Habakkuk 1:2-4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Habakkuk’s First Prayer
2 How long,(A) Lord, must I call for help(B)
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?(C)
Why do You tolerate[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict(D) the righteous;
therefore, justice(E) comes out perverted.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:3 Lit observe
Habakkuk 1:2-4
International Standard Version
The Prophet’s First Complaint
2 “How long, Lord, must I cry out for help,
but you won’t listen?
I’m crying out to you, ‘Violence!’
but you aren’t providing deliverance.
3 Why are you forcing me to look at iniquity
and to stare at wickedness?
Social havoc and oppression are all around me;
there are legal conflicts, and disputes abound.
4 Therefore, the Law has become paralyzed,
and justice never comes about.
Because criminals outnumber[a] the righteous,
whenever judgments are issued, they come out crooked.”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:4 Lit. are surrounding
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