Habakkuk 1

1The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

1The burden that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

1The word which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.

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

2How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?

2How long, O Lord, will your ears be shut to my voice? I make an outcry to you about violent behaviour, but you do not send salvation.

2Jehovah, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee, Violence! and thou dost not save.

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

3Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and grievance, to see rapine and injustice before me? and there is a judgment, but opposition is more powerful.

3Why do you make me see evil-doing, and why are my eyes fixed on wrong? for wasting and violent acts are before me: and there is fighting and bitter argument.

3Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity, and lookest thou upon grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.

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

4Therefore the law is torn in pieces, and judgment cometh not to the end: because the wicked prevaileth against the just, therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

4For this reason the law is feeble and decisions are not effected: for the upright man is circled round by evil-doers; because of which right is twisted.

4Therefore the law is powerless, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked encompasseth the righteous; therefore judgment goeth forth perverted.

5Look 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.

5Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told.

5See among the nations, and take note, and be full of wonder: for in your days I am doing a work in which you will have no belief, even if news of it is given to you.

5See ye among the nations, and behold, and wonder marvellously; for [I] work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be declared [to you].

6For, 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.

6For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, marching upon the breadth of the earth, to possess the dwelling places that are not their own.

6For see, I am sending the Chaldaeans, that bitter and quick-moving nation; who go through the wide spaces of the earth to get for themselves living-places which are not theirs.

6For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, which marcheth through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

7Terrible and fearful it <FI>is<Fi> , From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth.

7They are dreadful, and terrible: from themselves shall their judgment, and their burden proceed.

7They are greatly to be feared: their right comes from themselves.

7They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

8Swifter 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.

8Their horses are lighter than leopards, and swifter than evening wolves; and their horsemen shall be spread abroad: for their horsemen shall come from afar, they shall fly as an eagle that maketh haste to eat.

8And their horses are quicker than leopards and their horsemen more cruel than evening wolves; they come from far away, like an eagle in flight rushing on its food.

8And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.

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

9They shall all come to the prey, their face is like a burning wind: and they shall gather together captives as the sand.

9They are coming all of them with force; the direction of their faces is forward, the number of their prisoners is like the sands of the sea.

9They come all of them for violence: the crowd of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.

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

10And their prince shall triumph over kings, and princes shall be his laughingstock: and he shall laugh at every strong hold, and shall cast up a mount, and shall take it.

10He makes little of kings, rulers are a sport to him; all the strong places are to be laughed at; for he makes earthworks and takes them.

10Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a scorn unto him; he derideth every stronghold: for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.

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

11Then shall his spirit be changed, and he shall pass, and fall: this is his strength of his god.

11Then his purpose will be changed, over-stepping the limit; he will make his strength his god.

11Then will his mind change, and he will pass on, and become guilty: this his power is become hisgod.

12Art 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.

12Wast thou not from the beginning, O Lord my God, my holy one, and we shall not die? Lord, thou hast appointed him for judgment: and made him strong for correction.

12Are you not eternal, O Lord my God, my Holy One? for you there is no death. O Lord, he has been ordered by you for our punishment; and by you, O Rock, he has been marked out to put us right.

12— Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah myGod, my Holy One? We shall not die. Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast appointed him for correction.

13Purer 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,

13Thy eyes are too pure to behold evil, and thou canst not look on iniquity. Why lookest thou upon them that do unjust things, and holdest thy peace when the wicked devoureth the man that is more just than himself?

13Before your holy eyes sin may not be seen, and you are unable to put up with wrong; why, then, are your eyes on the false? why do you say nothing when the evil-doer puts an end to one who is more upright than himself?

13[Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on mischief: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] keepest silence when the wicked swalloweth up a [man] more righteous than he?

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

14And thou wilt make men as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things that have no ruler.

14He has made men like the fishes of the sea, like the worms which have no ruler over them.

14And thou makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them.

15Each 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.

15He lifted up all them with his hook, he drew them in his drag, and gathered them into his net: for this he will be glad and rejoice.

15He takes them all up with his hook, he takes them in his net, getting them together in his fishing-net: for which cause he is glad and full of joy.

15He taketh up all of them with the hook, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them into his drag; therefore he rejoiceth and is glad:

16Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them <FI>is<Fi> his portion fertile, and his food fat.

16Therefore will he offer victims to his drag, and he will sacrifice to his net: because through them his portion is made fat, and his meat dainty.

16For this reason he makes an offering to his net, burning perfume to his fishing-net; because by them he gets much food and his meat is fat.

16therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; for by them his portion is become fat, and his meat dainty.

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

17For this cause therefore he spreadeth his net, and will not spare continually to slay the nations.

17For this cause his net is ever open, and there is no end to his destruction of the nations.

17Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?