| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. | 1The pronouncement that the prophet Habakkuk saw. |
| 2How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, "Violence!" Yet You do not save. | 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 make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. | 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. |
| 4Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted. | 4This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted. |
| 5"Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days-- You would not believe if you were told. | 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. |
| 6"For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs. | 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. |
| 7"They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves. | 7They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. |
| 8"Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. | 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. |
| 9"All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. | 9All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand. |
| 10"They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it. | 10They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it. |
| 11"Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god." | 11Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their strength is their god. |
| 12Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct. | 12Are you not from eternity, LORD my God? My Holy One, you will not die. LORD, you appointed them to execute judgment; my Rock, you destined them to punish us. |
| 13Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? | 13Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself? |
| 14Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them? | 14You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler. |
| 15The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. | 15The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet, and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice. |
| 16Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful. | 16That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful. |
| 17Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing? | 17Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy? |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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