Habakkuk 1

Modern

Literal

Habakkuk’s First Complaint

¹This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision:

¹The burden that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

²How long, O LORD, must I call for help

but You do not hear,

or cry out to You, “Violence!”

but You do not save?

²Until when, O YHWH, will I cry out, and you will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” And will you not save?

³Why do You make me see iniquity?

Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?

Destruction and violence are before me.

Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

³Why do you cause me to me see iniquity and to look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before me, and there is strife, and contention rises up.

⁴Therefore the law is paralyzed,

and justice never goes forth.

For the wicked hem in the righteous,

so that justice is perverted.

⁴Over this, the law is numb, and justice does not go forth forever. For the wicked are surrounding the righteous. Upon thus, twisted justice goes forth.

The LORD’s Answer

⁵“Look at the nations and observe—

be utterly astounded!^a

For I am doing a work in your days

that you would never believe

even if someone told you.^b

⁵“Look among the nations and observe them, and be utterly astonished. For a work I am doing in your days, that you would not believe even if it were recounted.

⁶For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—^a

that ruthless and impetuous nation

which marches through the breadth of the earth

to seize dwellings not their own.

⁶For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, marching through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places not unto them.

⁷They are dreaded and feared;

from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.

⁷He is terrible and fearsome; his justice and his dignity go forth from him.

⁸Their horses are swifter than leopards,

fiercer than wolves of the night.

Their horsemen charge ahead,

and their cavalry comes from afar.

They fly like a vulture,

swooping down to devour.

⁸Their horses are swifter than leopards and fiercer than wolves of the evening; their horsemen spring about; and their horsemen come from afar, and they fly like the eagle hurrying to devour.

⁹All of them come bent on violence;

their hordes advance like the east wind;

they gather prisoners like sand.

⁹They all come for violence; the full force of their faces is the east wind, and they gather captives like the sand.

¹⁰They scoff at kings

and make rulers an object of scorn.

They laugh at every fortress

and build up siege ramps to seize it.

¹⁰And he mocks the kings, and princes are an object of scorn for him; at every fortification he laughs, and heaps up earth and seizes it.

¹¹Then they sweep by like the wind

and pass through.

They are guilty;

their own strength is their god.”

¹¹Then he sweeps through like the wind and passes on; he is guilty, this one; his power is unto his god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

¹²Are You not from everlasting,

O LORD, my God, my Holy One?

We will not die.

O LORD, You have appointed them

to execute judgment;

O Rock, You have established them

for correction.

¹²Are You not from everlasting, O YHWH my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O YHWH, for judgment You have appointed them, and, O Rock, for reproof You have established them.

¹³Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil,

and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

So why do You tolerate the faithless?

Why are You silent

while the wicked swallow up

those more righteous than themselves?

¹³Purer of eyes than to behold evil, and You are not able to look on wickedness. Why do You look on those acting treacherously, and remain quiet when the wicked is devouring one more righteous than he?

¹⁴You have made men like the fish of the sea,

like creeping things that have no ruler.

¹⁴And You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like creeping things without one ruling over them.

¹⁵The foe pulls all of them up^a with a hook;

he catches them in his dragnet,

and gathers them in his fishing net;

so he rejoices gladly.

¹⁵He brings up each with a hook; he catches him in his net, and gathers him in his dragnet; upon thus he is glad and rejoices.

¹⁶Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet

and burns incense to his fishing net,

for by these things his portion is sumptuous

and his food is rich.

¹⁶Upon thus he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his portion is rich and his food fat.

¹⁷Will he, therefore, empty his net

and continue to slay nations without mercy?

¹⁷Upon thus he will empty his net, and continue to slay nations without having mercy?