1 T he burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. The Prophet’s Question

This is the special word which Habakkuk the man of God saw.

2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

O Lord, how long must I call for help before You will hear? I cry out to You, “We are being hurt!” But You do not save us.

3 W hy do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

Why do you make me see sins and wrong-doing? People are being destroyed in anger in front of me. There is arguing and fighting.

4 T herefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. The Lord ’s Reply

The Law is not followed. What is right is never done. For the sinful are all around those who are right and good, so what is right looks like sin. The Lord’s Answer

5 “ Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

“Look among the nations, and see! Be surprised and full of wonder! For I am doing something in your days that you would not believe if you were told.

6 F or indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

I am bringing the Babylonians to power. They are people filled with anger who go across the whole earth to take homes that are not theirs.

7 T hey are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

They fill others with fear. They make their own law about what is fair and honored.

8 T heir horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

Their horses are faster than leopards, and show less pity than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come on running horses from far away. They fly like an eagle coming down to get food.

9 “ They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

They all come in anger. Their armies move like the desert wind. They gather prisoners like sand.

10 T hey scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

They make fun of kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every strong city and build a battle-wall to take it.

11 T hen his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.” The Prophet’s Second Question

Then they move through like the wind and keep going. They are guilty men, whose strength is their god.” Habakkuk’s Second Question

12 A re You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

Have You not lived forever, O Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O Lord, You have chosen them to judge. You, O Rock, have chosen them to punish us.

13 Y ou are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?

Your eyes are too pure to look at sin. You cannot look on wrong. Why then do You look with favor on those who do wrong? Why are You quiet when the sinful destroy those who are more right and good than they?

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

Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, like things which move along the ground that have no ruler?

15 T hey take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

The Babylonians bring all of them up with a hook, and pull them away with their net. They gather them together in their fishing net, and so they have joy and are glad.

16 T herefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful.

So they give gifts in worship to their net. They burn special perfume to their fishing net, because their net catches all the good things and good food they need.

17 S hall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?

Will they empty their net forever and keep on destroying nations without pity?