Kaabakuuku 1
1 Buno bwe bubaka bwa Mukama, Kaabakuuku nnabbi bwe yafuna.
[I am] Habakkuk, a prophet. This is the [message that Yahweh] gave to me in a vision.
2 Ayi Mukama, ndituusa ddi okukukaabirira naye nga tompuliriza? Lwaki nkukaabirira nti, “Ebikolwa eby’obukambwe bimpitiriddeko,” naye n’otonnyamba?
[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 Lwaki ondaga obutali bwenkanya era lwaki ogumiikiriza obukyamu? Kubanga okuzikiriza n’ebikolwa eby’obukambwe biri mu maaso gange, empaka n’ennyombo byeyongede.
(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 Amateeka kyegavudde gatagonderwa era n’obwenkanya ne butakolebwa. Ababi be basinga abatuukirivu obungi era babeebunguludde, n’obwenkanya ne bulinnyirirwa.
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 “Mutunuulire amawanga, mwetegereze. Mwewuunyize ddala nnyo. Kubanga ŋŋenda kukola omulimu mu nnaku zammwe gwe mutalikkiriza newaakubadde nga mugubuuliddwa.
[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 Kubanga laba, nkuyimusiza Abakaludaaya, eggwanga eryo eririna ettima era ekkambwe, ababunye ensi eno n’eri nga bawamba amawanga agatali gaabwe.
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 Ba ntiisa, batiibwa, be beetekera amateeka gaabwe era be bagassa mu nkola, nga balwanirira ekitiibwa kyabwe.
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 Embalaasi zaabwe zidduka okukira engo, era mu bukambwe zikira emisege egy’ekiro. Abasajja abeebagala embalaasi bava mu nsi ey’ewala era bajja beesaasaanyizza ne banguwa okutuuka ng’ensega bw’erumba ky’eneerya.
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 Bajja n’eryanyi bonna, ebibinja byabwe birumba ng’embuyaga ey’omu ddungu; ne balyoka bayoola abawambe abangi ng’omusenyu.
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 Weewaawo, basekerera bakabaka ne baduulira n’abakungu. Basekerera buli kibuga ekiriko ekigo ne bakituumako ebifunfugu ne balinnyira okwo, ne bakiwamba.
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 Awo ne bayita nga bakunta ng’embuyaga; abantu bano omusango be gwasinga, eryanyi lyabwe ye katonda waabwe.”
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 Ayi Mukama toli wa mirembe na mirembe, ggwe Mukama Katonda wange, si ggwe Mutukuvu wange? Tetulifa. Ayi Mukama ggwe wabateekawo n’obawa amaanyi batusalire emisango. Era ggwe Olwazi, wabateekawo kubonereza.
[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 Amaaso go gajjudde obulongoofu tegatunula ku kibi, so toyinza kugumiikiriza bukyamu. Kale lwaki ggwe ogumiikiriza ab’enkwe, n’osirika ng’omubi amalirawo ddala omuntu amusinga obutuukirivu?
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 Kubanga abantu obafudde ng’ebyennyanja eby’omu nnyanja, ng’ebitonde eby’omu nnyanja ebitaliiko abifuga.
[Do you consider that] we are like fish in the sea, or like other creatures in the sea, that have no ruler?
15 Omulabe omubi abakwata bonna ng’eddobo, oluusi n’abawalula mu katimba ke, n’abakuŋŋaanya mu kiragala kye n’alyoka asanyuka n’ajaguza.
[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 Kyava awaayo ssaddaaka eri akatimba ke n’ayotereza n’ekiragala kye obubaane; akatimba ke kamuwa obulamu obw’okwejalabya, n’alya emmere ey’ekigagga.
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 Kale, bwe batyo bwe banaalekebwa okutikkula obutimba bwabwe, n’okusaanyaawo amawanga awatali kusaasira?
[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]?”
