Ἀμβακούμ 1
1 τὸ λῆμμα ὃ εἶδεν Αμβακουμ ὁ προφήτης
The oracle of which Habakkuk the prophet, had vision:
2 ἕως τίνος κύριε κεκράξομαι καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσῃς βοήσομαι πρὸς σὲ ἀδικούμενος καὶ οὐ σώσεις
How long, O Yahweh, have I called out, and thou wouldst not hear me? Have I kept crying unto thee of violence, and thou wouldst not save?
3 ἵνα τί μοι ἔδειξας κόπους καὶ πόνους ἐπιβλέπειν ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν ἐξ ἐναντίας μου γέγονεν κρίσις καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνει
Wherefore shouldst thou let me see iniquity, and, wrong, shouldst let me behold, and, force and violence, be straight before me, —and there should have ever been someone who, contention and strife, would uphold?
4 διὰ τοῦτο διεσκέδασται νόμος καὶ οὐ διεξάγεται εἰς τέλος κρίμα ὅτι ὁ ἀσεβὴς καταδυναστεύει τὸν δίκαιον ἕνεκεν τούτου ἐξελεύσεται τὸ κρίμα διεστραμμένον
For which cause, benumbed is the law, and there is never any going forth of justice, —for, the lawless, doth circumvent the righteous, for which cause, justice doth go forth perverted?
5 ἴδετε οἱ καταφρονηταί καὶ ἐπιβλέψατε καὶ θαυμάσατε θαυμάσια καὶ ἀφανίσθητε διότι ἔργον ἐγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται
Behold ye, among the nations, and look around, Yea stand stock still—stare, —for, a work, is being wrought in your days, ye will not believe, when it is recounted.
6 διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξεγείρω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς τοὺς Χαλδαίους τοὺς μαχητάς τὸ ἔθνος τὸ πικρὸν καὶ τὸ ταχινὸν τὸ πορευόμενον ἐπὶ τὰ πλάτη τῆς γῆς τοῦ κατακληρονομῆσαι σκηνώματα οὐκ αὐτοῦ
For, behold me! raising up the Chaldeans, the bitter and headlong nation, —that marcheth to the breadths of the earth, to take possession of habitations, not his.
7 φοβερὸς καὶ ἐπιφανής ἐστιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ κρίμα αὐτοῦ ἔσται καὶ τὸ λῆμμα αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται
Awful and fearful, is he, —from himself, his decision and his uprising, proceed.
8 καὶ ἐξαλοῦνται ὑπὲρ παρδάλεις οἱ ἵπποι αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀξύτεροι ὑπὲρ τοὺς λύκους τῆς Ἀραβίας καὶ ἐξιππάσονται οἱ ἱππεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁρμήσουσιν μακρόθεν καὶ πετασθήσονται ὡς ἀετὸς πρόθυμος εἰς τὸ φαγεῖν
Then, swifter than leopards, are his horses, and, more sharply they attack, than evening wolves, and forward have leapt his chargers, —Yea, his chargers, from afar, will come in, they will fly as an eagle hath hastened to devour.
9 συντέλεια εἰς ἀσεβεῖς ἥξει ἀνθεστηκότας προσώποις αὐτῶν ἐξ ἐναντίας καὶ συνάξει ὡς ἄμμον αἰχμαλωσίαν
Solely for violence, will he come, the intent of their faces, is—To the east! And he hath gathered, as the sand, a captive host;
10 καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν βασιλεῦσιν ἐντρυφήσει καὶ τύραννοι παίγνια αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς πᾶν ὀχύρωμα ἐμπαίξεται καὶ βαλεῖ χῶμα καὶ κρατήσει αὐτοῦ
And, he, over kings, will make merry, and, nobles, will be a scorn to him: he, at any fortress, will laugh, once he hath heaped up dust, he hath captured it!
11 τότε μεταβαλεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ διελεύσεται καὶ ἐξιλάσεται αὕτη ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ μου
Then, hath he become arrogant in spirit, and hath committed excess, and so is guilty, —this his violence, is due to his god.
12 οὐχὶ σὺ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιός μου καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνωμεν κύριε εἰς κρίμα τέταχας αὐτόν καὶ ἔπλασέν με τοῦ ἐλέγχειν παιδείαν αὐτοῦ
Art not, thou, from of old, O Yahweh, my God, my Holy One? Thou diest not! O Yahweh, to judgment, hast thou appointed him, and, O Rock, to correction, hast thou devoted him:
13 καθαρὸς ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ μὴ ὁρᾶν πονηρά καὶ ἐπιβλέπειν ἐπὶ πόνους οὐ δυνήσῃ ἵνα τί ἐπιβλέπεις ἐπὶ καταφρονοῦντας παρασιωπήσῃ ἐν τῷ καταπίνειν ἀσεβῆ τὸν δίκαιον
[Thou] whose eyes are too pure to look with approval on wrong, to respect oppression, canst not endure, —Wherefore, shouldst thou respect the treacherous? Be silent, when the lawless, swalloweth up, one more righteous than he?
14 καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ὡς τὰ ἑρπετὰ τὰ οὐκ ἔχοντα ἡγούμενον
So wouldst thou have made Men, like the fishes of the sea, —like the creeping thing that hath no ruler over it:
15 συντέλειαν ἐν ἀγκίστρῳ ἀνέσπασεν καὶ εἵλκυσεν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ καὶ συνήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς σαγήναις αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν τούτου εὐφρανθήσεται καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ
All of which, with a hook, one bringeth up, raketh together with his drag, and hath gathered with his net, —
16 ἕνεκεν τούτου θύσει τῇ σαγήνῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ θυμιάσει τῷ ἀμφιβλήστρῳ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλίπανεν μερίδα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ βρώματα αὐτοῦ ἐκλεκτά
On which account, he is glad and exulteth: on which account, he sacrificeth to his Net, and burneth incense to his Drag; because, thereby, rich, is his portion, and his food—fatness!
17 διὰ τοῦτο ἀμφιβαλεῖ τὸ ἀμφίβληστρον αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἀποκτέννειν ἔθνη οὐ φείσεται
Shall he, on this account, empty his net? And, the continual slaying of nations, deem to be no pity?
