Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Has Placed Them to Judge
12 Are You not from (A)everlasting,
O Yahweh, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Yahweh, have (B)placed them to judge;
And You, O (C)Rock, have established them to reprove.
13 Your eyes are too (D)pure to see evil,
And You cannot look on trouble.
Why do You (E)look
On those who deal (F)treacherously?
Why are You (G)silent when the wicked (H)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 And You have made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a 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 are glad and rejoice.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [a]burn incense to their fishing net
Because through (K)these things their portion is rich
And their food is fat.
17 Will they therefore empty their (L)net
And continually (M)kill nations without sparing?
The Righteous Will Live by His Faith
2 I will (N)stand on my guard post
And station myself on the fortification;
And I will (O)keep watch to see (P)what He will speak to me
And how I may respond [b]when I am reproved.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:16 Or sacrifice
- Habakkuk 2:1 Lit upon my reproof
Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
Evangelical Heritage Version
Habakkuk Replies
12 Are you not from ancient times, O Lord?
My God, my Holy One, you will not die.[a]
Lord, you have made them your instrument of judgment.
You, our Rock, have established them as your instrument of discipline.[b]
13 You whose eyes are too pure to tolerate evil,
you who are not able to condone wrongdoing,
why do you put up with treacherous people?
Why do you keep silent when the wicked swallow up those who are more righteous than they are?
14 You treat people like fish in the sea,
like creeping creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked man[c] pulls them all up on a fishhook.
He hauls them in with a net.
He gathers them with his dragnet and is very happy about it.
16 Therefore he offers sacrifices to his nets
and burns incense to his dragnet,
because, through these, his catch is large,
and his food is plentiful.
17 Will he empty one net after another
and continue to destroy nations without sparing any?
2 I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall. I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.[d]
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:12 The translation follows the alternate Hebrew reading, known as a correction of the scribes. The standard Hebrew text reads we will not die, likely because scribes did not want to mention death and God in the same sentence.
- Habakkuk 1:12 In this verse it is uncertain whether the Lord made the Babylonians recipients of judgment because of their godlessness or whether he made them instruments of judgment against Israel. The translation follows the second option.
- Habakkuk 1:15 The subject the wicked man is supplied for clarity.
- Habakkuk 2:1 The translation follows the alternate Hebrew reading known as a correction of the scribes. The standard Hebrew text reads what answer to give when I am rebuked, likely because scribes considered Habakkuk to be impudent by demanding an answer from the Lord. The alternate reading is also supported by the Syriac and the parallelism with the preceding line.
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