Habakkuk 1
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
The birthun that Abacuk, the profete, sai.
2 Jehovah, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee, Violence! and thou dost not save.
Hou longe, Lord, schal Y crye, and thou schalt not here? Y suffrynge violence schal crie an hiy to thee, and thou schalt not saue?
3 Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity, and lookest thou upon grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.
Whi schewidist thou to me wickidnesse and trauel, for to se prey and vnriytwisnesse ayens me? Whi biholdist thou dispiseris, and art stille, the while an vnpitouse man defoulith a riytfulere than hym silf? And thou schalt make men as fischis of the see, and as crepynge thingis not hauynge a ledere; and doom is maad, and ayenseiyng is more miyti.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked encompasseth the righteous; therefore judgment goeth forth perverted.
For this thing lawe is `to-brokun, and doom cometh not til to the ende; for the vnpitouse man hath miyt ayens the iust, therfor weiward doom schal go out.
5 See ye among the nations, and behold, and wonder marvellously; for [I] work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be declared [to you].
Biholde ye in hethene men, and se ye, and wondre ye, and greetli drede ye; for a werk is doon in youre daies, which no man schal bileue, whanne it schal be teld.
6 For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, which marcheth through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.
For lo! Y schal reise Caldeis, a bittir folk and swift, goynge on the breede of erthe, that he welde tabernaclis not hise.
7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
It is orible, and dredeful; the dom and birthun therof schal go out of it silf.
8 And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
His horsis ben liytere than pardis, and swifter than euentyd woluys, and hise horse men schulen be scaterid abrood; for whi `horse men schulen come fro fer, thei schulen fle as an egle hastynge to ete.
9 They come all of them for violence: the crowd of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.
Alle men schulen come to preye, the faces of hem is as a brennynge wynd; and he schal gadere as grauel caitifte,
10 Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a scorn unto him; he derideth every stronghold: for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.
and he schal haue victorie of kyngis, and tirauntis schulen be of his scornyng. He schal leiye on al strengthe, and schal bere togidere heep of erthe, and schal take it.
11 Then will his mind change, and he will pass on, and become guilty: this his power is become his god.
Thanne the spirit schal be chaungid, and he schal passe forth, and falle doun; this is the strengthe of hym, of his god.
12 — Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast appointed him for correction.
Whether `thou, Lord, art not my God, myn hooli, and we schulen not die? Lord, in to doom thou hast set hym, and thou groundidist hym strong, that thou schuldist chastise.
13 [Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on mischief: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] keepest silence when the wicked swalloweth up a [man] more righteous than he?
Thin iyen ben clene, se thou not yuel, and thou schalt not mowe biholde to wickidnesse. Whi biholdist thou not on men doynge wickidli, and thou art stille, while the vnpitouse man deuourith a more iust man than hymsilf?
14 And thou makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them.
And thou schalt make men as fischis of the see, and as a crepynge thing not hauynge prince.
15 He taketh up all of them with the hook, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them into his drag; therefore he rejoiceth and is glad:
He schal lifte vp al in the hook; he drawide it in his greet net, and gaderide in to his net; on this thing he schal be glad, and make ioie with outforth.
16 therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; for by them his portion is become fat, and his meat dainty.
Therfore he schal offere to his greet net, and schal make sacrifice to his net; for in hem his part is maad fat, and his mete is chosun.
17 Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
Therfor for this thing he spredith abrood his greet net, and euere more he ceesith not for to sle folkis.
