Habakkuk 1
Amplified Bible
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The [a]oracle (a burdensome message—a pronouncement from God) which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2
O Lord, how long will I call for help
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
3
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
For destruction and violence are before me;
Strife continues and contention arises.
4
Therefore, the law is ineffective and ignored
And justice is never upheld,
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore, justice becomes perverted.
5
[The Lord replied,] “Look among the nations! See!
Be astonished! Wonder!
For I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe it if you were told.(A)
6
“For behold, I am raising up the [b]Chaldeans [who rule in [c]Babylon],
That fierce and impetuous nation
Who march throughout the earth
To take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them.(B)
7
“The Chaldeans are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves and are defined only by their decree.
8
“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening,
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from far away;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9
“They all come for violence;
Their horde of faces moves [eagerly] forward,
They gather prisoners like sand.
10
“They make fun of kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They ridicule every stronghold
And heap up rubble [for earth mounds] and capture it.
11
“Then they will sweep by like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god.”
12
Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, My Holy One?
We will not die.
O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment,
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise.(C)
13
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil,
And You cannot look favorably on wickedness.
Why then do You look favorably
On those who act treacherously?
Why are you silent when the wicked (Chaldean oppressors) destroy
Those more righteous than they?
14
Why do You make men like the fish of the sea,
Like reptiles and creeping things that have no ruler [and are helpless against their enemies]?
15
The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
And drag them away with a net,
And gather them together in their fishing net;
So they rejoice and are glad.
16
Therefore, they offer sacrifices to their net
And burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their catch is large and they live luxuriously,
And their food is plentiful.
17
Will they continue to empty their net
And [mercilessly] go on destroying nations without sparing?
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:1 I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.
- Habakkuk 1:6 The Chaldeans were the dominant people in Babylonia. Originally from a small part of southern Babylonia near the head of the Persian Gulf, they were an aggressive tribe and completely controlled the country after 625 b.c. Babylon was their capital city and became the scholarly and scientific center of western Asia. The words “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” are used interchangeably.
- Habakkuk 1:6 “Babylon” was the name of the magnificent capital city of Babylonia, and the name of the city was commonly used to refer to the entire area which was located at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent. Both the plain of Shinar and Chaldea (land of the Chaldeans) were part of ancient Babylonia.
Habakkuk 1
Common English Bible
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
The prophet complains
2 Lord, how long will I call for help and you not listen?
I cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you don’t deliver us.
3 Why do you show me injustice and look at anguish
so that devastation and violence are before me?
There is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 The Instruction is ineffective.
Justice does not endure
because the wicked surround the righteous.
Justice becomes warped.
The Lord responds
5 Look among the nations and watch!
Be astonished and stare
because something is happening in your days
that you wouldn’t believe even if told.
6 I am about to rouse the Chaldeans,
that bitter and impetuous nation,
which travels throughout the earth to possess dwelling places it does not own.
7 The Chaldean is dreadful and fearful.
He makes his own justice and dignity.[a]
8 His horses are faster than leopards;
they are quicker than wolves of the evening.
His horsemen charge forward;
his horsemen come from far away.
They fly in to devour, swiftly, like an eagle.[b]
9 They come for violence,
the horde with all their faces set toward the desert.[c]
He takes captives like sand.
10 He makes fun of kings;
rulers are ridiculous to him.
He laughs at every fortress,
then he piles up dirt and takes it.
11 He passes through like the wind and invades;
but he will be held guilty,
the one whose strength is his god.
The prophet questions the Lord
12 Lord, aren’t you ancient, my God, my holy one?
Don’t let us die.[d]
Lord, you put the Chaldean here for judgment.
Rock, you established him as a rebuke.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you are unable to look at disaster.
Why would you look at the treacherous
or keep silent when the wicked swallows one who is more righteous?
14 You made humans like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things with no one to rule over them.
15 The Chaldean brings all of them up with a fishhook.
He drags them away with a net;
he collects them in his fishing net,
then he rejoices and celebrates.
16 Therefore, he sacrifices to his net;
he burns incense to his fishing nets,
because due to them his portion grows fat
and his food becomes luxurious.
17 Should he continue to empty his net
and continue to slay nations without sparing them?
