Beginning
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The (A)pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:
2 (B)How long, Lord, have I called for help,
And You do not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do (C)not save.
3 Why do You make me (D)see disaster,
And make me look at destitution?
Yes, (E)devastation and violence are before me;
(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the (G)Law [a]is ignored,
And justice [b]is never upheld.
For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (I)confused.
5 “(J)Look among the nations! Watch!
Be horrified! (K)Be frightened speechless!
For I am accomplishing (L)a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if [c]you were told!
6 For behold, I am (M)raising up the Chaldeans,
That [d]grim and impetuous people
Who march [e]throughout the earth,
To (N)take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrifying and (O)feared;
Their (P)justice and [f]authority [g]originate with themselves.
8 Their (Q)horses are faster than leopards,
And quicker than (R)wolves in the evening.
Their [h]horsemen charge along,
Their [i]horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (S)eagle [j]swooping down to devour.
9 All of them come for violence.
[k]Their horde of (T)faces moves forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They (U)make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They (V)laugh at every fortress,
Then (W)heap up dirt and [l]capture it.
11 Then they fly along like the (X)wind and pass on.
But they will be held (Y)guilty,
They whose (Z)strength is their god.”
12 Are You not from (AA)time everlasting,
Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, Lord, have (AB)appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O (AC)Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too (AD)pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You (AE)look favorably
At those who deal (AF)treacherously?
Why are You (AG)silent when the wicked (AH)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (AI)bring all of them up with a hook,
(AJ)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [m]burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through (AK)these things their [n]catch is [o]large,
And their food is [p]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (AL)net,
And continually (AM)slay nations without sparing?
God Answers the Prophet
2 I will (AN)stand at my guard post
And station myself on the watchtower;
And I will (AO)keep watch to see (AP)what He will say to me,
And how I may reply [q]when I am reprimanded.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said,
“(AQ)Write down the vision
And inscribe it clearly on tablets,
So that one who [r]reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for the (AR)appointed time;
It [s]hurries toward the goal and it will not [t]fail.
Though it delays, (AS)wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it (AT)will not delay long.
4 “Behold, as for the (AU)impudent one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the (AV)righteous one will live by his [u]faith.
5 Furthermore, (AW)wine betrays an (AX)arrogant man,
So that he does not (AY)achieve his objective.
He (AZ)enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all the nations
And collects to himself all the peoples.
6 “Will all of these not (BA)take up a song of ridicule against him,
Even a saying and insinuations against him
And say, ‘(BB)Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself [v]rich with debts!’
7 Will [w]your creditors not (BC)rise up suddenly,
And those who [x]collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 Since you have (BD)looted many nations,
All the rest of the peoples will loot you—
Because of human bloodshed and violence [y]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
9 “Woe to him who makes (BE)evil profit for his household,
To (BF)put his nest on high,
To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!
10 You have planned a (BG)shameful thing for your house
By bringing many peoples to an end;
So you are (BH)sinning against yourself.
11 For the (BI)stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the [z]framework.
12 “Woe to him who (BJ)builds a city with bloodshed,
And founds a town with [aa]violence!
13 Is it not indeed from the Lord of armies
That peoples (BK)labor merely for fire,
And nations become weary for nothing?
14 For the earth will be (BL)filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;
[ab]To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,
So as to look at their genitalia!
16 You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
(BM)Drink, you yourself, and [ac]expose your own foreskin!
The (BN)cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you,
And (BO)utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 For the (BP)violence [ad]done to Lebanon will [ae]overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its animals [af]by which you terrified them,
(BQ)Because of human bloodshed and (BR)violence [ag]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
18 “What (BS)benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
Or a cast metal image, a (BT)teacher of falsehood?
For its maker (BU)trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 Woe to him who (BV)says to a piece of wood, ‘(BW)Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
That is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with (BX)gold and silver,
Yet there is (BY)no breath at all inside it.
20 But the (BZ)Lord is in His holy temple.
[ah]Let all the earth (CA)be silent before Him.”
God’s People Saved
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to [ai]Shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have (CB)heard [aj]the report about You, and [ak]I was (CC)afraid.
Lord, (CD)revive (CE)Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known.
In anger remember [al](CF)mercy.
