[0] Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your
chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut
off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no
more be heard. [1] The oracle of God which Habak'kuk the prophet saw. [2] O
LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not hear? Or cry to thee
"Violence!" and thou wilt not save? [3] Why dost thou make me see wrongs
and look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and
contention arise. [4] So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. [5]
Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a
work in your days that you would not believe if told. [6] For lo, I am
rousing the Chalde'ans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the
breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own. [7] Dread and
terrible are they; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves. [8]
Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening
wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Yea, their horsemen come from
afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. [9] They all come for
violence; terror of them goes before them. They gather captives like sand.
[10] At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at
every fortress, for they heap up earth and take it. [11] Then they sweep by
like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god! [12] Art
thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O
LORD, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast
established them for chastisement. [13] Thou who art of purer eyes than to
behold evil and canst not look on wrong, why dost thou look on faithless
men, and art silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than
he? [14] For thou makest men like the fish of the sea, like crawling things
that have no ruler. [15] He brings all of them up with a hook, he drags
them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and
exults. [16] Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his
seine; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. [17] Is he
then to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying nations for ever?
