Habakkuk 1
1 Tahmaa Habakkuk mah hnuk ih lok loe hae tiah oh.
[I am] Habakkuk, a prophet. This is the [message that Yahweh] gave to me in a vision.
2 Aw Angraeng, nasetto maw kang kawk moe, kang kawkhaih lok tahngai ai ah na oh han vop? Tha hoi kang kawk naah doeh, nang pahlong ai!
[I said, ] “Yahweh, how long must I continue to call [to you] for help before you respond? I cry out to you [for help], saying that [people are acting] violently [everywhere], but you do not rescue us!
3 Tih hanah kahoih ai hmuen to nang patuek moe, raihaih to nang hnuksak loe? Lomhaih hoi raihaih ka hma ah oh moe, lokpunghaih hoi angzoehhaih to pop.
(Must I/I do not want to) continue seeing people doing what is unjust [RHQ]. Why do you not punish people who are doing what is wrong [RHQ]? I see people destroying things and [acting] violently. There is fighting and quarreling [everywhere].
4 To pongah ukhaih daan loe thazok boeh, toenghaih doeh hmabang caeh thai ai boeh: kasae kami mah katoeng kami to ven khoep pongah, amsoem ai lokcaekhaih to hmacawn lat boeh.
No one obeys laws [PRS], and judges [PRS] never do what is fair/just. Wicked people always defeat righteous people [in the courts], with the result that matters are never decided fairly/justly.”
5 Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk thungah kaom hmuen to khen oh loe, poek o noek ah! Paroeai dawnrai hoiah om oh; thuih cadoeh, tang han ai ah nangcae ih adung thungah tok ka sak han.
[Yahweh replied to me, ] “[I know that what you say is true, but] look around at [what is happening in] the other nations; [if you look, ] you will be amazed, because I am doing something during this time that you would not believe [would happen], even if someone told you about it.
6 Khenah, tahmenhaih tawn ai, tha patoh hoi toksak koeh acaeng, Khaldian kaminawk to kang thawksak boeh, nihcae loe angmacae ih prae na ai prae kalah to lak hanah, prae thung boih ah caeh o tih.
The soldiers of Babylonia are fierce/cruel and swift. And now I am causing them [to become very powerful]; they will march across the world and conquer [many] other countries.
7 Nihcae loe zit kaom kami ah oh o; nihcae lokcaekhaih hoi ukhaih daan doeh angmacae koeh baktiah ni sak o.
They are people whom [others] fear very much [DOU], and they do whatever they want to, paying no attention to the laws of other countries.
8 Nihcae ih hrang loe kaithlaeng pongah rang o kue moe, aduem bang ih tasui pongah hmawsaeng o kue: hrang angthueng kaminawk loe angthla parai ahmuen hoiah angzoh o, toe nihcae loe moi caa tahmu kazawk baktiah a zawk o tih.
The horses [that pull their chariots] go faster than leopards, and they are fiercer than wolves are in the evening. The horses on which the soldiers ride gallop swiftly; the soldiers riding them come from distant places. They are like [SIM] eagles that swoop down to [snatch and] kill small animals.
9 Nihcae loe athii longsak hanah angzo o boih tih; nihcae ih mikhmai loe ni angyae bang ih takhi baktiah oh, nihcae mah misong ah naeh ih kaminawk to savuet baktiah angpop o sak.
As they ride along, [they are] determined to act violently. They advance like [SIM] a wind from the desert, gathering prisoners that are as [numerous as grains of] sand.
10 Siangpahrangnawk to pahnui o thui tih, ukkung angraengnawk doeh khet kamcuk ai ah sah o tih: vangpui thung ih misa pakaahaihnawk to pahnui o thui tih, long tangprih to tapop o ueloe, vangpui to la o tih.
They make fun of kings and princes [of other countries], and they ridicule all the cities that have high walls around them. They pile dirt [outside those walls] [in order to climb up] and capture those cities.
11 To pacoengah a poekhaih to amkhraih ueloe, anghmaa o boih tih; kazae kaminawk loe angmacae thacakhaih to sithaw baktiah pakoeh o.
They rush past like the wind, and then they go [to attack other cities]. But they are very guilty, because [they think that] their own power is their god.”
12 Aw Angraeng kai ih Sithaw, kaciim kai ih Sithaw, nang loe dungzan ah hing na ai maw? Kaicae loe ka dueh o mak ai. Aw Angraeng, lok takroek hanah nihcae to na caksak boeh; Aw thacak Sithaw, nihcae thuitaek hanah na caksak boeh.
[Then I said, ] “Yahweh, you have certainly [RHQ] always/forever been God. You are my Holy One; you will not die. So [why] have you appointed those men [from Babylonia] to judge and get rid of [us]? You are like [MET] a huge rock [under which we are protected/safe], so why have you sent them to punish us?
13 Na mik loe ciim moe, kasae khet hanah na koeh ai: tipongah aling thaih kaminawk to na khet loe? Tipongah kazae kami mah angmah pong katoeng kaminawk to paaeh naah, na khet sut loe?
You [SYN] are pure, and you cannot endure looking at what is evil, [so why] are you ignoring men who are treacherous? Why do you do nothing [to punish] those wicked men [from Babylonia] who destroy people who are more righteous than they [are]?
14 Tipongah long kaminawk to ukkung tawn ai, tuipui ih tanganawk baktih, zok hoi kavak moinawk baktiah na sak loe?
[Do you consider that] we are like fish in the sea, or like other creatures in the sea, that have no ruler?
15 Misanawk mah nihcae to cakoih hoiah tathok o, palok hoiah naeh o pacoengah, palok pui hoiah a ruet o. To pongah nihcae loe poeknawm o parai moe, anghoe o.
[The soldiers of Babylonia think that we are fish] [RHQ] for them to pull out of the sea with hooks or to catch in their nets, while they rejoice and celebrate.
16 To pongah nihcae loe angmacae ih palok khaeah hmuen tathlanghaih to sak o moe, palok pui taengah hmuihoih to a thlaek o, nihcae loe tahamhoih o moe, caaknaek pop parai ah a tawnh o.
If they catch us, they will [worship] their weapons [MET] with which they captured us, and offer sacrifices to them and burn incense in front of them! [They will say] ‘Those weapons have enabled us to become rich and be able to eat expensive food.’
17 Nihcae loe palok pong ih tanga to khringh o boih ueloe, tahmenhaih tawn ai ah prae kaminawk to hum o poe tih maw?
[Will you allow] them to continue [to conquer people] [MET] forever? [Will you allow] them to destroy people of other nations without their being merciful [to anyone]?”
