Habakkuk 1

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen:

The prophecy which was revealed to the prophet Habakkuk.

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

How long, O Jehovah, do I cry, and thou dost not hear! How long do I complain to thee of violence, and thou dost 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 dost thou suffer me to see iniquity, And why dost thou look upon wickedness? For spoiling and violence are before me; There is contention, and strife exalteth itself.

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 faileth, And judgment is not pronounced according to truth; For the wicked encompasseth the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment is pronounced.

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 among the nations, and look! Yea, wonder, and be astonished! For I do 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 behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, A fierce and swift people, Which go over the breadth of the earth, To take possession of dwelling-places that are not their own.

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

They are terrible and dreadful; From themselves go forth their law and their dignity.

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 are swifter than leopards, And fiercer than evening wolves. Their horsemen leap proudly; Their horsemen come from far; They fly like an eagle, hastening to devour.

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

All of them come for violence; The multitude of their faces is directed forwards, And they gather captives as 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.

They also scoff at kings, And princes are to them a laughing-stock; They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earth and take it.

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

Then their spirit is uplifted, and they transgress, and become guilty; This their strength is made their 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.

Art thou not from everlasting, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We shall not die! Thou, O Jehovah, hast appointed them for judgment; Thou, O Rock, hast ordained them for chastisement.

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 art of purer eyes than to behold evil, And canst not look on wickedness; Why then dost thou look on transgressors, And art silent, when the wicked swalloweth up the man that 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 why makest thou men as the fishes of the sea, As the reptiles that have no ruler?

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.

They take up all of them with the hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their drag; Therefore they rejoice and exult.

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 they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their drag; Because by them their portion is fat, And their food plenteous.

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

Shall they therefore empty the net, And slay the nations continually without mercy?