Habakkuk 1:5-11
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Reply
5 The Lord replied,
“Look around at the nations;
look and be amazed![a]
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[b]
a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
and conquer other lands.
7 They are notorious for their cruelty
and do whatever they like.
8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs[c]
and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.
9 “On they come, all bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
against their walls and capture them!
11 They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.”
Footnotes
- 1:5 Greek version reads Look, you mockers; / look and be amazed and die. Compare Acts 13:41.
- 1:6 Or Chaldeans.
- 1:8 Or leopards.
Habakkuk 1:5-11
Christian Standard Bible
God’s First Answer
5 Look at the nations[a](A) and observe(B)—
be utterly astounded!(C)
For I am doing something in your days
that you will not believe(D)
when you hear about it.(E)
6 Look! I am raising up(F) the Chaldeans,[b]
that bitter,(G) impetuous nation
that marches across the earth’s open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
7 They are fierce(H) and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter(I) than leopards(J)
and more fierce[c] than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.(K)
9 All of them come to do violence;
their faces(L) are set in determination.[d]
They gather(M) prisoners like sand.(N)
10 They mock(O) kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh(P) at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture(Q) it.
11 Then they sweep(R) by like the wind
and pass through.
They are guilty;[e] their strength is their god.
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