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Habakkuk 1-3
Darby Translation
Habakkuk 1-3
Darby Translation
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2 Jehovah, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee, Violence! and thou dost not save.
3 Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity, and lookest thou upon grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked encompasseth the righteous; therefore judgment goeth forth perverted.
5 See ye among the nations, and behold, and wonder marvellously; for [I] work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be declared [to you].
6 For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, which marcheth through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
9 They come all of them for violence: the crowd of their faces is forwards, and they gather captives as the sand.
10 Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a scorn unto him; he derideth every stronghold: for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.
11 Then will his mind change, and he will pass on, and become guilty: this his power is become his +god.
12 —Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast appointed him for correction.
13 [Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on mischief: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] keepest silence when the wicked swalloweth up a [man] more righteous than he?
14 And thou makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them.
15 He taketh up all of them with the hook, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them into his drag; therefore he rejoiceth and is glad:
16 therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; for by them his portion is become fat, and his meat dainty.
17 Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
2 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer as to my reproof.
2 And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and engrave it upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but it hasteth to the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; for it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright within him: but the just shall live by his faith.
5 And moreover, the wine is treacherous: he is a proud man, and keepeth not at rest, he enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is like death and cannot be satisfied; and he assembleth unto him all nations, and gathereth unto him all peoples.
6 Shall not all these take up a proverb about him, and a taunting riddle against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long?—and to him that loadeth himself with pledges!
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and they awake up that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
8 Because thou hast plundered many nations, all the rest of the peoples shall plunder thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence [done] to the land, to the city, and all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that getteth iniquitous gain to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the grasp of evil!
10 Thou hast devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and hast sinned against thine own soul.
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by unrighteousness!
13 Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink,—that pourest out thy flask, and makest [him] drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
16 Thou art filled with shame instead of glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of Jehovah's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and a shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
17 For the violence [done] to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of beasts which made them afraid; because of men's blood, and for the violence [done] to the land, to the city, and all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it? the molten image, and the teacher of falsehood, that the maker of his work dependeth thereon, to make dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake! to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall it teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him!
3 A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
2 Jehovah, I heard the report of thee, [and] I feared. Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make [it] known: In wrath remember mercy!
3 +God came from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covereth the heavens, And the earth is full of his praise.
4 And [his] brightness was as the light; Rays [came forth] from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.
5 Before him went the pestilence, And a burning flame went forth at his feet.
6 He stood, and measured the earth; He beheld, and discomfited the nations; And the eternal mountains were scattered, The everlasting hills gave way: His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 Was Jehovah wrathful with the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy rage against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thy horses, Thy chariots of salvation?
9 Thy bow was made naked, The rods [of discipline] sworn according to [thy] word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw thee, they were in travail: Torrents of waters passed by; The deep uttered its voice, Lifted up its hands on high.
11 The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows which shot forth,—At the shining of thy glittering spear.
12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, Thou didst thresh the nations in anger.
13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed; Thou didst smite off the head from the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation even to the neck. Selah.
14 Thou didst strike through with his own spears the head of his leaders: They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me, Whose exulting was as to devour the afflicted secretly.
15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thy horses, The heap of great waters.
16 I heard, and my belly trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in my place, That I might rest in the day of distress, When their invader shall come up against the people.
17 For though the fig-tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive-tree shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], And he will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 1-3
New International Version
Habakkuk 1-3
New International Version
1 The prophecy(A) that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long,(B) Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?(C)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?(D)
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate(E) wrongdoing?(F)
Destruction and violence(G) are before me;
there is strife,(H) and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law(I) is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice(J) is perverted.(K)
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.(L)
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.(M)
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](N)
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(O)
to seize dwellings not their own.(P)
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;(Q)
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter(R) than leopards,
fiercer than wolves(S) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9 they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners(T) like sand.
10 They mock kings
and scoff at rulers.(U)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps(V) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind(W) and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”(X)
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(Y)
My God, my Holy One,(Z) you[c] will never die.(AA)
You, Lord, have appointed(AB) them to execute judgment;
you, my Rock,(AC) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(AD) to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(AE)
Why then do you tolerate(AF) the treacherous?(AG)
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(AH)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(AI) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(AJ)
he catches them in his net,(AK)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense(AL) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?(AM)
2 I will stand at my watch(AN)
and station myself on the ramparts;(AO)
I will look to see what he will say(AP) to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[d](AQ)
The Lord’s Answer
2 Then the Lord replied:
“Write(AR) down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald[e] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(AS)
it speaks of the end(AT)
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(AU) for it;
it[f] will certainly come
and will not delay.(AV)
4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person(AW) will live by his faithfulness[g](AX)—
5 indeed, wine(AY) betrays him;
he is arrogant(AZ) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,(BA)
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive(BB) all the peoples.
6 “Will not all of them taunt(BC) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(BD)
How long must this go on?’
7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.(BE)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.(BF)
For you have shed human blood;(BG)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(BH)
9 “Woe to him who builds(BI) his house by unjust gain,(BJ)
setting his nest(BK) on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(BL) of many peoples,
shaming(BM) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(BN) of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(BO)
and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(BP)
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(BQ)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(BR) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.(BS)
15 “Woe to him who gives drink(BT) to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(BU) instead of glory.(BV)
Now it is your turn! Drink(BW) and let your nakedness be exposed[h]!(BX)
The cup(BY) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(BZ) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(CA)
For you have shed human blood;(CB)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
18 “Of what value(CC) is an idol(CD) carved by a craftsman?
Or an image(CE) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.(CF)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(CG)
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;(CH)
there is no breath in it.”(CI)
Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.[i](CL)
2 Lord, I have heard(CM) of your fame;
I stand in awe(CN) of your deeds, Lord.(CO)
Repeat(CP) them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.(CQ)
3 God came from Teman,(CR)
the Holy One(CS) from Mount Paran.[j](CT)
His glory covered the heavens(CU)
and his praise filled the earth.(CV)
4 His splendor was like the sunrise;(CW)
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power(CX) was hidden.
5 Plague(CY) went before him;
pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth;
he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled(CZ)
and the age-old hills(DA) collapsed(DB)—
but he marches on forever.(DC)
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
the dwellings of Midian(DD) in anguish.(DE)
8 Were you angry with the rivers,(DF) Lord?
Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea(DG)
when you rode your horses
and your chariots to victory?(DH)
9 You uncovered your bow,
you called for many arrows.(DI)
You split the earth with rivers;
10 the mountains saw you and writhed.(DJ)
Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared(DK)
and lifted its waves(DL) on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still(DM) in the heavens
at the glint of your flying arrows,(DN)
at the lightning(DO) of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth
and in anger you threshed(DP) the nations.
13 You came out(DQ) to deliver(DR) your people,
to save your anointed(DS) one.
You crushed(DT) the leader of the land of wickedness,
you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head
when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,(DU)
gloating as though about to devour
the wretched(DV) who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea(DW) with your horses,
churning the great waters.(DX)
16 I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.(DY)
Yet I will wait patiently(DZ) for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,(EA)
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,(EB)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,(EC)
I will be joyful in God my Savior.(ED)
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;(EE)
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.(EF)
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
- Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
- Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
- Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
- Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
- Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith
- Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
- Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
- Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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