Habakuku 1
1 Ĩno nĩyo ndũmĩrĩri nditũ ĩrĩa yakinyĩrĩire mũnabii Habakuku.
[I am] Habakkuk, a prophet. This is the [message that Yahweh] gave to me in a vision.
2 Wee Jehova-rĩ, nĩ nginya rĩ ngũtũũra ngũkayagĩra ũndeithie, no wee ũkaaga kũnjigua? Githĩ ndigũkayagĩra ngiugaga, “Haaro! Haaro!” no wee ũkaaga kũhonokania?
[I said, ] “Yahweh, how long must I continue to call [to you] for help before you respond? I cry out to you [for help], saying that [people are acting] violently [everywhere], but you do not rescue us!
3 Ũtũmaga ndĩrorere wagi wa kĩhooto nĩkĩ? Ũkiragĩrĩria maũndũ mooru nĩkĩ? Mwanangĩko na haaro irĩ mbere yakwa; kũrĩ na njũgitano, nayo mbaara nĩ nyingĩ.
(Must I/I do not want to) continue seeing people doing what is unjust [RHQ]. Why do you not punish people who are doing what is wrong [RHQ]? I see people destroying things and [acting] violently. There is fighting and quarreling [everywhere].
4 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, watho nĩmwagithie hinya, na kĩhooto gĩtihootanaga. Andũ arĩa aaganu marigiicaga arĩa athingu, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio kĩhooto gĩkoogomio.
No one obeys laws [PRS], and judges [PRS] never do what is fair/just. Wicked people always defeat righteous people [in the courts], with the result that matters are never decided fairly/justly.”
5 “Atĩrĩrĩ, ta rorai ndũrĩrĩ na mwĩrorere ũhoro wacio, na mũmake biũ. Nĩgũkorwo matukũ-inĩ maku nĩngwĩka ũndũ ũrĩa ũtangĩĩtĩkia o na ũngĩĩrwo.
[Yahweh replied to me, ] “[I know that what you say is true, but] look around at [what is happening in] the other nations; [if you look, ] you will be amazed, because I am doing something during this time that you would not believe [would happen], even if someone told you about it.
6 Nĩngwarahũra andũ a Babuloni, andũ a haaro, na matarĩ tha, arĩa matuĩkanagia thĩ yothe, na makegwatĩra ciikaro itarĩ ciao.
The soldiers of Babylonia are fierce/cruel and swift. And now I am causing them [to become very powerful]; they will march across the world and conquer [many] other countries.
7 Nĩ andũ a kũmakania, na a gwĩtigĩrwo; nĩo meyathaga, na magetũũgĩria.
They are people whom [others] fear very much [DOU], and they do whatever they want to, paying no attention to the laws of other countries.
8 Mbarathi ciao irĩ ihenya gũkĩra ngarĩ, na nĩ ooru mũno gũkĩra njũũi iria icangacangaga kĩhwaĩ-inĩ. Thigari ciao iria ithiiaga ihaicĩte mbarathi itengʼeraga ta ciũmbũkĩte; ahaici acio a mbarathi moimaga kũndũ kũraya. Mombũkaga ta nderi ĩgĩcuuhũkĩra gĩa kũrĩa;
The horses [that pull their chariots] go faster than leopards, and they are fiercer than wolves are in the evening. The horses on which the soldiers ride gallop swiftly; the soldiers riding them come from distant places. They are like [SIM] eagles that swoop down to [snatch and] kill small animals.
9 othe mokaga mehaarĩirie kũruta haaro. Thigari icio ciao nyingĩ mũno ithiiaga ihaatĩte ta rũhuho rwa werũ-inĩ, igathiĩ itahĩte andũ aingĩ mũno ta mũthanga.
As they ride along, [they are] determined to act violently. They advance like [SIM] a wind from the desert, gathering prisoners that are as [numerous as grains of] sand.
10 Manyararaga athamaki, na makanyũrũria andũ arĩa maathanaga. Mathekagĩrĩra matũũra mothe manene marĩa mairigĩre; maakaga ihumbu cia tĩĩri, magatunyana matũũra macio.
They make fun of kings and princes [of other countries], and they ridicule all the cities that have high walls around them. They pile dirt [outside those walls] [in order to climb up] and capture those cities.
11 Ningĩ mahĩtũkagĩra kuo na ihenya o ta rũhuho mathiĩte na mbere: andũ maagararaga watho, magatuĩka ehia, magatua atĩ hinya wao nĩguo ngai yao.”
They rush past like the wind, and then they go [to attack other cities]. But they are very guilty, because [they think that] their own power is their god.”
12 Wee Jehova-rĩ, githĩ ndũtũũraga kuuma tene o na tene? O Wee Ngai wakwa, ũrĩa wakwa mũtheru, tondũ ũcio tũtigakua. Wee Jehova-rĩ, nĩwe ũthuurĩte andũ a Babuloni mahingie ituĩro rĩaku; wee Rwaro rwa Ihiga-rĩ, ũkamaamũra matũherithie.
[Then I said, ] “Yahweh, you have certainly [RHQ] always/forever been God. You are my Holy One; you will not die. So [why] have you appointed those men [from Babylonia] to judge and get rid of [us]? You are like [MET] a huge rock [under which we are protected/safe], so why have you sent them to punish us?
13 Maitho maku nĩ matheru mũno, matingĩĩrorera ũmaramari; wee-rĩ, ndũngĩkirĩrĩria maũndũ mooru. Ũgĩkiragĩrĩria andũ arĩa oingumania nĩkĩ? Ũkiraga nĩkĩ rĩrĩa andũ arĩa aaganu mekũmeria andũ arĩa athingu kũmakĩra?
You [SYN] are pure, and you cannot endure looking at what is evil, [so why] are you ignoring men who are treacherous? Why do you do nothing [to punish] those wicked men [from Babylonia] who destroy people who are more righteous than they [are]?
14 Ũtuĩte andũ ta thamaki cia iria, ũkamatua ta ciũmbe cia iria-inĩ, iria itarĩ mũciathi.
[Do you consider that] we are like fish in the sea, or like other creatures in the sea, that have no ruler?
15 Thũ ĩyo njaganu ĩmaguucagia othe na ndwano, ĩkamagwatia na wabu wayo, ĩkamacookereria thĩinĩ wa mũtego wayo; nĩ ũndũ ũcio ĩgakena na ĩgacanjamũka.
[The soldiers of Babylonia think that we are fish] [RHQ] for them to pull out of the sea with hooks or to catch in their nets, while they rejoice and celebrate.
16 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, ĩrutagĩra wabu wayo igongona, na ĩgacinĩra mũtego wayo ũbumba, nĩgũkorwo wabu wayo nĩguo ũtũmaga ĩtũũre ĩĩkenagia, na ĩkarĩĩaga irio iria njega mũno.
If they catch us, they will [worship] their weapons [MET] with which they captured us, and offer sacrifices to them and burn incense in front of them! [They will say] ‘Those weapons have enabled us to become rich and be able to eat expensive food.’
17 Ĩĩgũtũũra ĩtahaga na wabu wayo, ĩkaniinaga ndũrĩrĩ ingĩ ĩtegũciguĩra tha?
[Will you allow] them to continue [to conquer people] [MET] forever? [Will you allow] them to destroy people of other nations without their being merciful [to anyone]?”
