Habakkuk 1

1 The prophecy which was revealed to the prophet Habakkuk.

This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision:

2 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!

How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

3 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.

Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

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

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

5 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.

“Look at the nations and observe— be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you.

6 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.

For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans — that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.

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

They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.

8 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.

Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.

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

All of them come bent on violence; their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners like sand.

10 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.

They scoff at kings and make rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build up siege ramps to seize it.

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

Then they sweep by like the wind and pass on through. They are guilty; their own strength is their god.”

12 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.

Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.

13 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?

Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

14 And why makest thou men as the fishes of the sea, As the reptiles that have no ruler?

You have made men like the fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler.

15 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.

The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.

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

Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich.

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

Will he, therefore, empty his net and continue to slay nations without mercy?