Habakkuk 1

1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen:

2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! [even] cry out to thee [of] violence, and thou wilt not save!

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

3 Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause [me] to behold grievance? for devastation and violence [are] before me: and there are [that] raise strife and contention.

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,

4 Therefore the law is slackened, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth encompass the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

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

5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for [I] will work a work in your days, [which] ye will not believe though it be told [you].

“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.

6 For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, [that] bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling-places [that are] not theirs.

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.

7 They [are] terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed from themselves.

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

8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle [that] hasteth to eat.

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.

9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up [as] the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.

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

10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn to them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.

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.

11 Then shall [his] mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, [imputing] this his power to his god.

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

12 [Art] thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.

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.

13 [Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: why lookest thou on them that deal treacherously, [and] keepest silence when the wicked devoureth [the man that is] more righteous than he?

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,

14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping animals [that have] no ruler over them?

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

15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.

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.

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

17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

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