Habakkuk 1:2-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Prophet’s Complaint
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?(A)
3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.(B)
4 So the law becomes slack,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous;
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.(C)
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
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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