called) Shigionoth.

v2 *LORD, I have heard (what people) say about you. I see the things that you have done, *LORD. Then I am afraid. (But) do them again now. Make people know (what you can do) in our *lifetime. You are angry, (but still) remember *mercy!

v3 God came from Teman. The *Holy One came from the mountain (called) Paran.

*SELAH

His *glory covered the skies and his *praise filled the earth.

v4 He was as bright as the sunrise. Light fell from his hands, where he hid his great power.

v5 *Plague went in front of him and *pestilence followed his feet.

v6 (God) stood and he made the earth *shake. He looked and countries were afraid. Old mountains broke into rocks and very old hills fell down. This always happens everywhere that he goes!

v7 I saw the places where Cushan lived. They were not happy. The houses of Midian were afraid.

v8 Surely you were not angry with the streams and rivers, *LORD! Surely you were not angry with the sea when you rode (through it) with horses and *chariots! You did this to win the fight.

v9 You showed (people) your bow and you got many *arrows.

You cut the earth into pieces with rivers.

v10 The mountains saw you and they *shook. Deep waters moved very fast. The sea made a loud noise and it lifted its waters high.

v11 The sun and the moon stopped moving in the skies. The light from your *arrows that were flying past (stopped them). So (also) did the light from your shining *spear.

v12 You marched through the country because you were angry. Because you were so angry, you hit (many) countries with your stick.

v13 You went out to make your people safe. You went out to save your *messiah. You beat the leader of the *wicked country. You took away his clothes from head to foot.

v14 You pushed your own *spear into his head. (You did this) when his soldiers came out to fight us. They were laughing when they came out to kill the poor people. The poor people were hiding from them.

v15 You marched through the sea with your horses. You *shook the waters.

v16 I listened and my heart was afraid. My lips *shook at the sound. My bones began to fall into pieces. My legs would not stop moving. But I will be patient. And I will wait for the very bad days that will come. They will come to the people that are attacking us.

v17 There may be:

 no flowers on the *fig tree

 no fruit on the *vines

 nothing on the trees that have fruits called olives

 no food in the fields

 no sheep in the hills

 no cows on the farms

    v18 But I will still sing *praises to the *LORD! I will be happy with the God that makes me safe.

v19 The *LORD, who is my master, will make me safe. He makes my feet as the feet of a *deer so that I can climb mountains.

The music leader must use stringed instruments (things that make music). Notes on Habakkuk Chapter 3 The book ends with a psalm (a song with music)! Habakkuk may have worked with one of the music groups in the *temple in Jerusalem. He tells them what music to use, and what *musical instruments, (verses 1 and 19). The psalm remembers what God did. He led his people out of Egypt. That was 800 years before Habakkuk. If God did great things then, he can do great things now! (That is still true for us.) The *plagues and *pestilences in verse 5 are what happened to the *Egyptians. This was when they did not obey God. The sea in verses 8 and 10 was the Red Sea. God led his people through it, and they did not even get their feet wet! Verses 6-12 describe a great storm. The ‘leader of the *wicked country’ in verse 13 was Pharaoh, King of Egypt.

All this makes Habakkuk afraid, verse 16. But he says this: Whatever happens he will still *praise the *LORD (verse 17).

He knows that God is still in authority! That is why he can still *praise God. Even when times are bad, he will be like an animal. This animal can climb mountains with no difficulty! The animal is called the deer. Something to do

1. If you have a Bible, read Psalms 73. (It is the first Psalm in Book 3 of The Psalms.)

2. When there is war, pray to God about it. Tell him that you still have *faith in him. And look for what God is doing.

© 1997-2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words)

February 2007

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var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3Eprophet</b%3E ~ he or she says what God is saying; or he says what God will do.’;w0[1]=’<b%3ELORD</b%3E ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use.