Habakkuk 1:10-12

Contemporary English Version

¹⁰They make fun of rulers
    and laugh at fortresses,
while building dirt mounds
    so they can capture cities.^[a]
¹¹Then suddenly they disappear
    like a gust of wind—
those sinful people who worship
    their own strength.

Habakkuk Complains Again

¹²Holy Lord God, mighty rock,^[b]
you are eternal,
and we^[c] are safe from death.
You are using those Babylonians
to judge and punish others.^[d]

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Footnotes

1.10 dirt mounds … cities: Attacking armies often build dirt mounds against city walls to make it easier for them to climb the wall and capture the city.
1.12 mighty rock: The Hebrew text has “rock,” which is sometimes used in poetry to compare the Lord to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies.
1.12 we: Hebrew; one ancient Jewish tradition “you.”
1.12 You … others: Or “You will judge and punish those Babylonians.”