Habakkuk 1

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

The revelation which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2 Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee — 'Violence,' and Thou dost 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 dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift [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 doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Therefore the law is paralysed, and justice never prevails; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.

5 Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye 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, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its 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 Terrible and fearful it [is], From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth.

They are feared and dreaded. Their judgement and their dignity proceed from themselves.

8 Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting 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 Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity.

All of them come for violence. Their hordes face forward. They gather prisoners like sand.

10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes [are] a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth 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 passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe 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 Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it.

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, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth 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 Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing — none ruling over him.

and make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things that have no ruler over them?

15 Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice.

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 doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, 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 Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?

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