1 This is the message that God showed to his prophet Habakkuk.
2 Lord , how long must I call out to you for help? [ a ]
You do not listen to me!
I shout aloud to you, ‘Violence is everywhere!’
but you do nothing to make us safe.
3 You cause me to see many things that are not right.
You do not punish people who are doing wrong things.
Why do you let that happen?
People do cruel things and there is violence everywhere.
They argue and they fight and they quarrel.
4 The law has no power to make things right.
There is no justice in the courts.
Instead, wicked people win against good people.
The judges decide that bad people are good.
5 ‘All of you, look carefully at the other nations.
You will be very surprised at what is happening.
While you are still alive, I will do a very surprising thing.
You would not believe it even if someone told you.
6 I will give more power to the Babylonians.
They are a cruel nation with brave soldiers.
They march across the whole earth.
They take cities that do not belong to them.
7 They cause people to be very afraid.
They obey no laws except their own rules.
8 Their horses run faster than leopards.
They are more cruel than wolves
that attack in the evening.
Their riders come on fast horses
from places that are far away.
They quickly attack their enemies,
like hungry eagles that fly down to catch chickens.
9 Their whole army comes to do violent things.
They march forward like a wind from the desert.
They make people their prisoners,
as easily as if they are picking up sand.
10 They insult kings,
and they laugh at rulers.
They laugh at all the strong cities of their enemies.
They build heaps of earth against the walls,
and they take those cities for themselves.
11 Their army quickly moves on to another place,
like a wind that blows.
They think that their own god has made them strong,
and so they are guilty.’ [ b ]
12 Lord , you have always been God,
since the beginning.
You are the God that I worship as holy,
and you will never die.
Lord , you have chosen the Babylonians
as your weapon to punish your people.
You are a strong rock to protect us,
but you have decided to use them to punish us.
13 But you are too holy to accept anything that is evil.
You cannot agree with people who do wrong things.
So why do you let these wicked people live?
Why do you say nothing?
They are killing people who are more righteous than themselves.
14 It seems that you have made people like fish in the sea.
They are like animals that have no leader to rule them.
15 The Babylonians can easily catch them,
like people who catch fish with hooks.
They throw their nets into the water,
and they catch as many as they want.
When they store their fish in special nets,
they sing happy songs.
16 Their nets give them everything that they need,
so they offer sacrifices to their nets.
Their nets give them plenty of good food to eat,
so they burn incense to thank their nets.
17 Will you let them continue to do that?
Will they make their nets full of fish
as many times as they want to?
Will they continue to destroy other nations
and never stop? [ c ]
1 This is the message that was given to Habakkuk the prophet.
2 Lord , I continue to ask for help. When will you listen to me? I cried to you about the violence, but you did nothing! 3 People are stealing things and hurting others. They are arguing and fighting. Why do you make me look at these terrible things? 4 The law is weak and not fair to people. Evil people win their fights against good people. So the law is no longer fair, and justice does not win anymore.
5 “Look at the other nations! Watch them, and you will be amazed. I will do something in your lifetime that will amaze you. You would not believe it even if you were told about it. 6 I will make the Babylonians [ a ] a strong nation. They are cruel and powerful fighters. They will march across the earth. They will take houses and cities that don’t belong to them. 7 The Babylonians will scare the other people. They will do what they want to do and go where they want to go. 8 Their horses will be faster than leopards and more dangerous than wolves at sunset. Their horse soldiers will come from faraway places. They will attack their enemies quickly, like a hungry eagle swooping down from the sky. 9 The one thing they all want to do is fight. Their armies will march fast like the wind in the desert. And the Babylonian soldiers will take many prisoners—as many as the grains of sand.
10 “The Babylonian soldiers will laugh at the kings of other nations. Foreign rulers will be like jokes to them. The Babylonian soldiers will laugh at the cities with tall, strong walls. They will simply build dirt roads up to the top of the walls and easily defeat the cities. 11 Then they will leave like the wind and go on to fight against other places. The only thing the Babylonians worship is their own strength.”
