Hab 1 | NASB1995 | STEP | The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw .

Habakkuk 1

Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah

1 The ^{▼▼ Or burden
,} ^boracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 ^cHow long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do ^dnot save.
3 Why do You make me ^esee iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, ^fdestruction and violence are before me;
^gStrife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the ^hlaw is ^{▼▼ Or ineffective; lit numbed}ignored
And justice ^{▼▼ Lit never goes forth}is never upheld.
For the wicked ^ksurround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out ^lperverted.

5 ^m“Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! ⁿWonder!
Because I am doing ^osomething in your days—
You would not believe if ^{▼▼ Lit it}you were told.
6 “For behold, I am ^qraising up the Chaldeans,
That ^{▼▼ Lit bitter}fierce and impetuous people
Who march ^{▼▼ Lit the breadth of}throughout the earth
To ^{▼▼ Lit take possession of
,} ^useize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and ^vfeared;
Their ^wjustice and ^{▼▼ Lit eminence}authority ^{▼▼ Lit proceeds from}originate with themselves.
8 “Their ^zhorses are swifter than leopards
And ^{▼▼ Or more eager to attack}keener than ^abwolves in the evening.
Their ^{▼▼ Or steeds paw the ground}horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an ^adeagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence.
^{▼▼ Or The eagerness of their faces}Their horde of ^affaces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
10 “They ^agmock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They ^ahlaugh at every fortress
And ^aiheap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the ^ajwind and pass on.
But they will be held ^akguilty,
They whose ^alstrength is their god.”

12 Are You not from ^ameverlasting,
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have ^anappointed them to judge;
And You, O ^aoRock, have established them to correct.
13 Your eyes are too ^appure to ^{▼▼ Lit look at}approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You ^arlook with favor
On those who deal ^astreacherously?
Why are You ^atsilent when the wicked ^auswallow 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 ^avbring all of them up with a hook,
^awDrag 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 ^{▼▼ Or sacrifice}burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through ^aythese things their ^{▼▼ Lit portion}catch is ^{▼▼ Lit fat; or plentiful}large,
And their food is ^{▼▼ Lit the fat portion}plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their ^bcnet
And continually ^bdslay nations without sparing?