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11 Their army quickly moves on to another place,
    like a wind that blows.
They think that their own god has made them strong,
    and so they are guilty.’[a]

Habakkuk has another problem

12 Lord, you have always been God,
    since the beginning.
You are the God that I worship as holy,
    and you will never die.
Lord, you have chosen the Babylonians
    as your weapon to punish your people.
You are a strong rock to protect us,
    but you have decided to use them to punish us.
13 But you are too holy to accept anything that is evil.
    You cannot agree with people who do wrong things.
So why do you let these wicked people live?
    Why do you say nothing?
They are killing people who are more righteous than themselves.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:11 God says that he will use a cruel, wicked nation to punish his own people.

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

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(C)
    My God, my Holy One,(D) you[a] will never die.(E)
You, Lord, have appointed(F) them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock,(G) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(H) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(I)
Why then do you tolerate(J) the treacherous?(K)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we