3 God comes from (CG)Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount (CH)Paran. Selah
His (CI)splendor covers the heavens,
And the (CJ)earth is full of His praise.
4 His (CK)radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And the hiding of His (CL)might is there.
5 Before Him goes (CM)plague,
And (CN)plague comes forth [am]after Him.
6 He stood and caused the earth to shudder;
He looked and (CO)caused the nations to jump.
Yes, the everlasting mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills [an]collapsed.
His paths are (CP)everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan under (CQ)distress,
The tent curtains of the land of (CR)Midian were trembling.
8 Did the Lord rage against the (CS)rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your rage against the (CT)sea,
That You (CU)rode on Your horses,
On Your (CV)chariots of salvation?
9 You removed Your (CW)bow from its holder,
The arrows of Your word were [ao]sworn. Selah
You (CX)divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep (CY)raised its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
11 (CZ)Sun and moon stood in their lofty places;
They went away at the (DA)light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your flashing spear.
12 In indignation You (DB)marched through the earth;
In anger You [ap](DC)trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the (DD)salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your (DE)anointed.
You smashed the (DF)head of the house of evil
To uncover him from [aq]foot to neck. Selah
14 You pierced with his (DG)own [ar]arrows
The head of his [as]leaders.
They (DH)stormed in to scatter [at]us;
Their arrogance was like those
Who (DI)devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You (DJ)trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the (DK)foam of many waters.
16 I heard, and my [au]inner parts (DL)trembled;
At the sound, my lips quivered.
Decay enters my (DM)bones,
And in my place I tremble;
Because I [av]must (DN)wait quietly for the day of distress,
[aw]For the (DO)people to arise who will attack us.
17 Even if the (DP)fig tree does not blossom,
And there is no [ax]fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the (DQ)olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the (DR)flock disappears from the fold,
And there are (DS)no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will (DT)triumph in the Lord,
I will (DU)rejoice in the (DV)God of my salvation.
19 The Lord [ay]God is my (DW)strength,
And (DX)He has made my feet like deer’s feet,
And has me walk on my (DY)high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Day of Judgment on Judah
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of (A)Josiah son of (B)Amon, king of Judah:
2 “I will completely (C)remove all things
From the face of the [a]earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “I will remove (D)human and animal life;
I will remove the (E)birds of the sky
And the fish of the sea,
And the [b](F)ruins along with the wicked;
And I will eliminate mankind from the face of the [c]earth,” declares the Lord.
4 “So I will (G)stretch out My hand against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will (H)eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place,
And the names of the (I)idolatrous priests along with the other priests.
5 And those who bow down on the (J)housetops to the heavenly [d]lights,
And those who bow down and (K)swear to the Lord, but also swear by [e](L)Milcom,
6 And those who have (M)turned back from following the Lord,
And those who have (N)not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him.”
7 [f](O)Be silent before the Lord [g]God!
For the (P)day of the Lord is near,
Because the Lord has prepared a (Q)sacrifice,
He has (R)consecrated His guests.
8 “Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
That I will (S)punish the princes, the king’s sons,
And all who clothe themselves with (T)foreign garments.
9 And on that day I will punish all who leap on the temple threshold,
Who fill the house of their [h]lord with (U)violence and deceit.
10 And on that day,” declares the Lord,
“There will be the sound of a cry from the (V)Fish Gate,
Wailing from the [i](W)Second Quarter,
And a loud crash from the (X)hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of the [j]Mortar,
Because all the [k]people of (Y)Canaan will be destroyed;
All who weigh out (Z)silver will be eliminated.
12 And it will come about at that time
That I will (AA)search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the people
Who are [l](AB)stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will (AC)not do good nor harm!’
13 Their wealth will become (AD)plunder,
And their houses desolate;
Yes, (AE)they will build houses but not inhabit them,
And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”
14 The (AF)great (AG)day of the Lord is near,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the Lord!
[m]In it the warrior (AH)cries out bitterly.
15 That day is a day of anger,
A day of (AI)trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of (AJ)darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of (AK)trumpet and battle cry
Against the (AL)fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
17 I will bring (AM)distress on mankind
So that they will walk (AN)like those who are blind,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
And their (AO)blood will be poured out like dust,
And their (AP)flesh like dung.
