Habakkuk 1

¹The pronouncement ^a that the prophet Habakkuk saw. ^b

Habakkuk’s First Prayer

²How long, ^c Lord, must I call for help ^d

and you do not listen

or cry out to you about violence ^e

and you do not save?

³Why do you force me to look at injustice? ^f

Why do you tolerate ^g wrongdoing?

Oppression and violence are right in front of me.

Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

⁴This is why the law is ineffective

and justice never emerges.

For the wicked restrict ^h the righteous;

therefore, justice ⁱ comes out perverted.

God’s First Answer

⁵Look at the nations ^j,^k and observe ^l —

be utterly astounded! ^m

For I am doing something in your days

that you will not believe ⁿ

when you hear about it. ^o

⁶Look! I am raising up ^p the Chaldeans, ^q

that bitter, ^r impetuous nation

that marches across the earth’s open spaces

to seize territories not its own.

⁷They are fierce ^s and terrifying;

their views of justice and sovereignty

stem from themselves.

⁸Their horses are swifter ^t than leopards ^u

and more fierce ^v than wolves of the night.

Their horsemen charge ahead;

their horsemen come from distant lands.

They fly like eagles, swooping to devour. ^w

⁹All of them come to do violence;

their faces ^x are set in determination. ^y

They gather ^z prisoners like sand. ^aa

¹⁰They mock ^ab kings,

and rulers are a joke to them.

They laugh ^ac at every fortress

and build siege ramps to capture ^ad it.

¹¹Then they sweep ^ae by like the wind

and pass through.

They are guilty; ^af their strength is their god.

Habakkuk’s Second Prayer

¹²Are you not from eternity, Lord my God? ^ag

My Holy One, ^ah you ^ai will not die.

Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment;

my Rock, ^aj you destined them to punish us.

¹³Your eyes ^ak are too pure ^al to look on evil,

and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? ^am

Why are you silent

while one ^an who is wicked swallows up

one ^ao who is more righteous than himself?

¹⁴You have made mankind

like the fish of the sea, ^ap

like marine creatures that have no ruler.

¹⁵The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,

catch them in their dragnet, ^aq

and gather them in their fishing net;

that is why they are glad and rejoice.

¹⁶That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet

and burn incense to their fishing net,

for by these things their portion is rich

and their food plentiful. ^ar

¹⁷Will they therefore empty their net

and continually slaughter nations without mercy?