| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. | 1The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. |
| 2O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will 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 show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, 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 powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. | 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 and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. | 5Look at the nations and observe-- be utterly astounded! For something is taking place in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it. |
| 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. | 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 terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. | 7They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem 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. | 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 an eagle, swooping to devour. |
| 9“They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. | 9All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners 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. | 10They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it. |
| 11Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his 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 shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. | 12Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God? My Holy One, You will not die. LORD, You appointed them to execute judgment; my Rock, You destined them to punish us. |
| 13You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he? | 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 do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? | 14You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler. |
| 15They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. 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 sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food 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. |
| 17Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity? | 17Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy? |
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