Habakkuk 1-3
Contemporary English Version
1 I am Habakkuk the prophet. And this is the message[a] that the Lord gave me.
Habakkuk Complains to the Lord
2 Our Lord, how long must I beg
for your help
before you listen?
How long before you save us
from all this violence?
3 Why do you make me watch
such terrible injustice?
Why do you allow violence,
lawlessness, crime, and cruelty
to spread everywhere?
4 Laws cannot be enforced;
justice is always the loser;
criminals crowd out honest people
and twist the laws around.
The Lord Answers Habakkuk
5 (A) Look and be amazed
at what's happening
among the nations!
Even if you were told,
you would never believe
what's taking place now.
6 (B) I am sending the Babylonians.
They are fierce and cruel—
marching across the land,
conquering cities and towns.
7 How fearsome and frightening.
Their only laws and rules
are the ones they make up.
8 Their cavalry troops are faster
than leopards,
more ferocious than wolves
hunting at sunset,
and swifter than hungry eagles
suddenly swooping down.
9 They are eager to destroy,[b]
and they gather captives
like handfuls of sand.
10 They make fun of rulers
and laugh at fortresses,
while building dirt mounds
so they can capture cities.[c]
11 Then suddenly they disappear
like a gust of wind—
those sinful people who worship
their own strength.
Habakkuk Complains Again
12 Holy Lord God, mighty rock,[d]
you are eternal,
and we[e] are safe from death.
You are using those Babylonians
to judge and punish others.[f]
13 But you can't stand sin or wrong.
So don't sit by in silence
while they gobble up people
who are better than they are.
14 The people you put on this earth
are like fish or reptiles
without a leader.
15 Then an enemy comes along
and takes them captive
with hooks and nets.
It makes him so happy
16 that he offers sacrifices
to his fishing nets,
because they make him rich
and provide choice foods.
17 Will he keep hauling in his nets
and destroying nations
without showing mercy?
The Lord Answers Habakkuk Again
2 While standing guard
on the watchtower,
I waited for the Lord's answer,
before explaining the reason
for my complaint.[g]
2 Then the Lord told me:
“I will give you my message
in the form of a vision.
Write it clearly enough
to be read at a glance.
3 (C) At the time I have decided,
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting—
it will happen!
4 (D) “I, the Lord, refuse to accept
anyone who is proud.
Only those who live by faith
are acceptable to me.”[h]
Trouble for Evil People
5 Wine[i] is treacherous,
and arrogant people
are never satisfied.
They are no less greedy
than death itself—
they open their mouths as wide
as the world of the dead
and swallow everyone.
6 But they will be mocked
with these words:
You're doomed!
You stored up stolen goods
and cheated others
of what belonged to them.
7 But without warning,
those you owe
will demand payment.
Then you will become
a frightened victim.
8 You robbed cities and nations
everywhere on earth
and murdered their people.
Now those who survived
will be as cruel to you.
9 You're doomed!
You made your family rich
at the expense of others.
You even said to yourself,
“I'm above the law.”
10 But you will bring shame
on your family
and ruin to yourself
for what you did to others.
11 The very stones and wood
in your home
will testify against you.
12 You're doomed! You built a city
on crime and violence.
13 (E) But the Lord All-Powerful
sends up in flames
what nations and people
work so hard to gain.
14 (F) Just as water fills the sea,
the land will be filled
with people who know
and honor the Lord.
15 You're doomed!
You get your friends drunk,
just to see them naked.
16 Now you will be disgraced
instead of praised.
The Lord will make you drunk,
and when others see you naked,
you will lose their respect.
17 You destroyed trees and animals
on Mount Lebanon;
you were ruthless to towns
and people everywhere.
Now you will be terrorized.
Idolatry Is Foolish
18 What is an idol worth?
It's merely a false god.
Why trust a speechless image
made from wood or metal
by human hands?
19 What can you learn from idols
covered with silver or gold?
They can't even breathe.
Pity anyone who says to an idol
of wood or stone,
“Get up and do something!”
20 Let all the world be silent—
the Lord is present
in his holy temple.
Habakkuk's Prayer
3 This is my prayer:[j]
2 I know your reputation, Lord,
and I am amazed
at what you have done.
Please turn from your anger
and be merciful;
do for us what you did
for our ancestors.
3 You are the same Holy God
who came from Teman
and Paran[k] to help us.
The brightness of your glory
covered the heavens,
and your praises were heard
everywhere on earth.
4 Your glory shone like the sun,
and light flashed from your hands,
hiding your mighty power.
5 Dreadful diseases and plagues
marched in front
and followed behind.
6 When you stopped,
the earth shook;
when you stared,
nations trembled;
when you walked
along your ancient paths,
eternal mountains and hills
crumbled and collapsed.
7 The tents of desert tribes
in Cushan and Midian[l]
were ripped apart.
8 Our Lord, were you angry
with the monsters
of the deep?[m]
You attacked in your chariot
and wiped them out.
9 Your arrows were ready
and obeyed your commands.[n]
You split the earth apart
with rivers and streams;
10 mountains trembled
at the sight of you;
rain poured from the clouds;
ocean waves roared and rose.
11 The sun and moon stood still,
while your arrows and spears
flashed like lightning.
12 In your furious anger,
you trampled on nations
13 to rescue your people
and save your chosen one.[o]
You crushed a nation's ruler
and stripped his evil kingdom
of its power.[p]
14 His troops had come like a storm,
hoping to scatter us
and glad to gobble us up.
To them we were refugees
in hiding—
but you smashed their heads
with their own weapons.[q]
15 Then your chariots churned
the waters of the sea.
Habakkuk's Response to God's Message
16 When I heard this message,[r]
I felt weak from fear,
and my lips quivered.
My bones seemed to melt,
and I stumbled around.
But I will patiently wait.
Someday those vicious enemies
will be struck by disaster.[s]
Trust in a Time of Trouble
17 Fig trees may no longer bloom,
or vineyards produce grapes;
olive trees may be fruitless,
and harvest time a failure;
sheep pens may be empty,
and cattle stalls vacant—
18 but I will still celebrate
because the Lord God
is my Savior.
19 (G) The Lord gives me strength.
He makes my feet as sure
as those of a deer,
and he helps me stand
on the mountains.[t]
To the music director:
Use stringed instruments.
Footnotes
- 1.1 message: Or “vision.”
- 1.9 eager to destroy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 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.”
- 2.1 I … complaint: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 2.4 Only … me: Or “But those who are acceptable to me will live because of their faithfulness.”
- 2.5 Wine: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “Wealth.”
- 3.1 prayer: The Hebrew text adds “according to the shigionoth,” which may mean a prayer of request or a prayer to be accompanied by a special musical instrument.
- 3.3 Teman … Paran: Teman is a district in Edom, but the name is sometimes used of the whole country of Edom; Paran is the hill country along the western border of the Gulf of Aqaba. In Judges 5.4, the Lord is said to have marched from Edom to help his people; in Deuteronomy 33.2, Paran is mentioned in connection with the Lord's appearance at Sinai.
- 3.7 Cushan and Midian: Tribes of the Arabian desert who were enemies of Israel.
- 3.8 monsters of the deep: The Hebrew text has “rivers and oceans,” which may stand for the powerful monsters that were thought to have lived there before the Lord defeated them.
- 3.9 obeyed your commands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.13 chosen one: Or “chosen ones.”
- 3.13 You crushed … power: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.14 but you … weapons: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.16 heard this message: Or “saw this vision.”
- 3.16 I will … disaster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.19 stand on the mountains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
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