| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. | 1The following is the message which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet: |
| 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 cry for help? But you do not listen! I call out to you, "Violence!" But you do not intervene! |
| 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 witness injustice? Why do you put up with wrongdoing? Destruction and violence confront me; conflict is present and one must endure strife. |
| 4Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. | 4For this reason the law lacks power, and justice is never carried out. Indeed, the wicked intimidate the innocent. For this reason justice is 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. | 5"Look at the nations and pay attention! You will be shocked and amazed! For I will do something in your lifetime that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. |
| 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 about to empower the Babylonians, that ruthless and greedy nation. They sweep across the surface of the earth, seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them. |
| 7They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. | 7They are frightening and terrifying; they decide for themselves what is right. |
| 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 faster than leopards and more alert than wolves in the desert. Their horses gallop, their horses come a great distance; like a vulture they swoop down quickly to devour their prey. |
| 9“They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand. | 9All of them intend to do violence; every face is determined. They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up 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 laugh at rulers. They laugh at every fortified city; they build siege ramps and capture them. |
| 11Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.” | 11They sweep by like the wind and pass on. But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty." |
| 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. | 12LORD, you have been active from ancient times; my sovereign God, you are immortal. LORD, you have made them your instrument of judgment. Protector, you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. |
| 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? | 13You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing. So why do you put up with such treacherous people? Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour those more righteous than they are? |
| 14Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? | 14You made people like fish in the sea, like animals in the sea 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 Babylonian tyrant pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in with his throw net. When he catches them in his dragnet, he is very happy. |
| 16Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. | 16Because of his success he offers sacrifices to his throw net and burns incense to his dragnet; for because of them he has plenty of food, and more than enough to eat. |
| 17Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity? | 17Will he then continue to fill and empty his throw net? Will he always destroy nations and spare none? |
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