18 Neither their (AQ)silver nor their gold
Will be able to save them
On the day of the Lord’s anger;
And (AR)all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will (AS)make a complete end,
Indeed a horrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
2 Gather yourselves together, yes, (AT)join together,
You nation (AU)without [n]shame,
2 Before the decree [o]takes effect—
The day passes (AV)like chaff—
Before the (AW)burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the (AX)day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3 (AY)Seek the Lord,
All you (AZ)humble of the [p]earth
Who have practiced His [q]ordinances;
(BA)Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will (BB)remain hidden
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For (BC)Gaza will be abandoned,
And Ashkelon will become a desolation;
The inhabitants of (BD)Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
And (BE)Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the [r](BF)Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is (BG)against you,
(BH)Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will (BI)eliminate you
So that there will be (BJ)no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will become (BK)grazing places,
With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the (BL)remnant of the house of Judah,
They will (BM)drive sheep to pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will (BN)care for them
And (BO)restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the (BP)taunting of Moab
And the (BQ)abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And (BR)boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel,
“(BS)Moab will assuredly be like (BT)Sodom,
And the sons of (BU)Ammon like (BV)Gomorrah—
Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
And a permanent desolation.
The remnant of My people will (BW)plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their (BX)arrogance, because they have (BY)taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be (BZ)terrifying to them, for He will [s]starve (CA)all the gods of the earth; and all the (CB)coastlands of the nations will (CC)bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
12 “You also, (CD)Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will (CE)stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate (CF)Assyria,
And He will make (CG)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[t]All animals that range in herds;
Both the [u](CH)pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in [v]the tops of her pillars;
[w]Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the (CI)presumptuous city
That (CJ)dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“(CK)I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a (CL)desolation,
A resting place for animals!
(CM)Everyone who passes by her will [x]hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is (CN)rebellious and (CO)defiled,
The (CP)oppressive city!
2 She (CQ)obeyed no voice,
She (CR)accepted no discipline.
She did not (CS)trust in the Lord,
She did not (CT)approach her God.
3 Her (CU)leaders within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are (CV)wolves at evening;
They have no bones to gnaw in the morning.
4 Her prophets are (CW)insolent, treacherous men;
Her (CX)priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the Law.
5 The Lord is (CY)righteous (CZ)within her;
He will (DA)do no injustice.
(DB)Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He [y]does not fail.
But the [z]criminal (DC)knows no shame.
6 “I have eliminated nations;
Their corner towers are deserted.
I have (DD)laid waste their streets,
With no one passing by;
Their (DE)cities have been laid waste,
Without a person, (DF)without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘You will certainly revere Me,
You will (DG)accept discipline.’
So her dwelling will (DH)not be eliminated
In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her.
Instead, they were eager to (DI)corrupt all their deeds.
8 “Therefore (DJ)wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to (DK)gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For (DL)all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9 For then I will [aa]restore to the peoples (DM)pure lips,
So that all of them may (DN)call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him [ab]shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of (DO)Ethiopia
My worshipers, [ac]My dispersed ones,
Will (DP)bring My offerings.
11 On that day you will (DQ)feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your (DR)proud, arrogant ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My (DS)holy mountain.
A Remnant of Israel
12 But I will leave among you
A (DT)humble and lowly people,
And they will (DU)take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The (DV)remnant of Israel will (DW)do no wrong
And (DX)tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will (DY)feed and lie down
With no one to frighten them.”
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
(DZ)Shout in triumph, Israel!
Rejoice and triumph with all your heart,
Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away (EA)His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is (EB)in your midst;
You will no longer (EC)fear disaster.
16 (ED)On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“(EE)Do not be afraid, Zion;
(EF)Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 The Lord your God is (EG)in your midst,
A [ad](EH)victorious warrior.
He will (EI)rejoice over you with joy,
He will [ae]be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 I will gather those who are (EJ)worried about the appointed feasts—
They [af]came from you, Zion;
The disgrace of exile is a burden on [ag]them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your (EK)oppressors;
I will save (EL)those who limp
And gather the scattered,
And I will turn their (EM)shame into (EN)praise and fame
In all the earth.
20 At that time I will (EO)bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will make you (EP)famous and praiseworthy
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I (EQ)restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.