Habakkuk 1
NASB — New American Standard Bible (NASB)
AMP — Amplified Bible (AMP)
Verse 1
The [a]oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
O Lord, how long will I call for help
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
For destruction and violence are before me;
Strife continues and contention arises.
Therefore, the law is ineffective and ignored
And justice is never upheld,
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore, justice becomes perverted.
[The Lord replied,] “Look among the nations! See!
Be astonished! Wonder!
For I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe it if you were told.
“The Chaldeans are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves and are defined only by their decree.
“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening,
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from far away;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
“They all come for violence;
Their horde of faces moves [eagerly] forward,
They gather prisoners like sand.
“They make fun of kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They ridicule every stronghold
And heap up rubble [for earth mounds] and capture it.
“Then they will sweep by like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god.”
Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, My Holy One?
We will not die.
O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment,
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You cannot look favorably on wickedness.
Why then do You look favorably
On those who act treacherously?
Why are you silent when the wicked (Chaldean oppressors) destroy
Those more righteous than they?
Why do You make men like the fish of the sea,
Like reptiles and creeping things that have no ruler [and are helpless against their enemies]?
The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
And drag them away with a net,
And gather them together in their fishing net;
So they rejoice and are glad.
Therefore, they offer sacrifices to their net
And burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their catch is large and they live luxuriously,
And their food is plentiful.
Will they continue to empty their net
And [mercilessly] go on destroying nations without sparing?
The [a]oracle (a burdensome message—a pronouncement from God) which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Verse 2
How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
O Lord, how long will I call for help
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Verse 3
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
For destruction and violence are before me;
Strife continues and contention arises.
Verse 4
Therefore the law is [b]ignored
And justice [c]is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.
And justice [c]is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.
Therefore, the law is ineffective and ignored
And justice is never upheld,
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore, justice becomes perverted.
Verse 5
“Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if [d]you were told.
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if [d]you were told.
[The Lord replied,] “Look among the nations! See!
Be astonished! Wonder!
For I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe it if you were told.
Verse 6
Verse 7
“The Chaldeans are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves and are defined only by their decree.
Verse 8
“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And [j]keener than wolves in the evening.
Their [k]horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
And [j]keener than wolves in the evening.
Their [k]horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening,
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from far away;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
Verse 9
“All of them come for violence.
[l]Their horde of faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
[l]Their horde of faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
“They all come for violence;
Their horde of faces moves [eagerly] forward,
They gather prisoners like sand.
Verse 10
“They mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up rubble to capture it.
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up rubble to capture it.
“They make fun of kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They ridicule every stronghold
And heap up rubble [for earth mounds] and capture it.
Verse 11
“Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They whose strength is their god.”
But they will be held guilty,
They whose strength is their god.”
“Then they will sweep by like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god.”
Verse 12
Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge;
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge;
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.
Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, My Holy One?
We will not die.
O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment,
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.
Verse 13
Your eyes are too pure to [m]approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You look with favor
On those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You look with favor
On those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You cannot look favorably on wickedness.
Why then do You look favorably
On those who act treacherously?
Why are you silent when the wicked (Chaldean oppressors) destroy
Those more righteous than they?
Verse 14
Why have You made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
Why do You make men like the fish of the sea,
Like reptiles and creeping things that have no ruler [and are helpless against their enemies]?
Verse 15
The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
And drag them away with a net,
And gather them together in their fishing net;
So they rejoice and are glad.
Verse 16
Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [n]burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their [o]catch is [p]large,
And their food is [q]plentiful.
And [n]burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their [o]catch is [p]large,
And their food is [q]plentiful.
Therefore, they offer sacrifices to their net
And burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their catch is large and they live luxuriously,
And their food is plentiful.
Verse 17
Will they therefore empty their net
And continually slay nations without sparing?
And continually slay nations without sparing?
Will they continue to empty their net
And [mercilessly] go on destroying nations without sparing?