Habakkuk 1

Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah

1The 1pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:

22How long, Lord, have I called for help, And You do not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do 3not save.3Why do You make me 4see disaster, And make me look at destitution? Yes, 5devastation and violence are before me; 6Strife exists and contention arises.4Therefore the 7Law 8is ignored, And justice 9is never upheld. For the wicked 10surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out 11confused.

5“12Look among the nations! Watch! Be horrified! 13Be frightened speechless! For I am accomplishing 14a work in your days-- You would not believe it even if 15you were told!6For behold, I am 16raising up the Chaldeans, That 17grim and impetuous people Who march 18throughout the earth, To 19take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.7They are terrifying and 20feared; Their 21justice and 22authority 23originate with themselves.8Their 24horses are faster than leopards, And quicker than 25wolves in the evening. Their 26horsemen charge along, Their 27horsemen come from afar; They fly like an 28eagle 29swooping down to devour.9All of them come for violence. 30Their horde of 31faces moves forward. They gather captives like sand.10They 32make fun of kings, And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them. They 33laugh at every fortress, Then 34heap up dirt and 35capture it.11Then they fly along like the 36wind and pass on. But they will be held 37guilty, They whose 38strength is their god.”

12Are You not from 39time everlasting, Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, Lord, have 40appointed them to deliver judgment; And You, O 41Rock, have destined them to punish.13Your eyes are too 42pure to look at evil, And You cannot look at harm favorably. Why do You 43look favorably At those who deal 44treacherously? Why are You 45silent when the wicked 46swallow up Those more righteous than they?14Why have You made people like the fish of the sea, Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?15The Chaldeans 47bring all of them up with a hook, 48Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.16Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And 49burn incense to their fishing net, Because through 50these things their 51catch is 52large, And their food is 53plentiful.17Will they therefore empty their 54net, And continually 55slay nations without sparing?