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Habakkuk 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Habakkuk 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 1
1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision.
Habakkuk’s First Complaint
2 How long, O Lord, must I cry for help[a]
and you do not listen?(A)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
and you do not intervene?
3 Why do you let me see iniquity?
why do you simply gaze at evil?
Destruction and violence are before me;(B)
there is strife and discord.
4 This is why the law is numb[b]
and justice never comes,
For the wicked surround the just;(C)
this is why justice comes forth perverted.
God’s Response
5 [c]Look over the nations and see!
Be utterly amazed!
For a work is being done in your days
that you would not believe, were it told.(D)
6 For now I am raising up the Chaldeans,(E)
that bitter and impulsive people,
Who march the breadth of the land
to take dwellings not their own.
7 They are terrifying and dreadful;
their right and their exalted position are of their own making.
8 Swifter than leopards are their horses,
and faster than desert wolves.
Their horses spring forward;
they come from far away;
they fly like an eagle hastening to devour.
9 All of them come for violence,
their combined onslaught, a stormwind
to gather up captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings,
ridicule princes;
They laugh at any fortress,
heap up an earthen ramp, and conquer it.
11 Then they sweep through like the wind and vanish—
they make their own strength their god![d]
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 Are you not from of old, O Lord,
my holy God, immortal?(F)
Lord, you have appointed them for judgment,[e]
O Rock,[f] you have set them in place to punish!
13 Your eyes are too pure to look upon wickedness,
and the sight of evil you cannot endure.
Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence
while the wicked devour those more just than themselves?
14 You have made mortals like the fish in the sea,
like creeping things without a leader.
15 He[g] brings them all up with a hook,
and hauls them away with his net;
He gathers them in his fishing net,
and then rejoices and exults.
16 Therefore he makes sacrifices to his net,[h]
and burns incense to his fishing net;
For thanks to them his portion is rich,
and his meal lavish.
17 Shall they, then, keep on drawing his sword
to slaughter nations without mercy?
Footnotes
- 1:2–4 The prophet complains about God’s apparent disregard for Judah’s internal evils in language that echoes the preaching of prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
- 1:4 The law is numb: because the Lord has been silent, the Law, whether in the form of the scroll found in the Temple in the time of Josiah (2 Kgs 22) or in the form of divine instruction given by priests and prophets, has proved ineffective and so appeared to be cold, unreceptive, and powerless. For the Law to be credible, the Lord must see to it that the wicked are punished and the just rewarded.
- 1:5–7 Habakkuk interprets the Babylonian defeat of Egypt at Carchemish (605 B.C.) as the answer to his complaint: the Lord will send the Chaldean empire against Judah as punishment for their sins.
- 1:11 The primary aim of military campaigns by ancient Near Eastern rulers was usually the gathering of spoils and the collection of tribute rather than the annexation of territory. However, in the eighth century B.C., the Assyrians began to administer many conquered territories as provinces.
- 1:12–2:1 Appointed them for judgment: this complaint is directed against the violent Babylonians, the very nation God chose to punish Judah.
- 1:12 Rock: an ancient title celebrating the Lord’s power and fidelity; cf. Dt 32:4; Is 26:4; 30:29; Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 95:1.
- 1:15 He: the Babylonian king (cf. vv. 6, 13), who easily conquers other nations and treats them as objects for his entertainment and enrichment.
- 1:16 He makes sacrifices to his net: the leader attributes victory to the military weapons he wields; he and his weapons have won victory, not any god.
Habakkuk 1
Wycliffe Bible
Habakkuk 1
Wycliffe Bible
1 The burden that Habakkuk, the prophet, saw. (The vision that the prophet Habakkuk saw.)
2 How long, Lord, shall I cry, and thou shalt not hear? I suffering violence shall cry on high to thee, and thou shalt not save? (How long, Lord, shall I cry, and thou shalt not hear me? I suffering violence shall cry aloud to thee, and shalt thou not save me?)
3 Why showedest thou to me wickedness and travail, for to see prey and unrightwiseness against me? Why beholdest thou despisers, and art still, the while the unpious man defouleth a right-fuller than himself? And thou shalt make men as fishes of the sea, and as creeping things not having a leader; and doom is made, and against-saying is more mighty. (Why hast thou shown me wickedness and struggle, in order to see robbery and unrighteousness done against me? Why beholdest thou despisers, and art silent, while the wicked defile someone more upright than themselves? Shalt thou make people like the fish of the sea, and like the creeping things that do not have a leader? yea, judgement is made, or justice is given, but saying against, or contention, is more mighty, or more powerful.)
4 For this thing law is broken, and doom cometh not till to the end; for the unpious man hath might against the just, therefore wayward doom shall go out. (And so because of this, the law is broken, and judgement, or justice, cometh not unto its proper end; for the wicked have might, or power, against the just, or the righteous, and so perverted justice, or warped judgement, shall go forth.)
