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12 Aren’t you from everlasting, Yahweh my God,[a] my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish. 13 You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he, 14 and make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 15 He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious, and his food is good. 17 Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?

I will stand at my watch, and set myself on the ramparts, and will look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Footnotes

  1. 1:12 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Are You not from everlasting,
    O Lord my God, my Holy One? We will not die.
O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment;
    and You, O Rock, have established them for correction.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
    and You cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
    and hold Your tongue when the wicked
    devours the man who is more righteous than he?
14 You make men like fish of the sea,
    like crawling things that have no ruler.
15 They bring all of them up with a hook,
    they catch them in their net;
they gather them in their dragnet.
    Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net
    and burn incense to their dragnet;
for by them their portion is extravagant,
    and their food plentiful.
17 Shall they continue to empty their net,
    and continually kill the nations while not sparing anyone?

I will stand at my watch
    and station myself on the watchtower;
and I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,
    and what I will answer when I am reproved.

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(A)
    My God, my Holy One,(B) you[a] will never die.(C)
You, Lord, have appointed(D) them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock,(E) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(F) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(G)
Why then do you tolerate(H) the treacherous?(I)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(J)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(K) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(L)
    he catches them in his net,(M)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense(N) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?(O)

I will stand at my watch(P)
    and station myself on the ramparts;(Q)
I will look to see what he will say(R) to me,
    and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[b](S)

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
  2. Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked