Habakkuk 1

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen:

The revelation 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.

LORD, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you “Violence!” and will you 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 you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. 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 paralysed, and justice never prevails; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out 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.

“Look amongst the nations, watch, and wonder marvellously; for I am working a work in your days which you will not believe though it is 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 am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation who march through the width 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 feared and dreaded. Their judgement 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. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries 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. Their hordes face forward. They gather prisoners like 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.

Yes, they scoff at kings, and princes are a derision to them. They laugh at every stronghold, for they build up an earthen ramp and take it.

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

Then they sweep by like the wind and go on. They are indeed guilty, whose strength is 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.

Aren’t you from everlasting, LORD my God, my Holy One? We will not die. LORD, you have appointed them for judgement. You, Rock, have established him to punish.

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,

You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously and keep silent when the wicked 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 make men like the fish of the sea, like 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 up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net and gathers them in his dragnet. 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 dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious and his food is good.

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

Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?