Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
Christian Standard Bible
Habakkuk’s Second Prayer
12 Are you not from eternity, Lord my God?(A)
My Holy One,(B) you[a] will not die.
Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock,(C) you destined them to punish us.
13 Your eyes(D) are too pure(E) to look on evil,
and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous?(F)
Why are you silent
while one[b] who is wicked swallows up
one[c] who is more righteous than himself?
14 You have made mankind
like the fish of the sea,(G)
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
15 The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,(H)
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.
16 That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.(I)
17 Will they therefore empty their net
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
Habakkuk Waits for God’s Response
Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
International Standard Version
The Prophet’s Second Complaint
12 “Haven’t you existed forever,
Lord my God, my Holy One?
We won’t die!
Lord, you’ve prepared them[a] for judgment;
Rock, you’ve sentenced them[b] to correction.
13 Your eyes are too pure to gaze upon evil;
and you cannot tolerate wickedness.
So why do you tolerate the treacherous?
And why do you stay silent
while the wicked devour those who are more righteous than they are?
14 “You have fashioned mankind like fish in the ocean,
like creeping things that have no ruler.
15 The adversary[c] captures them with a hook,
gathering them up in a fishing net.
He collects them with a dragnet,
rejoicing and gloating over his catch.[d]
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his fishing net,
and burns incense in the presence of his dragnet,
because by them his assets increase
and he gets plenty of food.
17 Is he to continue to empty his fishing net?
Will he ever stop killing entire[e] nations without mercy?”
Habakkuk Waits for God’s Answer
2 “I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on a tower.
I will wait and see what the Lord[f] will say about me
and what I[g] will answer when he reprimands me.[h]”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:12 I.e. the Babylonian invaders
- Habakkuk 1:12 I.e. the Babylonian invaders
- Habakkuk 1:15 I.e. the Babylonian invaders
- Habakkuk 1:15 The Heb. lacks over his catch
- Habakkuk 1:17 The Heb. lacks entire
- Habakkuk 2:1 The Heb. lacks the Lord
- Habakkuk 2:1 Syr he
- Habakkuk 2:1 Lit. answer at my reprimand
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