Habakkuk 1

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen:

The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2 Until when, O YHWH, have I cried, And You do not hear? I cry to You, “Violence!” And You do not save.

O Jehovah, how long shall I cry, and thou will not hear? I cry out to thee of violence, and thou will not save.

3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause [me] to behold perversity? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention lifts [itself] up,

Why do thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? For destruction and violence are before me, and there is strife, and contention rises up.

4 Therefore law ceases, And judgment does not go forth forever, For the wicked is surrounding the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goes forth.

Therefore the law is slacked, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked man surrounds the righteous man, therefore justice goes forth perverted.

5 “Look on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, You do not believe though it is declared.

Behold ye scoffers, and look, and wonder marvelously. For I am working a work in your days, which ye will not believe though it be told you.

6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy dwelling places not his own.

For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

7 He [is] terrible and fearful, His judgment and his excellence go forth from him.

They are fearful and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

8 His horses have been swifter than leopards, And sharper than evening wolves, And his horsemen have increased, Even his horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hastening to consume.

Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen press proudly on. Yea, their horsemen come from far. They fly as an eagle that hastens to devour.

9 All for violence—he comes in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And he gathers a captivity as the sand.

They come all of them for violence. The set of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.

10 And he scoffs at kings, And princes [are] a laughter to him, He laughs at every fortification, And he heaps up dust, and captures it.

Yea, he scoffs at kings, and rulers are a derision to him. He derides every stronghold, for he heaps up dust, and takes it.

11 Then the spirit has passed on, Indeed, he transgresses, And [ascribes] this—his power—to his god.”

Then he shall sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty; he whose might is his god.

12 Are You not of old, O YHWH, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O YHWH, You have appointed him for judgment, And, O Rock, You have founded him for reproof.

Are not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Jehovah, thou have ordained him for judgment, and thou, O Rock, have established him for correction.

13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, You are not able to look on perverseness, Why do You behold the treacherous? You keep silent when the wicked Swallow the more righteous than he,

Thou who are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and who cannot look on perverseness, why do thou look upon those who deal treacherously, and hold thy peace when the wicked man swallows up the man who is more righteous than he,

14 And You make man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing [with] none ruling over him.

and makes men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

15 He has brought up each of them with a hook, He catches it in his net, and gathers it in his dragnet, Therefore he delights and rejoices.

He takes all of them up with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his drag. Therefore he rejoices and is glad.

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net, And makes incense to his dragnet, For by them [is] his portion fertile, and his food fat.

Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his drag, because by them his portion is fat, and his food plentiful.

17 Does he therefore empty his net, And continually not spare to slay nations?

Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to kill the nations continually?