Justice Is a Joke

1-4 The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it:

God, how long do I have to cry out for help
    before you listen?
How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!”
    before you come to the rescue?
Why do you force me to look at evil,
    stare trouble in the face day after day?
Anarchy and violence break out,
    quarrels and fights all over the place.
Law and order fall to pieces.
    Justice is a joke.
The wicked have the righteous hamstrung
    and stand justice on its head.

God Says, “Look!”

5-11 “Look around at the godless nations.
    Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock.
Something’s about to take place
    and you’re going to find it hard to believe.
I’m about to raise up Babylonians to punish you,
    Babylonians, fierce and ferocious—
World-conquering Babylon,
    grabbing up nations right and left,
A dreadful and terrible people,
    making up its own rules as it goes.
Their horses run like the wind,
    attack like bloodthirsty wolves.
A stampede of galloping horses
    thunders out of nowhere.
They descend like vultures
    circling in on carrion.
They’re out to kill. Death is on their minds.
    They collect victims like squirrels gathering nuts.
They mock kings,
    poke fun at generals,
Spit on forts,
    and leave them in the dust.
They’ll all be blown away by the wind.
    Brazen in sin, they call strength their god.”

Why Is God Silent Now?

12-13 God, you’re from eternity, aren’t you?
    Holy God, we aren’t going to die, are we?
God, you chose Babylonians for your judgment work?
    Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline?
But you can’t be serious!
    You can’t condone evil!
So why don’t you do something about this?
    Why are you silent now?
This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous
    and you stand around and watch!

* * *

14-16 You’re treating men and women
    as so many fish in the ocean,
Swimming without direction,
    swimming but not getting anywhere.
Then this evil Babylonian arrives and goes fishing.
    He pulls in a good catch.
He catches his limit and fills his bucket—
    a good day of fishing! He’s happy!
He praises his rod and reel,
    piles his fishing gear on an altar and worships it!
It’s made his day,
    and he’s going to eat well tonight!

* * *

17 Are you going to let this go on and on?
    Will you let this Babylonian fisherman
Fish like a weekend angler,
    killing people as if they’re nothing but fish?

* * *

(A)Buno bwe bubaka bwa Mukama, Kaabakuuku nnabbi bwe yafuna.

Kaabakuuku yeemulugunya olw’Obutali Bwenkanya

(B)Ayi Mukama, ndituusa ddi okukukaabirira
    naye nga tompuliriza?
Lwaki nkukaabirira nti, “Ebikolwa eby’obukambwe bimpitiriddeko,”
    naye n’otonnyamba?
(C)Lwaki ondaga obutali bwenkanya
    era lwaki ogumiikiriza obukyamu?
Kubanga okuzikiriza n’ebikolwa eby’obukambwe biri mu maaso gange,
    empaka n’ennyombo byeyongede.
(D)Amateeka kyegavudde gatagonderwa
    era n’obwenkanya ne butakolebwa.
Ababi be basinga abatuukirivu obungi era babeebunguludde,
    n’obwenkanya ne bulinnyirirwa.

Okuddamu kwa Mukama

(E)“Mutunuulire amawanga, mwetegereze. Mwewuunyize ddala nnyo.
Kubanga ŋŋenda kukola omulimu mu nnaku zammwe
    gwe mutalikkiriza
    newaakubadde nga mugubuuliddwa.
(F)Kubanga laba, nkuyimusiza Abakaludaaya,
    eggwanga eryo eririna ettima era ekkambwe,
ababunye ensi eno n’eri
    nga bawamba amawanga agatali gaabwe.
(G)Ba ntiisa, batiibwa,
    be beetekera amateeka gaabwe era be bagassa mu nkola,
    nga balwanirira ekitiibwa kyabwe.
(H)Embalaasi zaabwe zidduka okukira engo,
    era mu bukambwe zikira emisege egy’ekiro.
Abasajja abeebagala embalaasi bava mu nsi ey’ewala
    era bajja beesaasaanyizza
ne banguwa okutuuka ng’ensega bw’erumba ky’eneerya.
    (I)Bajja n’eryanyi bonna,
ebibinja byabwe birumba ng’embuyaga ey’omu ddungu;
    ne balyoka bayoola abawambe abangi ng’omusenyu.
10 (J)Weewaawo, basekerera bakabaka
    ne baduulira n’abakungu.
Basekerera buli kibuga ekiriko ekigo
    ne bakituumako ebifunfugu ne balinnyira okwo, ne bakiwamba.
11 (K)Awo ne bayita nga bakunta ng’embuyaga;
    abantu bano omusango be gwasinga, eryanyi lyabwe ye katonda waabwe.”

Kaabakuuku Yeemulugunya Ogwokubiri

12 (L)Ayi Mukama toli wa mirembe na mirembe,
    ggwe Mukama Katonda wange, si ggwe Mutukuvu wange? Tetulifa.
Ayi Mukama ggwe wabateekawo n’obawa amaanyi batusalire emisango.
    Era ggwe Olwazi, wabateekawo kubonereza.
13 (M)Amaaso go gajjudde obulongoofu tegatunula ku kibi,
    so toyinza kugumiikiriza bukyamu.
Kale lwaki ggwe ogumiikiriza ab’enkwe,
    n’osirika ng’omubi amalirawo ddala
    omuntu amusinga obutuukirivu?
14 Kubanga abantu obafudde ng’ebyennyanja eby’omu nnyanja,
    ng’ebitonde eby’omu nnyanja ebitaliiko abifuga.
15 (N)Omulabe omubi abakwata bonna ng’eddobo,
    oluusi n’abawalula mu katimba ke,
n’abakuŋŋaanya mu kiragala kye
    n’alyoka asanyuka n’ajaguza.
16 (O)Kyava awaayo ssaddaaka eri akatimba ke
    n’ayotereza n’ekiragala kye obubaane;
akatimba ke kamuwa obulamu obw’okwejalabya,
    n’alya emmere ey’ekigagga.
17 (P)Kale, bwe batyo bwe banaalekebwa okutikkula obutimba bwabwe,
    n’okusaanyaawo amawanga awatali kusaasira?

The prophecy(A) that Habakkuk the prophet received.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

How long,(B) Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?(C)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?(D)
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate(E) wrongdoing?(F)
Destruction and violence(G) are before me;
    there is strife,(H) and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law(I) is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice(J) is perverted.(K)

The Lord’s Answer

“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.(L)
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.(M)
I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](N)
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(O)
    to seize dwellings not their own.(P)
They are a feared and dreaded people;(Q)
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.
Their horses are swifter(R) than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves(S) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
    they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
    and gather prisoners(T) like sand.
10 They mock kings
    and scoff at rulers.(U)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
    by building earthen ramps(V) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind(W) and go on—
    guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”(X)

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(Y)
    My God, my Holy One,(Z) you[c] will never die.(AA)
You, Lord, have appointed(AB) them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock,(AC) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(AD) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(AE)
Why then do you tolerate(AF) the treacherous?(AG)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(AH)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(AI) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(AJ)
    he catches them in his net,(AK)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense(AL) 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?(AM)

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
  2. Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we