Habakkuk 1

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

This is the message that Habakkuk saw in vision.

2 Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee — 'Violence,' and Thou dost not save.

Lord, how long do I have to cry out for help and you don't listen? I cry out, “Violence!” but you don't save us from it.

3 Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift [itself] up,

Why do you force me to see this wickedness and suffering? Why do you just observe such destruction and violence? Arguments and fighting happen right in front of me!

4 Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

As a result the law is paralyzed, and justice never wins. The wicked crowd out those who do right so that the course of justice is perverted.

5 Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared.

Look around at the nations, watch and be surprised and amazed. Something is going to happen in your time that you wouldn't believe even if you were told.

6 For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own.

Watch! I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and brutal people who will march across the world to seize other lands.

7 Terrible and fearful it [is], From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth.

They are fearsome and terrifying, and so proud of themselves that they set their own rules.

8 Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting to consume.

Their horses are faster than leopards and fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry charges, racing in from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to eat their prey.

9 Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity.

Here they come, all intent on violence. Their armies advance in frontal assault as rapidly as the desert wind, capturing so many prisoners they are like sand.

10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes [are] a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it.

They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh in scorn at fortresses—they pile up earth ramps and capture them.

11 Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god.

Then they sweep on by like the wind and are gone. They are guilty because their own strength is their god.

12 Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it.

Haven't you existed from eternity past? You are Lord my God, my Holy One, you do not die. Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment; God our Rock, you sent them to punish us.

13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he,

Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil; you cannot stand the sight of wrong. So why do you put up with untrustworthy people? Why are you silent when the wicked destroy those who do less evil than they do?

14 And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing — none ruling over him.

You make people become like fish in the sea, or like crawling insects, that have no ruler.

15 Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice.

They drag everyone up with hooks, they pull them out with nets, catching them in dragnets. Then they happily celebrate.

16 Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them [is] his portion fertile, and his food fat.

They worship their nets as if they were gods, making sacrifices and burning incense to them, because by their nets they live in luxury, eating rich food.

17 Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?

Will they keep on unsheathing their swords forever, killing nations without mercy?