1 T he burden or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and You will not hear? Or cry out to You of violence and You will not save?

Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee -- `Violence,' and Thou dost not save.

3 W hy do You show me iniquity and wrong, and Yourself look upon or cause me to see perverseness and trouble? For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention arises.

Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift up,

4 T herefore the law is slackened and justice and a righteous sentence never go forth, for the wicked surrounds the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.

Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

5 L ook around among the nations and see! And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days that you would not believe it if it were told you.

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.

6 F or behold, I am rousing up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation who march through the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them.

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.

7 a re terrible and dreadful; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves.

Terrible and fearful it, From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth.

8 T heir horses also are swifter than leopards and are fiercer than the evening wolves, and their horsemen spread themselves and press on proudly; yes, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle that hastens to devour.

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.

9 T hey all come for violence; their faces turn eagerly forward, and they gather prisoners together like sand.

Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity.

10 T hey scoff at kings, and rulers are a derision to them; they ridicule every stronghold, for they heap up dust and take it.

And at kings it doth scoff, And princes a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it.

11 T hen they sweep by like a wind and pass on, and they load themselves with guilt, whose own power is their god.

Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god.

12 A re not You from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed to execute judgment, and You, O Rock, have established him for chastisement and correction.

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.

13 Y ou are of purer eyes than to behold evil and can not look upon injustice. Why then do You look upon the plunderer? Why are you silent when the wicked one destroys him who is more righteous than is?

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,

14 W hy do You make men like the fish of the sea, like reptiles and creeping things that have no ruler ?

And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing -- none ruling over him.

15 b rings all of them up with his hook; he catches and drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is in high spirits.

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.

16 T herefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, because from them he lives luxuriously and his food is plentiful and rich.

Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them his portion fertile, and his food fat.

17 S hall he therefore continue to empty his net and mercilessly go on slaying the nations forever?

Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?