Habakkuk 1
New American Standard Bible 1995
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The [a](A)oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2 (B)How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do (C)not save.
3 Why do You make me (D)see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, (E)destruction and violence are before me;
(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the (G)law is [b]ignored
And justice [c]is never upheld.
For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (I)perverted.
5 “(J)Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! (K)Wonder!
Because I am doing (L)something in your days—
You would not believe if [d]you were told.
6 “For behold, I am (M)raising up the Chaldeans,
That [e]fierce and impetuous people
Who march [f]throughout the earth
To [g](N)seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and (O)feared;
Their (P)justice and [h]authority [i]originate with themselves.
8 “Their (Q)horses are swifter than leopards
And [j]keener than (R)wolves in the evening.
Their [k]horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (S)eagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence.
[l]Their horde of (T)faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
10 “They (U)mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They (V)laugh at every fortress
And (W)heap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the (X)wind and pass on.
But they will be held (Y)guilty,
They whose (Z)strength is their god.”
12 Are You not from (AA)everlasting,
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have (AB)appointed them to judge;
And You, O (AC)Rock, have established them to correct.
13 Your eyes are too (AD)pure to [m]approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You (AE)look with favor
On those who deal (AF)treacherously?
Why are You (AG)silent when the wicked (AH)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (AI)bring all of them up with a hook,
(AJ)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [n]burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through (AK)these things their [o]catch is [p]large,
And their food is [q]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (AL)net
And continually (AM)slay nations without sparing?
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:1 Or burden
- Habakkuk 1:4 Or ineffective; lit numbed
- Habakkuk 1:4 Lit never goes forth
- Habakkuk 1:5 Lit it
- Habakkuk 1:6 Lit bitter
- Habakkuk 1:6 Lit the breadth of
- Habakkuk 1:6 Lit take possession of
- Habakkuk 1:7 Lit eminence
- Habakkuk 1:7 Lit proceeds from
- Habakkuk 1:8 Or more eager to attack
- Habakkuk 1:8 Or steeds paw the ground
- Habakkuk 1:9 Or The eagerness of their faces
- Habakkuk 1:13 Lit look at
- Habakkuk 1:16 Or sacrifice
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit portion
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat; or plentiful
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit the fat portion
Habakkuk 1
English Standard Version
1 (A)The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Habakkuk's Complaint
2 O Lord, (B)how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you (C)“Violence!”
and you will not save?
3 (D)Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction (E)and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4 (F)So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
(G)For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
The Lord's Answer
5 (H)“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
(I)For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, (J)I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
(K)who march through the breadth of the earth,
(L)to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are dreaded and fearsome;
(M)their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8 (N)Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than (O)the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
(P)they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9 They all come (Q)for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives (R)like sand.
10 At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
(S)They laugh at every fortress,
for (T)they pile up earth and take it.
11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
(U)guilty men, (V)whose own might is their god!”
Habakkuk's Second Complaint
12 Are you not (W)from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
(X)We shall not die.
O Lord, (Y)you have ordained them as a judgment,
and you, O (Z)Rock, have established them for reproof.
13 You who are (AA)of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
(AB)why do you idly look at traitors
and (AC)remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?
14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
like crawling things that have no ruler.
15 (AD)He[a] brings all of them up (AE)with a hook;
he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
so he rejoices and is glad.
16 (AF)Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and makes offerings to his dragnet;
for by them he lives in luxury,[b]
and his food is rich.
17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net
(AG)and mercilessly killing nations forever?
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:15 That is, the wicked foe
- Habakkuk 1:16 Hebrew his portion is fat
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 Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
