Habakkuk 1:1-11
New American Standard Bible
2How long, Lord, have I called for help, And You do not hear? I cry out to You, 'Violence!' Yet You do not save.
3Why do You make me see disaster, And make me look at destitution? Yes, devastation and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.
4Therefore the Law is ignored, And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out confused.
5'Look among the nations! Watch! Be horrified! Be frightened speechless! For I am accomplishing a work in your days— You would not believe it even if you were told!
6For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That grim and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth, To take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7They are terrifying and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves.
8Their horses are faster than leopards, And quicker than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen charge along, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They gather captives like sand.
10They make fun of kings, And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them. They laugh at every fortress, Then heap up dirt and capture it.
11Then they fly along like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.'
King James Version
Chapter 1
1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. 2O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
4Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
Christian Standard Bible
2How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save?
3Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.
5Look at the nations and observe — be utterly astounded! For I am doing something in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it.
6Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own.
7They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves.
8Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.
9All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand.
10They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it.
11Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their strength is their god.
New Living Translation
2How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! 'Violence is everywhere!' I cry, but you do not come to save.
3Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.
4The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.
5The Lord replied, 'Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.
6I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands.
7They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like.
8Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.
9'On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them!
11They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god.'
English Standard Version
2O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.
5 "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
6For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.
7They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.
10At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.
11Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!"
New International Version
2How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?
3Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
5"Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
6I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.
7They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.
8Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.
10They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them.
11Then they sweep past like the wind and go on— guilty people, whose own strength is their god."
New King James Version
2O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.
3Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
4Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
5“Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
9“They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.
10They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
11Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”
