Habakkuk 1

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?

إِلَى مَتَى يَا رَبُّ أَسْتَغِيثُ وَأَنْتَ لَا تَسْتَجِيبُ؟ وَأَصْرُخُ إِلَيْكَ مُسْتَجِيراً مِنَ الظُّلْمِ وَأَنْتَ لَا تُخَلِّصُ؟

Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.

لِمَاذَا تُرِينِي الإِثْمَ، وَتَتَحَمَّلُ رُؤْيَةَ الظُّلْمِ؟ أَيْنَمَا تَلَفَّتُّ أَشْهَدُ أَمَامِي جَوْراً وَاغْتِصَاباً، وَيَثُورُ حَوْلِي خِصَامٌ وَنِزَاعٌ.

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.

لِذَلِكَ بَطَلَتِ الشَّرِيعَةُ، وَبَادَ الْعَدْلُ لأَنَّ الأَشْرَارَ يُحَاصِرُونَ الصِّدِّيقَ فَيَصْدُرُ الْحُكْمُ مُنْحَرِفاً عَنِ الْحَقِّ.

جواب الرب

“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.

تَأَمَّلُوا الأُمَمَ وَأَبْصِرُوا. تَعَجَّبُوا وَتَحَيَّرُوا لأَنِّي مُقْبِلٌ عَلَى إِنْجَازِ أَعْمَالٍ فِي عَهْدِكُمْ إِذَا حُدِّثْتُمْ بِها لَا تُصَدِّقُونَهَا.

I am raising up the Babylonians,^[a]
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
    to seize dwellings not their own.

فَهَا أَنَا أُثِيرُ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ، هَذِهِ الأُمَّةَ الْحَانِقَةَ الْمُنْدَفِعَةَ الزَّاحِفَةَ فِي رِحَابِ الأَرْضِ، لِتَسْتَوْلِيَ عَلَى مَسَاكِنَ لَيْسَتْ لَهَا.

They are a feared and dreaded people;
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.

أُمَّةٌ مُخِيفَةٌ مُرْعِبَةٌ، تَسْتَمِدُّ حُكْمَهَا وَعَظَمَتَهَا مِنْ ذَاتِهَا.

Their horses are swifter than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;

خُيُولُهَا أَسْرَعُ مِنَ النُّمُورِ، وَأَكْثَرُ ضَرَاوَةً مِنْ ذِئَابِ الْمَسَاءِ. فُرْسَانُهَا يَنْدَفِعُونَ بِكِبْرِيَاءَ قَادِمِينَ مِنْ أَمَاكِنَ بَعِيدَةٍ، مُتَسَابِقِينَ كَالنَّسْرِ الْمُسْرِعِ لِلانْقِضَاضِ عَلَى فَرِيسَتِهِ.

    they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes^[b] advance like a desert wind
    and gather prisoners like sand.

يُقْبِلُونَ جَمِيعُهُمْ لِيَعِيثُوا فَسَاداً، وَيَطْغَى الرُّعْبُ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى قُلُوبِ النَّاسِ قَبْلَ وُصُولِهِمْ، فَيَجْمَعُونَ أَسْرَى كَالرَّمْلِ.

They mock kings
    and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
    by building earthen ramps they capture them.

يَهْزَأُونَ بِالْمُلُوكِ وَيَعْبَثُونَ بِالْحُكَّامِ. يَسْخَرُونَ مِنَ الْحُصُونِ، يُكَوِّمُونَ حَوْلَهَا تِلالاً مِنَ التُّرَابِ، وَيَسْتَوْلُونَ عَلَيْهَا.

Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—
    guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

ثُمَّ يَجْتَاحُونَ كَالرِّيحِ وَيَرْحَلُونَ، فَقُوَّةُ هَؤُلاءِ الرِّجَالِ هِيَ إِلَهُهُمْ.

شكوى حبقوق الثانية

Lord, are you not from everlasting?
    My God, my Holy One, you^[c] will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.

أَلَسْتَ أَنْتَ مُنْذُ الأَزَلِ أَيُّهَا الرَّبُّ إِلَهِي، قُدُّوسِي؟ لِهَذَا لَنْ نَفْنَى. لَقَدْ أَقَمْتَ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ لِمُقَاضَاتِنَا وَاخْتَرْتَهُمْ يَا صَخْرَتِي لِتُعَاقِبَنَا.

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

إِنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ أَطْهَرُ مِنْ أَنْ تَشْهَدَا الشَّرَّ، وَأَنْتَ لَا تُطِيقُ رُؤْيَةَ الظُّلْمِ، فَكَيْفَ تَحْتَمِلُ مُشَاهَدَةَ الأَثَمَةِ، وَتَصْمُتُ عِنْدَمَا يَبْتَلِعُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ مَنْ هُمْ أَبَرُّ مِنْهُمْ؟

You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.

وَكَيْفَ تَجْعَلُ النَّاسَ كَأَسْمَاكِ الْبَحْرِ، أَوْ كَأَسْرَابِ الْحَشَرَاتِ الَّتِي لَا قَائِدَ لَهَا؟

The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
    he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.

إِنَّ الْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ يَسْتَخْرِجُونَهُمْ بِالشُّصُوصِ، وَيَصْطَادُونَهُمْ بِالشَّبَكَةِ، وَيَجْمَعُونَهُمْ فِي مِصْيَدَتِهِمْ مُتَهَلِّلِينَ فَرِحِينَ.

Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.

لِهَذَا هُمْ يُقَرِّبُونَ ذَبَائِحَ لِشِبَاكِهِمْ، وَيُحْرِقُونَ بَخُوراً لِمَصَائِدِهِمْ، لأَنَّهُمْ بِفَضْلِهَا يَتَمَتَّعُونَ بِالرَّفَاهِيَةِ وَيَتَلَذَّذُونَ بِأَطَايِبِ الطَّعَامِ.

Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?