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Habakkuk 1:5-11
Lexham English Bible
Habakkuk 1:5-11
Lexham English Bible
God’s Answer to Habakkuk
5 “Look among the nations and see;
be astonished and astounded.
For a work is about to be done in your days
that you will not believe if it is told.
6 For look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,
the bitter and impetuous nation,
the one who walks through the spacious places of earth
to take possession of dwellings not belonging to it.[a]
7 They[b] are dreadful and awesome;
their[c] justice and their[d] dignity proceed from themselves.[e]
8 Their[f] horses are more swift than leopards;
they are more menacing than wolves at dusk.
Their[g] horsemen gallop; their[h] horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle that is swift to devour.
9 All of them[i] come for violence,
their faces pressing forward.
They gather captives like the sand.
10 And they themselves scoff at kings
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortification,
and they heap up earth and take it.
11 Then they sweep like the wind and pass on;
they become guilty, whose might is their[j] god!”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or “him”
- Habakkuk 1:7 Hebrew “He”
- Habakkuk 1:7 Hebrew “his”
- Habakkuk 1:7 Hebrew “his”
- Habakkuk 1:7 Hebrew “him”
- Habakkuk 1:8 Hebrew “His”
- Habakkuk 1:8 Hebrew “His”
- Habakkuk 1:8 Hebrew “his”
- Habakkuk 1:9 Hebrew “him”
- Habakkuk 1:11 Hebrew “his”
Habakkuk 1:5-11
New King James Version
Habakkuk 1:5-11
New King James Version
The Lord’s Reply
5 “Look(A) among the nations and watch—
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am (B)raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty (C)nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are (D)swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [a]chargers [b]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the (E)eagle that hastens to eat.
9 “They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
11 Then his [c]mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
(F)Ascribing this power to his god.”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. horsemen
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. spring about
- Habakkuk 1:11 Lit. spirit or wind
Habakkuk 1:5-11
New International Version
Habakkuk 1:5-11
New International Version
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.(A)
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.(B)
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](C)
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(D)
to seize dwellings not their own.(E)
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;(F)
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter(G) than leopards,
fiercer than wolves(H) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9 they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners(I) like sand.
10 They mock kings
and scoff at rulers.(J)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps(K) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind(L) and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”(M)
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
- Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.