Beginning
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The [a](A)oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2 (B)How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do (C)not save.
3 Why do You make me (D)see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, (E)destruction and violence are before me;
(F)Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the (G)law is [b]ignored
And justice [c]is never upheld.
For the wicked (H)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (I)perverted.
5 “(J)Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! (K)Wonder!
Because I am doing (L)something in your days—
You would not believe if [d]you were told.
6 “For behold, I am (M)raising up the Chaldeans,
That [e]fierce and impetuous people
Who march [f]throughout the earth
To [g](N)seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and (O)feared;
Their (P)justice and [h]authority [i]originate with themselves.
8 “Their (Q)horses are swifter than leopards
And [j]keener than (R)wolves in the evening.
Their [k]horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (S)eagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence.
[l]Their horde of (T)faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
10 “They (U)mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They (V)laugh at every fortress
And (W)heap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through 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)everlasting,
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have (AB)appointed them to judge;
And You, O (AC)Rock, have established them to correct.
13 Your eyes are too (AD)pure to [m]approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You (AE)look with favor
On 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 men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a 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 glad.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [n]burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through (AK)these things their [o]catch is [p]large,
And their food is [q]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 on my guard post
And station myself on the rampart;
And I will (AO)keep watch to see (AP)what He will speak to me,
And how I may reply [r]when I am reproved.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said,
“(AQ)Record the vision
And inscribe it on tablets,
That [s]the one who [t]reads it may run.
3 “For the vision is yet for the (AR)appointed time;
It [u]hastens toward the goal and it will not [v]fail.
Though it tarries, (AS)wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it (AT)will not delay.
4 “Behold, as for the (AU)proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the (AV)righteous will live by his [w]faith.
5 “Furthermore, (AW)wine betrays the (AX)haughty man,
So that he does not (AY)stay at home.
He (AZ)enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all nations
And collects to himself all peoples.
6 “Will not all of these (BA)take up a taunt-song against him,
Even mockery and insinuations against him
And say, ‘(BB)Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself [x]rich with loans?’
7 “Will not [y]your creditors (BC)rise up suddenly,
And those who [z]collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 “Because you have (BD)looted many nations,
All the remainder of the peoples will loot you—
Because of human bloodshed and violence [aa]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
9 “Woe to him who gets (BE)evil gain for his house
To (BF)put his nest on high,
To be delivered from the hand of calamity!
10 “You have devised a (BG)shameful thing for your house
By cutting off many peoples;
So you are (BH)sinning against yourself.
11 “Surely the (BI)stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the [ab]framework.
12 “Woe to him who (BJ)builds a city with bloodshed
And founds a town with [ac]violence!
13 “Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts
That peoples (BK)toil for fire,
And nations grow 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 you who make [ad]your neighbors drink,
Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk
So as to look on their nakedness!
16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
Now you yourself (BM)drink and [ae]expose your own nakedness.
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 [af]done to Lebanon will [ag]overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its beasts [ah]by which you terrified them,
(BQ)Because of human bloodshed and (BR)violence [ai]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
18 “What (BS)profit is the [aj]idol when its maker has carved it,
Or [ak]an 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!’
And that is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with (BX)gold and silver,
And there is (BY)no breath at all inside it.
20 “But the (BZ)Lord is in His holy temple.
[al]Let all the earth (CA)be silent before Him.”
God’s Deliverance of His People
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to [am]Shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have (CB)heard [an]the report about You and [ao]I (CC)fear.
O Lord, (CD)revive (CE)Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember [ap](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 there is the hiding of His (CL)power.
5 Before Him goes (CM)pestilence,
And (CN)plague comes [aq]after Him.
6 He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and (CO)startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills [ar]collapsed.
His ways 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 wrath against the (CT)sea,
That You (CU)rode on Your horses,
On Your (CV)chariots of salvation?
9 Your (CW)bow was made bare,
The rods of [as]chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You (CX)cleaved the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep (CY)uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
11 (CZ)Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the (DA)light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.
12 In indignation You (DB)marched through the earth;
In anger You [at](DC)trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the (DD)salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your (DE)anointed.
You struck the (DF)head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from [au]thigh to neck. Selah.
14 You pierced with his (DG)own [av]spears
The head of his [aw]throngs.
They (DH)stormed in to scatter [ax]us;
Their exultation was like those
Who (DI)devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You (DJ)trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the (DK)surge of many waters.
