Habakkuk 1:1-4

Contemporary English Version

² Our Lord, how long must I beg
for your help
    before you listen?
How long before you save us
    from all this violence?
³ Why do you make me watch
    such terrible injustice?
Why do you allow violence,
lawlessness, crime, and cruelty
    to spread everywhere?
⁴ Laws cannot be enforced;
    justice is always the loser;
criminals crowd out honest people
    and twist the laws around.