Hapakuki 1
1 Ko e tala mamafa ʻaia naʻe mamata ki ai ʻae palōfita ko Hapakuki.
[I am] Habakkuk, a prophet. This is the [message that Yahweh] gave to me in a vision.
2 ʻE Sihova, ʻe fēfē hono fuoloa ʻo ʻeku tangi, kae ʻikai te ke fanongo! ʻIo, ʻa ʻeku tangi kalanga kiate koe, koeʻuhi ko e fakamālohi, kae ʻikai te ke fakamoʻui!
[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 Ko e hā ʻoku ke fakahā ai kiate au ʻae angahala, pea pule ke u mamata ki he mamahi? He ʻoku ʻi hoku ʻao ʻae maumau mo e fakamālohi: pea ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku fakatupu ʻae fekeʻikeʻi, mo e fakakikihi.
(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 Ko ia ʻoku vaivai ai ʻae fono, pea ʻoku ʻikai ʻaupito ke ʻalu atu ʻae fakamaau: he kuo kāpui ʻae māʻoniʻoni ʻe he angahala; ko ia kuo ʻalu atu ai ʻae fakamaau taʻetotonu.
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 “Vakai, ʻakimoutolu ʻi he ngaahi hiteni, pea tokanga, mo ofo lahi: he te u fai ha ngāue ʻi homou ngaahi ʻaho, ʻe ʻikai te mou tui ki ai, ʻo kapau ʻe tala ia kiate kimoutolu.
[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 He vakai, ʻoku ou fokotuʻu hake ʻae kakai Kalitia, ko e puleʻanga fakaʻita mo fakatoʻotoʻo, ʻaia ʻe ʻalu atu ki he māukupu ʻoe fonua, ke maʻu ʻae ngaahi potu nofoʻanga ʻoku ʻikai ʻonautolu.
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 ʻOku fakailifia mo fakamanavahē ʻakinautolu: ko ʻenau fakamaau mo e nāunau ʻe ʻalu atu ʻiate kinautolu.
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 ʻOku veʻe vave foki ʻa ʻenau fanga hoosi ʻi he fanga lēpati, pea ʻoku fekai ʻi he fanga ulofi ʻoe efiafi: pea ko honau kau tangata heka hoosi, ʻe mafola ʻakinautolu, pea ʻe haʻu ʻakinautolu mei he mamaʻo: te nau puna ʻo hangē ko e ʻikale ʻoku fakavave ke kai.
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 ʻE haʻu ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ko e fakamālohi: ʻe kokomo hake ʻe honau mata, ʻo hangē ko e matangi hahake, pea te nau tānaki ʻae pōpula, ʻo hangē ko e ʻoneʻone.
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 Pea te nau manuki ki he ngaahi tuʻi, pea ʻe hoko ʻae houʻeiki ko e manukiʻanga kiate kinautolu: te nau taukaea ʻae ngaahi potu mālohi kotoa pē; he te nau fokotuʻu hake ʻae kelekele, ʻo maʻu ia.
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 Pea ʻe toki liliu ai hono loto, pea te ne ʻalu atu, mo fai talangataʻa, ʻo tuki hono mālohi ni ki hono ʻotua.”
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 ʻIkai ʻoku ke talu mei muʻa koe, ʻE Sihova, ko hoku ʻOtua, ko ʻeku tokotaha māʻoniʻoni? ʻE ʻikai te mau mate. ʻE Sihova, kuo ke tuʻutuʻuni ʻakinautolu maʻa e fakamaau; pea kuo ke fokotuʻu ʻakinautolu maʻa e tautea, ʻE ʻOtua māfimafi.
[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 ʻOku ke fofonga māʻoniʻoni fau ʻā koe, pea ʻikai ai te ke faʻa ʻafio ki he kovi, pea ʻoku ʻikai te ke faʻa sio ki he angahala: ko e hā ʻoku ke ʻafio ai kiate kinautolu ʻoku fai kākā, pea ke longo pe, ka ʻoku fakaʻauha ʻe he angahala ʻaia ʻoku māʻoniʻoni hake ʻiate ia?
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 Pea ʻoku ngaohi ʻae kakai ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi ika ʻoe tahi, mo tatau mo e ngaahi meʻa totolo, ʻoku ʻikai ha pule kiate kinautolu?
[Do you consider that] we are like fish in the sea, or like other creatures in the sea, that have no ruler?
15 ʻOku nau toʻo hake ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻi he mātaʻu, ʻoku nau moʻua ʻakinautolu ʻi honau kupenga, mo tānaki ʻakinautolu ʻi honau kupenga toho, ko ia ʻoku nau fiefia mo nekeneka ai.
[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 Ko ia ʻoku nau feilaulau ki honau kupenga, mo feilaulau tutu ki honau kupenga toho; koeʻuhi ko e meʻa ʻiate kinautolu ʻoku momona ai honau ʻinasi, pea lahi ʻa ʻenau meʻakai.
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 Ko ia, ʻe ʻaʻau koā honau kupenga, pea ʻikai ʻaupito ha taʻofi ki he fakaʻauha ʻoe ngaahi puleʻanga?
[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]?”