16 I heard and my [ay]inward parts (DL)trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my (DM)bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must (DN)wait quietly for the day of distress,
[az]For the (DO)people to arise who will invade us.
17 Though the (DP)fig tree should not blossom
And there be no [ba]fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the (DQ)olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the (DR)flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be (DS)no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will (DT)exult in the Lord,
I will (DU)rejoice in the (DV)God of my salvation.
19 The Lord [bb]God is my (DW)strength,
And (DX)He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes 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)man and beast;
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 cut off man 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)cut off the remnant of Baal from this place,
And the names of the (I)idolatrous priests along with the priests.
5 “And those who bow down on the (J)housetops to the host of heaven,
And those who bow down and (K)swear to the Lord and yet swear by [d](L)Milcom,
6 And those who have (M)turned back from following the Lord,
And those who have (N)not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”
7 [e](O)Be silent before the Lord [f]God!
For the (P)day of the Lord is near,
For 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 I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold,
Who fill the house of their [g]lord with (U)violence and deceit.
10 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“There will be the sound of a cry from the (V)Fish Gate,
A wail from the [h](W)Second Quarter,
And a loud crash from the (X)hills.
11 “Wail, O inhabitants of the [i]Mortar,
For all the [j]people of (Y)Canaan will be silenced;
All who weigh out (Z)silver will be cut off.
12 “It will come about at that time
That I will (AA)search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the men
Who are [k](AB)stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will (AC)not do good or evil!’
13 “Moreover, 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 Near is the (AF)great (AG)day of the Lord,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the Lord!
[l]In it the warrior (AH)cries out bitterly.
15 A day of wrath is that day,
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 men
So that they will walk (AN)like the 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 deliver them
On the day of the Lord’s wrath;
And (AR)all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will (AS)make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Judgments on Judah’s Enemies
2 Gather yourselves together, yes, (AT)gather,
O nation (AU)without [m]shame,
2 Before the decree [n]takes effect—
The day passes (AV)like the 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 [o]earth
Who have carried out His [p]ordinances;
(BA)Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be (BB)hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For (BC)Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
(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 [q](BF)Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is (BG)against you,
O (BH)Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will (BI)destroy you
So that there will be (BJ)no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be (BK)pastures,
With [r]caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the (BL)remnant of the house of Judah,
They will (BM)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 fortune.
8 “I have heard the [s](BP)taunting of Moab
And the (BQ)revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have [t]taunted My people
And [u](BR)become arrogant against their territory.
9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely (BS)Moab will be like (BT)Sodom
And the sons of (BU)Ammon like (BV)Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual 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)pride, because they have [v](BY)taunted and [w]become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11 The Lord will be (BZ)terrifying to them, for He will [x]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, O (CD)Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will (CE)stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy (CF)Assyria,
And He will make (CG)Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
[y]All beasts which range in herds;
Both the [z](CH)pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in [aa]the tops of her pillars;
[ab]Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.
15 This is the (CI)exultant city
Which (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 beasts!
(CM)Everyone who passes by her will 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)tyrannical city!
2 She (CQ)heeded no voice,
She (CR)accepted no instruction.
She did not (CS)trust in the Lord,
She did not (CT)draw near to her God.
3 Her (CU)princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are (CV)wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are (CW)reckless, 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 does not fail.
But the unjust (DC)knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets (DD)desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their (DE)cities are laid waste,
Without a man, (DF)without an inhabitant.
7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
(DG)Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will (DH)not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But 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 [ac]give to the peoples (DM)purified lips,
That all of them may (DN)call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him [ad]shoulder to shoulder.
10 “From beyond the rivers of (DO)Ethiopia
My [ae]worshipers, [af]My dispersed ones,
Will (DP)bring My offerings.
11 “In 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, exulting 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 make them tremble.”
14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
(DZ)Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O 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 (EC)fear disaster no more.
16 (ED)In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“(EE)Do not be afraid, O Zion;
(EF)Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is (EG)in your midst,
A [ag](EH)victorious warrior.
He will (EI)exult over you with joy,
He will [ah]be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 “I will gather those who (EJ)grieve about the appointed feasts—
They [ai]came from you, O Zion;
The reproach of exile is a burden on [aj]them.
19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your (EK)oppressors,
I will save the (EL)lame
And gather the outcast,
And I will turn their (EM)shame into (EN)praise and renown
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 give you (EP)renown and praise
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 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.