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Habakkuk Complains Again

12 Lord, ·you live forever [L are you not from everlasting…?],
    my God, my holy God.
    We will not die.
Lord, you ·have chosen the Babylonians to punish people [appointed them for judgment];
    our Rock [Ps. 61:2], you picked them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too ·good [pure] to look at evil;
    you cannot ·stand to see [tolerate; look on] those who do wrong.
So how can you put up with those ·evil [treacherous] people?
    How can you be quiet when the wicked swallow up people who are ·better [more righteous] than they are?
14 You ·treat [or made] people like fish in the sea,
    like sea animals without a ·leader [ruler].
15 ·The enemy [L He] brings them in with hooks.
    He catches them in his net
and ·drags [gathers] them in his ·fishnet [dragnet].
    So he rejoices and ·sings for joy [is glad].
16 The enemy offers sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense to ·worship it [L his dragnet],
because it lets him live ·like the rich [in luxury]
    and enjoy ·the best [or plentiful] food.
17 Will he keep on ·taking riches with [L emptying] his net?
    Will he go on destroying ·people [nations] without showing mercy?

I will stand like a guard to watch
    and ·place [station] myself at the tower.
I will wait to see what he will say to me;
    I will wait to learn how ·God will answer [or I will answer concerning] my complaint.

12 Are You not from (A)time everlasting,
Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, Lord, have (B)appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O (C)Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too (D)pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You (E)look favorably
At those who deal (F)treacherously?
Why are You (G)silent when the wicked (H)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (I)bring all of them up with a hook,
(J)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [a]burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through (K)these things their [b]catch is [c]large,
And their food is [d]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (L)net,
And continually (M)slay nations without sparing?

God Answers the Prophet

I will (N)stand at my guard post
And station myself on the watchtower;
And I will (O)keep watch to see (P)what He will say to me,
And how I may reply [e]when I am reprimanded.

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:16 Or sacrifice
  2. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit portion
  3. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat; or plentiful
  4. Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat
  5. Habakkuk 2:1 Lit upon my reprimand