Habakkuk's Complaint
Habakkuk's First Prayer
2 How long, O Jehovah, did I cry for help, and thou wilt not bear? I will cry to thee violence, and thou wilt not save.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
2 (B)How long, O Lord, will I call for help,And You will not hear?I cry out to You, “Violence!”Yet You do (C)not save.
2 How long,(B) Lord, must I call for help(C)and You do not listenor cry out to You about violenceand You do not save?
2 "How long, LORD, must I cry out for help, but you won't listen? I'm crying out to you, "Violence!' but you aren't providing deliverance.
3 Wherefore wilt thou cause me to see vanity and cause me to look at labor? and oppression and violence before me, and there will be contention, and strife will be raised up.
3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
3 Why do You make me (D)see iniquity,And cause me to look on wickedness?Yes, (E)destruction and violence are before me;(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?(D)Why do You tolerate(a) wrongdoing?Oppression and violence are right in front of me.Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
3 Why are you forcing me to look at iniquity and to stare at wickedness? Social havoc and oppression are all around me; there are legal conflicts, and disputes abound.
4 For this, the law will be slack, and judgment will not go forth forever: for the unjust surrounds the just; for this perverted judgment will go forth.
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
4 Therefore the (G)law is (b)ignoredAnd justice (c)is never upheld.For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;Therefore justice comes out (I)perverted.
4 This is why the law is ineffectiveand justice never emerges.For the wicked restrict(E) the righteous;therefore, justice(F) comes out perverted.
4 Therefore, the Law has become paralyzed, and justice never comes about. Because criminals outnumber the righteous, whenever judgments are issued, they come out crooked."
God's Answer To Habakkuk
5 See ye among the nations, and look, and wonder; ye shall wonder: for the working a work in your days ye will not believe if it shall be recounted.
5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
5 “(J)Look among the nations! Observe!Be astonished! (K)Wonder!Because I am doing (L)something in your days—You would not believe if (d)you were told.
5 Look at the nations(b)(G) and observe(H)—be utterly astounded!(I)For something is taking place in your daysthat you will not believe(J)when you hear about it.(K)
5 "Look out at the nations and pay attention! Be astounded! Be really astounded! Because something is happening in your lifetime that you won't believe, even if it were described down to the smallest detail.
6 For behold me raising up the Chaldeans, the nation bitter and hasty, going upon the wide places of the land to possess the dwelling not to him.
6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
6 “For behold, I am (M)raising up the Chaldeans,That (e)fierce and impetuous peopleWho march (f)throughout the earthTo (g)(N)seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
6 Look! I am raising up(L) the Chaldeans,(c)that bitter,(M) impetuous nationthat marches across the earth’s open spacesto seize territories not its own.
6 Watch out! For I am bringing in the Chaldeans, that cruel and impetuous people, who sweep across the earth dispossessing people from homes not their own.
8 And his horses were swift above panthers, and they were sharp above the wolves of the evening: and his horsemen were spread, and his horsemen shall come from far off; they shall fly as the eagle hastening to eat
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
8 “Their (Q)horses are swifter than leopardsAnd (j)keener than (R)wolves in the evening.Their (k)horsemen come galloping,Their horsemen come from afar;They fly like an (S)eagle swooping down to devour.
8 Their horses are swifter(O) than leopards(P)and more fierce(d) than wolves of the night.Their horsemen charge ahead;their horsemen come from distant lands.They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.(Q)
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, and more cunning than wolves that attack at night. Their horsemen are galloping as they approach from far away. They swoop in like ravenous vultures.
9 Wholly for violence shall he come: the host of their faces forwards, and he shall gather a captivity as the sand.
9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
9 “All of them come for violence.(l)Their horde of (T)faces moves forward.They collect captives like sand.
9 All of them come to do violence;their faces(R) are set in determination.(e)They gather(S) prisoners like sand.(T)
9 "They all come to oppress hordes of them, their faces pressing onward they take prisoners as numerous as the desert sand!
10 And he shall scoff at kings, and princes a derision to him: at every fortress he shall deride, and he shall heap up dust and take it
10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
10 “They (U)mock at kingsAnd rulers are a laughing matter to them.They (V)laugh at every fortressAnd (W)heap up rubble to capture it.
10 They mock(U) kings,and rulers are a joke to them.They laugh(V) at every fortressand build siege ramps to capture(W) it.
10 They make fun of kings, deriding those who rule. They laugh at all of the fortified places, constructing ramps to seize them.
11 Then the spirit changed, and he will pass over, and he transgressed: this his strength is his God.
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the (X)wind and pass on.But they will be held (Y)guilty,They whose (Z)strength is their god.”
11 Then they sweep(X) by like the windand pass through.They are guilty;(f) their strength is their god.
11 Then like the wind sweeping by they will pass through they're guilty because they say their power is their god."
Habakkuk's Second Complaint
12 Art thou not from of old, O Jehovah, my holy God? We shall not die. O Jehovah, thou didst set him for judgment; and O Rock, thou didst found him for correction.
12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
12 Are You not from (AA)everlasting,O Lord, my God, my Holy One?We will not die.You, O Lord, have (AB)appointed them to judge;And You, O (AC)Rock, have established them to correct.
12 Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?My Holy One,(Y) You(g) will not die.Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment;my Rock,(Z) You destined them to punish us.
12 "Haven't you existed forever, LORD my God, my Holy One? We won't die! LORD, you've prepared them for judgment; Rock, you've sentenced them to correction.
13 Being pure of eyes from beholding evil, and wilt not be able to look upon labor: wherefore wilt thou look upon the transgressors? wilt thou be silent in the unjust swallowing the just above him?
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
13 Your eyes are too (AD)pure to (m)approve evil,And You can not look on wickedness with favor.Why do You (AE)look with favorOn those who deal (AF)treacherously?Why are You (AG)silent when the wicked (AH)swallow upThose more righteous than they?
13 Your eyes(AA) are too pure(AB) to look on evil,and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?(AC)Why are You silentwhile one(h) who is wicked swallows upone(i) who is more righteous than himself?
13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil; and you cannot tolerate wickedness. So why do you tolerate the treacherous? And why do you stay silent while the wicked devour those who are more righteous than they are?
14 And wilt thou make man as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping thing no ruler over him?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
14 Why have You made men like the fish of the sea,Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
14 "You have fashioned mankind like fish in the ocean, like creeping things that have no ruler.
15 And he brought up a completion with the book, he will drag him in his net, and he will gather him in his fishnet: for this he will rejoice and be glad.
15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
15 The Chaldeans (AI)bring all of them up with a hook,(AJ)Drag them away with their net,And gather them together in their fishing net.Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
15 The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,catch them in their dragnet,(AE)and gather them in their fishing net;that is why they are glad and rejoice.
15 The adversary captures them with a hook, gathering them up in a fishing net. He collects them with a dragnet, rejoicing and gloating over his catch.
16 For this he will sacrifice to his net and burn incense to his fish-net; for by them his portion fat and his food. growing fat
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their netAnd (n)burn incense to their fishing net;Because through (AK)these things their (o)catch is (p)large,And their food is (q)plentiful.
16 That is why they sacrifice to their dragnetand burn incense to their fishing net,for by these things their portion is richand their food plentiful.(AF)
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his fishing net, and burns incense in the presence of his dragnet, because by them his assets increase and he gets plenty of food.