12 Lord , you are the one who lives forever!
You are my holy God who never dies! [ b ]
Lord , you created the Babylonians to do what must be done.
Our Rock, you created them to punish people.
13 Your eyes are too good to look at evil.
You cannot stand to see people doing wrong.
So why do you permit such evil?
How can you watch while the wicked destroy people who are so much better?
14 You made people like fish in the sea.
They are like little sea animals without a leader.
15 The enemy catches all of them with hooks and nets.
The enemy catches them in his net and drags them in,
and the enemy is very happy with what he caught.
16 His net helps him live like the rich
and enjoy the best food.
So the enemy worships his net.
He makes sacrifices and burns incense to honor his net.
17 Will he continue to take riches with his net?
Will he continue destroying people without showing mercy?
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2 O Lord , how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.
7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
12 Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord , thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
1 The ( A ) pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:
2 ( B ) How long, Lord , have I called for help,
And You do not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do ( C ) not save.
3 Why do You make me ( D ) see disaster,
And make me look at destitution?
Yes, ( E ) devastation and violence are before me;
( F ) Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the ( G ) Law [ a ] is ignored,
And justice [ b ] is never upheld.
For the wicked ( H ) surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out ( I ) confused.
5 “ ( J ) Look among the nations! Watch!
Be horrified! ( K ) Be frightened speechless!
For I am accomplishing ( L ) a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if [ c ] you were told!
6 For behold, I am ( M ) raising up the Chaldeans,
That [ d ] grim and impetuous people
Who march [ e ] throughout the earth,
To ( N ) take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrifying and ( O ) feared;
Their ( P ) justice and [ f ] authority [ g ] originate with themselves.
8 Their ( Q ) horses are faster than leopards,
And quicker than ( R ) wolves in the evening.
Their [ h ] horsemen charge along,
Their [ i ] horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an ( S ) eagle [ j ] swooping down to devour.
9 All of them come for violence.
[ k ] Their horde of ( T ) faces moves forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They ( U ) make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They ( V ) laugh at every fortress,
Then ( W ) heap up dirt and [ l ] capture it.
11 Then they fly along like the ( X ) wind and pass on.
But they will be held ( Y ) guilty,
They whose ( Z ) strength is their god.”
12 Are You not from ( AA ) time everlasting,
Lord , my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, Lord , have ( AB ) appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O ( AC ) Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too ( AD ) pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably .
Why do You ( AE ) look favorably
At those who deal ( AF ) treacherously?
Why are You ( AG ) silent when the wicked ( AH ) swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans ( AI ) bring all of them up with a hook,
( AJ ) Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [ m ] burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through ( AK ) these things their [ n ] catch is [ o ] large,
And their food is [ p ] plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their ( AL ) net,
And continually ( AM ) slay nations without sparing?
1 The prophecy ( A ) that Habakkuk the prophet received.
2 How long, ( B ) Lord , must I call for help,
but you do not listen? ( C )
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save? ( D )
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate ( E ) wrongdoing? ( F )
Destruction and violence ( G ) are before me;
there is strife, ( H ) and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law ( I ) is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice ( J ) is perverted. ( K )
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed. ( L )
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told. ( M )
6 I am raising up the Babylonians, [ a ] ( N )
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth ( O )
to seize dwellings not their own. ( P )
7 They are a feared and dreaded people; ( Q )
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter ( R ) than leopards,
fiercer than wolves ( S ) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9 they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes [ b ] advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners ( T ) like sand.
10 They mock kings
and scoff at rulers. ( U )
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps ( V ) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind ( W ) and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.” ( X )
12 Lord , are you not from everlasting? ( Y )
My God, my Holy One, ( Z ) you [ c ] will never die. ( AA )
You, Lord , have appointed ( AB ) them to execute judgment;
you, my Rock, ( AC ) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure ( AD ) to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. ( AE )
Why then do you tolerate ( AF ) the treacherous? ( AG )
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves? ( AH )
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked ( AI ) foe pulls all of them up with hooks, ( AJ )
he catches them in his net, ( AK )
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense ( AL ) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy? ( AM )
