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
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
En Levende Bok: Det Nye Testamentet Copyright © 1978, 1988 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.