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:7 Or his justice and dignity come from him
- Habakkuk 1:8 Or vulture
- Habakkuk 1:9 Heb uncertain
- Habakkuk 1:12 Heb uncertain
Habakkuk 1
King James Version
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.
7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
12 Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
Habacuc 1
Nouă Traducere În Limba Română
1 Profeţia pe care a primit-o profetul Habacuc.
Prima plângere a profetului
2 – Până când, Doamne, voi striga după ajutor
şi Tu nu vei asculta?
Până când voi striga către Tine: „Violenţă!“
şi Tu nu vei izbăvi?
3 De ce mă faci să privesc nedreptatea?
De ce trebuie să mă uit[a] la necaz?
Distrugerea şi violenţa sunt înaintea mea;
peste tot sunt dezbinări şi se stârnesc certuri.
4 De aceea Legea este fără putere
şi dreptatea nu se vede niciodată.
Căci cel rău îl împresoară[b] pe cel drept
şi astfel dreptatea este pervertită.
Răspunsul Domnului
5 – Uitaţi-vă printre neamuri şi priviţi!
Miraţi-vă! Uimiţi-vă!
Căci în zilele voastre am să fac o lucrare
pe care n-aţi crede-o
dacă v-ar povesti-o cineva!
6 Iată, îi voi ridica pe caldeeni[c],
acel popor crud şi năvalnic,
care străbate întinderile pământului
pentru a lua în stăpânire locuinţe care nu sunt ale lui!
7 Este un popor teribil şi înfricoşător;
îşi are propria lege
şi nu recunoaşte nici o altă autoritate![d]
8 Caii lui sunt mai rapizi decât leoparzii
şi mai sprinteni decât lupii în amurg.
Călăreţii lui se avântă,
călăreţii lui vin de departe.
Zboară ca un vultur care se aruncă asupra prăzii;
9 toţi vin pentru violenţă.
Privirile lor sunt aţintite[e] tot înainte
şi adună captivi ca nisipul de mulţi.
10 Îşi bate joc de regi
şi-i ia în derâdere pe conducători.
Râde de orice fortificaţie,
căci îngrămădeşte pământ[f] lângă ea şi o cucereşte.
11 Apoi trece ca vântul şi merge mai departe[g];
el se face astfel vinovat, puterea lui fiindu-i dumnezeul.
A doua plângere a profetului
12 – Oare nu eşti Tu din veşnicie, Doamne?
Dumnezeul meu, Sfântul meu, nu vom muri[h]!
Doamne, Tu l-ai rânduit pentru a face judecată!
Stânca mea, Tu l-ai ridicat ca să pedepsească!
13 Ochii Tăi sunt prea curaţi ca să se uite la rău;
Tu nu poţi să priveşti asuprirea!
De ce te uiţi la cei mişei
şi taci când cel rău
îl înghite pe cel mai drept decât el?
14 L-ai făcut pe om asemenea peştilor mării,
asemenea târâtoarei care nu are stăpân.
15 Duşmanul scoate fiecare peşte cu undiţa,
îl adună cu mreaja lui,
îl strânge în năvodul lui
şi de aceea se bucură şi se veseleşte.
16 De aceea aduce el jertfe mrejei sale
şi arde tămâie năvodului său!
Datorită lor, partea lui este bogată
şi mâncarea lui este din abundenţă!
17 Va continua el oare să-şi golească mreaja
şi să omoare neamuri fără să cruţe nimic?
Footnotes
- Habacuc 1:3 Siriacă, Tg.; TM: nedreptatea? / Cum poţi privi (sau: tolera); sau: nedreptatea / şi să mă uit
- Habacuc 1:4 Sau: îl biruie
- Habacuc 1:6 babilonieni
- Habacuc 1:7 Lit.: înfricoşător; / judecata şi demnitatea lui provin numai de la el însuşi
- Habacuc 1:9 Sensul termenului ebraic este nesigur
- Habacuc 1:10 Sau: face o rampă din pământ, tehnică militară, folosită de către asediatori
- Habacuc 1:11 Posibil: şi depăşeşte limita
- Habacuc 1:12 O tradiţie scribală antică: nu vei muri (sau: eşti nemuritor); unele traduceri moderne preferă această variantă
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
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Nouă Traducere În Limba Română (Holy Bible, New Romanian Translation) Copyright © 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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