5 Behold ye in heathen men, and see ye, and wonder ye, and greatly dread ye; for a work is done in your days, which no man shall believe, when it shall be told. (Behold ye the heathen, and see ye, and wonder ye, and greatly fear ye; for a work is done in your days, which no one shall believe, when it shall be told to them.)
6 For lo! I shall raise Chaldees, a bitter folk and swift, going on the breadth of earth, that he wield tabernacles not his. (For lo! I shall raise up the Chaldeans, a swift and bitter nation, going upon the breadth of the earth, in order to take tents, or homes, not their own.)
7 It is horrible, and dreadful; the doom and the burden thereof shall go out of itself. (They be terrible, and fearful, that is, they instill terror, and fear; and law, and justice, or judgement, shall go out from them alone.)
8 His horses be lighter than leopards, and swifter than eventide wolves, and his horsemen shall be scattered abroad; for why his horsemen shall come from far, they shall fly as an eagle hasting to eat. (Their horses be lighter than leopards, and swifter than wolves in the night, and their horsemen shall be spread abroad everywhere; yea, their horsemen shall come from afar, and they shall fly like eagles hastening to eat.)
9 All (these) men shall come to prey, the faces of them is as a burning wind; and he shall gather as gravel (the) captivity, (All these men shall come for prey, their faces be like the burning wind; and they shall gather up captives like the sand,)
10 and he shall have victory of kings, and tyrants shall be of his scorning. He shall laugh on all stronghold, and shall bear together [an] heap of earth, and shall take it. (and they shall have victory over kings, and only scorn, or mocking, for any tyrant. They shall laugh at every stronghold, or every fortress, and shall bear together heaps of earth, and then shall take, or shall capture, them.)
11 Then the spirit [of him] shall be changed, and he shall pass forth, and fall down; this is the strength of him, of his god. (Then their spirit shall be changed, and they shall pass forth, and shall fall down/Then they shall pass forth like the changing wind, and shall fall down; for their own strength was their god.)
12 Whether thou art not from the beginning, thou, Lord my God, mine holy, and we shall not die? Lord, into doom thou hast set him, and thou groundedest him strong, that thou shouldest chastise. (Lord, art thou not God from the beginning? yea, my God, my Holy One, and so we shall not die. Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgement, and thou hast used them, O strong God, to chastise, or to discipline, us.)
13 Thine eyes be clean, see thou not evil, and thou shalt not be able to behold to wickedness. Why beholdest thou not on men doing wickedly, and thou art still, while the unpious man devoureth a more just man than himself? (Thine eyes be pure, thou seest no evil, and thou art not able to look upon wickedness. But why beholdest thou not upon those doing wickedly, and thou art silent, while the wicked devour those who be more just, or more righteous, than themselves?)
14 And thou shalt make men as fishes of the sea, and as a creeping thing not having a prince. (And shalt thou make people like the fish of the sea, and like the creeping things that do not have a leader?/And why makest thou people like the fish of the sea, and like the creeping things that do not have a leader?)
15 He shall lift up all in the hook; he drew it in his great net, and gathered into his net; on this thing he shall be glad, and make joy withoutforth. (For they lift up all the people by their hooks; they gather them into their great nets, and draw them along in their nets; and then they be happy, and rejoice, over this.)
16 Therefore he shall offer to his great net, and shall make sacrifice to his net; for in them his part is made fat, and his meat is chosen. (And they even make offerings to their great nets, and make sacrifices to their nets; for by them their portions be made fat, and their meats be chosen and tasty.)
17 Therefore for this thing he spreadeth abroad his great net, and evermore he ceaseth not for to slay folks. (And so for this they spread abroad their great nets, and they never cease to slaughter the nations.)
Habakkuk 1
New International Version
Habakkuk 1
New International Version
1 The prophecy(A) that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 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)
3 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.
4 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
5 “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)
6 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)
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;(Q)
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 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;
9 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
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
- Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
Habakkuk 1
New King James Version
Habakkuk 1
New King James Version
The Prophet Questions God’s Judgments
1 The [a]burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The Prophet’s Question
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry,
(A)And You will not hear?
Even cry out to You, (B)“Violence!”
And You will (C)not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see [b]trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless,
And justice never goes forth.
For the (D)wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
The Lord’s Reply
5 “Look(E) 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 (F)raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty (G)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 (H)swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [c]chargers [d]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the (I)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 [e]mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
(J)Ascribing this power to his god.”
The Prophet’s Second Question
12 Are You not (K)from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, (L)You have appointed them for judgment;
O Rock, You have marked them for (M)correction.
13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?
14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea,
Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with a hook,
They catch them in their net,
And gather them in their dragnet.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore (N)they sacrifice to their net,
And burn incense to their dragnet;
Because by them their share is [f]sumptuous
And their food plentiful.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net,
And continue to slay nations without pity?
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Habakkuk 1:3 Or toil
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. horsemen
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. spring about
- Habakkuk 1:11 Lit. spirit or wind
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit. fat
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
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.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.