1 T his is the special word which Habakkuk the man of God saw.

هَذِهِ هِيَ الرِّسالَةُ الَّتِي أتَتْ إلَى حَبَقُّوقَ النَّبِيِّ. شَكْوَى حَبَقُّوق الأُولَى

2 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.

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

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

لِماذا تُرِينِي شَرّاً وَضِيقاً؟ الخَرابُ وَالظُّلْمُ أمامْي، وَخِصامٌ وَمُشاجَراتٌ تَثُورُ.

4 T he 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

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

5 “ 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.

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

6 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.

لِأنَّنِي أُنْهِضُ البابِلِيِّينَ الأُمَّةَ اللَّئِيمَةَ المُندَفِعَةَ الَّتِي تَسِيرُ إلَى أطرافِ الأرْضِ لِتَمتَلِكَ مَساكِنَ لَيْسَتْ لَها.

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

إنَّها مُخِيفَةٌ وَمُرعِبَةٌ. وَمِقياسُ عَدالَتِها وَشَرَفِها يَتَغيَّرُ وَفْقاً لِمَصلَحَتِها.

8 T heir 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.

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

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

جاءَتْ جَميعاً لِلعُنفِ. وَوُجُوهُها مُثَبَّتَةٌ نَحْوَ هَدَفِها، لِتَجْمَعَ أسْرَى بِعَدَدِ الرَّملِ.»

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

تَستَهزِئُ بابِلُ بِالمُلُوكِ، وَتَسْخَرُ بِالقادَةِ. تَستَهِينُ بِكُلِّ مَدِينَةٍ مُحَصَّنَةٍ. وَتُحاصِرُها بِحَواجِزَ مِنَ التُّرابِ.

11 T hen they move through like the wind and keep going. They are guilty men, whose strength is their god.” Habakkuk’s Second Question

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

12 H ave 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.

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

13 Y our 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?

عَيناكَ 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؟

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

جَعَلْتَ النّاسَ كَسَمَكِ البَحْرِ، كَالمَخلُوقاتِ البَحرِيَّةِ الَّتِي لا قائِدَ لَها.

15 T he 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.

تُمسِكُ بابِلُ الجَمِيعَ بِصُنّارَةِ السَّمَكِ. وَتَسحَبُهُمْ بِشَبَكَتِها، وَتَجمَعُهُمْ إلَى مِصْيَدَتِها، وَتَفرَحُ بِذَلِكَ فَرَحاً كَبِيراً.

16 S o 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.

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

17 W ill they empty their net forever and keep on destroying nations without pity?

فَهَلْ سَتَستَمِرُّ فِي إفراغِ شَبَكَتِها وَفِي ِقَتلِ الأُمَمِ بِلا شَفَقَةٍ؟