1 T he oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

¶ The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2 H ow long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.

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 W hy do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

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 T herefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted.

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 “ Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if you were told.

¶ 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 “ For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs.

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 “ They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves.

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

8 “ Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.

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 “ All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand.

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

10 “ They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it.

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 “ Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”

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 A re You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.

¶ 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 Y our eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

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 W hy have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them?

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

15 T he Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

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 T herefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful.

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 W ill they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing?

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