1 ه َذِهِ هِيَ الرِّسالَةُ الَّتِي أتَتْ إلَى حَبَقُّوقَ النَّبِيِّ. شَكْوَى حَبَقُّوق الأُولَى

¶ The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2 ي ا اللهُ ، إلَى مَتَى أصرُخُ إلَيكَ فَلا تَستَجِيبُ؟ إلَى مَتَى أصْرُخُ إلَيكَ وَأقُولُ: «هُناكَ ظُلْمٌ!» وَأنتَ لا تُنقِذُ وَلا تُرِيحُ؟

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear; and raise my voice unto thee because of the violence, and thou wilt not save?

3 ل ِماذا تُرِينِي شَرّاً وَضِيقاً؟ الخَرابُ وَالظُّلْمُ أمامْي، وَخِصامٌ وَمُشاجَراتٌ تَثُورُ.

Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity and cause me to behold grievance and destruction and violence before me, in addition to those that raise up strife and contention?

4 ل ِذا فَالشَّرِيعَةُ مُهمَلَةٌ، وَالعَدلُ لا يَسُودُ. وَالأحكامُ تَصدُرُ مُلتَوِيَةً، لِأنَّ الشِّرِّيرَ يُحِيطُ بِالبارِّ. جَوابُ الله

Therefore the law is weakened, and the judgment does not go forth true: for the wicked compasses about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceeds.

5 « انظُرُوا بَينَ الأُمَمِ وَتَعَجَّبُوا! لانَّهُ سَيُعمَلُ عَمَلٌ فِي أيّامِكُمْ لَنْ تُصَدِّقُوهُ حَتَّى لَو اخبَرَكُمْ أحَدٌ!

¶ Behold among the Gentiles and regard and wonder marvelously, for a work shall be done in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

6 ل ِأنَّنِي أُنْهِضُ البابِلِيِّينَ الأُمَّةَ اللَّئِيمَةَ المُندَفِعَةَ الَّتِي تَسِيرُ إلَى أطرافِ الأرْضِ لِتَمتَلِكَ مَساكِنَ لَيْسَتْ لَها.

For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which march through the breadth of the earth to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.

7 إ نَّها مُخِيفَةٌ وَمُرعِبَةٌ. وَمِقياسُ عَدالَتِها وَشَرَفِها يَتَغيَّرُ وَفْقاً لِمَصلَحَتِها.

She is terrible and dreadful: from her herself shall go forth their rights and their grandeur.

8 خ َيلُها أسرَعُ مِنَ النُّمُورِ وَأشرَسُ مِنْ ذِئابِ البَرِّيَّةِ، تَرْفَعُ حَوافِرَها حِينَ تَقفِزُ. تَأتِي مِنْ أرْضٍ بَعِيدَةٍ، وَتَطِيرُ كَالنُّسُورِ المُسرِعَةِ إلَى الأكلِ.

Their horses shall be swifter than tigers and are sharper than the evening wolves, and their horsemen shall multiply themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as eagles that hasten to eat.

9 ج اءَتْ جَميعاً لِلعُنفِ. وَوُجُوهُها مُثَبَّتَةٌ نَحْوَ هَدَفِها، لِتَجْمَعَ أسْرَى بِعَدَدِ الرَّملِ.»

All of her shall come for the prey, before their faces an east wind, and they shall gather the captives as the sand.

10 ت َستَهزِئُ بابِلُ بِالمُلُوكِ، وَتَسْخَرُ بِالقادَةِ. تَستَهِينُ بِكُلِّ مَدِينَةٍ مُحَصَّنَةٍ. وَتُحاصِرُها بِحَواجِزَ مِنَ التُّرابِ.

And he shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto him, he shall deride every fortress and shall heap dust and take it.

11 ث ُمَّ يَتَغَيَّرُ اتِّجاهُها كَما يَتَغَيَّرُ اتِّجاهُ الرِّيحِ، وَتُغادِرُ. فَقُلْتُ فِي دَهشَتِي: «بابِلُ تَعتَبِرُ قُوَّتَها إلَهاً لَها!» شَكوَى حَبَقُّوقَ الثّانِيَة

Then he shall become arrogant against God, and he shall pass ahead and shall be found guilty, imputing this his power unto his god.

12 أ لَسْتَ مَوجُوداً مُنذُ الأزَلِ؟ إلَهِي القُدُّوسُ، أنتَ لا تَمُوتُ. يا اللهُ ، هَلِ اختَرْتَ بابِلَ لِتَحقِيقِ عَدالَتِكَ؟ يا صَخرَتِي، هَلْ أسَّسْتَها لِتَأدِيبِ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ؟

¶ Art thou not from the beginning, O LORD my God, my Holy One? we shall not die, O LORD, thou hast ordained him for judgment, and thou hast established him strong for chastisement.

13 ع َيناكَ أطهَرُ مِنْ أنْ تَنظُرا إلَى الشَّرِّ، وَأنتَ لا تَرغَبُ فِي رُؤيَةِ الضِّيقِ. فَلِماذا تَتَسامَحُ مَعَ المُخادِعِينَ؟ لِماذا تَكُونُ صامِتاً حِينَ يَبتَلِعُ الشِّرِّيرُ مَنْ هُوَ أبَرُّ مِنْهُ؟

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity: why dost thou look upon those that deal treacherously and hold thy tongue when the wicked devour the man that is more righteous than he?

14 ج َعَلْتَ النّاسَ كَسَمَكِ البَحْرِ، كَالمَخلُوقاتِ البَحرِيَّةِ الَّتِي لا قائِدَ لَها.

And dost make men as the fishes of the sea, as reptiles that have no lord?

15 ت ُمسِكُ بابِلُ الجَمِيعَ بِصُنّارَةِ السَّمَكِ. وَتَسحَبُهُمْ بِشَبَكَتِها، وَتَجمَعُهُمْ إلَى مِصْيَدَتِها، وَتَفرَحُ بِذَلِكَ فَرَحاً كَبِيراً.

He shall take up all of them with his hook; he shall catch them in his net and gather them in his drag: therefore, he shall rejoice and be glad.

16 ل ِذَلِكَ، تُقَدِّمُ ذَبِيحَةً لِشَبَكَتِها، وَتُحرِقُ بَخُوراً لِمِصيَدَتِها. لِأنَّ الفَضلَ يَعُودُ إلَى شِباكِها فِي نَصِيبِها الكَبِيرِ وَطَعامِها الدَّسِمِ.

Therefore, he shall sacrifice unto his net and burn incense unto his drag because by them his portion is fat, and his food plenteous.

17 ف َهَلْ سَتَستَمِرُّ فِي إفراغِ شَبَكَتِها وَفِي ِقَتلِ الأُمَمِ بِلا شَفَقَةٍ؟

Shall he therefore empty his net, or have pity to stop slaying Gentiles continually?