< Habakkuk 1 >

1 Profet Habakkuk ni a coe e profet lawk teh,
[I am] Habakkuk, a prophet. This is the [message that Yahweh] gave to me in a vision.
2 Oe Cathut, na thai laipalah nâtotouh maw na kaw han vaw Na rungngang laipalah, kai ni hno kathout ka kâhmo laihoi nâtotouh maw na hmalah kahram han vaw
[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 Bangkongmaw kamsoumhoehe naw hah na pâtue vaw. Bangkongmaw hno kathout naw na hmu sak vaw Bangkongmaw Lawpnae, thamanae na kâhmo sak vaw. Bangkongmaw tami reira khuet kâoun awh teh, khuet kâyue awh vaw.
(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 Hatdawkvah kâlawk teh cungkeihoeh toe. Kamsoum lah lawkcengnae awm hoeh toe. Tami kahawihoehnaw ni tami kalannaw teh, kamsoum hoeh lah lawk a ceng awh.
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 Lawkkam kacakhoehe taminaw khen nateh muenkângai awh haw. Bangkongtetpawiteh, nangmouh koe ayâ ni na patue haiyah na yuem thai awh hoeh e hah nangmae atueng dawk 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 Ahue karang poung e Khaldean taminaw hah ka hroecoe toe. Amamae ram lah kaawm hoeh e ramnaw hah la hanelah kho tangkuem a cei awh han.
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 Takithopoung e tami lah ao awh teh, ama ngai e patetlah lawk a ceng awh.
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 Ahnie marang teh, kaisi hlak a rang. Karum lah kâva e Asuinaw hlak a huencawn awh. Marangransanaw ni ahlanae koehoi tho awh vaiteh, a coukdouk awh han. Moi kei hanlah karang poung e langta patetlah kamleng awh vaiteh a tho awh han.
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 Hote taminaw teh rektap hanelah a tho awh. Hmalah dueng ka khen e ransa lah ao awh teh, a man awh e taminaw teh sadi yit touh a pha sak awh han.
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 Siangpahrangnaw a dudam awh, khobawinaw hai banglahai noutna awh hoeh. Khopui rapanimnaw pueng hai panuikhai awh vaiteh, vaiphu a pâpawp awh vaiteh a tuk awh han.
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 Hathnukkhu ahnimanaw teh a pouknae a kâthung awh teh a sakpayon e phu teh a hmu awh han. Ahnimae a thaonae teh amamae cathut doeh toe.
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 Oe, BAWIPA ka Cathut, nang teh kaie kathounge Cathut lah na o teh, a yungyoe na kangning e nahoehmaw. Hottelah pawiteh, kaimanaw teh duenae koehoi kahlout awh han doeh. Oe BAWIPA, kaimanaw lawkceng nahanelah ahnimanaw hah na hmoun toe. Oe Ka lungsong, yue sak hanelah ahnimanaw hah hmuen na poe toe.
[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 Nang teh kahawihoehe hno hmu hanelah a mit teh a thoungpoung. Hno kathout a hmu navah, awm takhai thai hoeh. Hottelah pawiteh, lawkkam kacakhoehe naw hah bangkongmaw na khetyawt vaw. Tami kahawihoehe naw ni tami kalannaw a thei navah bangkongmaw duem na o takhai.
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 Nang ni, taminaw hah tuipui dawk e tanganaw patetlah, ukkung ka tawn hoeh e ahrinaw patetlah bangkongmaw na coung sak.
[Do you consider that] we are like fish in the sea, or like other creatures in the sea, that have no ruler?
15 Taran ni hote taminaw pueng hah hradang hoi sawn vaiteh, tamlawk hoi heng vaiteh, tamlawk hoi a kalup teh a lung ouk ahawi awh.
[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 Ama e tamlawk hah a thueng teh, amae tamlawk hanlah hmuitui hah hmai ouk a sawi. Bangkongtetpawiteh, hote hno hoiyah hnopai ouk a hmu teh kaboumlah ouk a kâkawk nah.
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 Hatdawkvah ahni ni tamlawk, tamlawk dawk e tanganaw hah a rabawk han na maw. Miphunnaw hah pasai laipalah pou a thei han na 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]?”

< Habakkuk 1 >