35 Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O Lord?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, of course.” The present translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question, rendering it as an affirmation. When used in a temporal sense the phrase מִקֶדֶם (miqedem) means “from antiquity, ancient times,” often referring to earlier periods in Israel’s history. See its use in Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10; Mic 5:2.
36 Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b–13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”
37 The reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.
38 Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
39 Heb “for judgment.”
40 Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. , “O mighty God”).
41 Heb “to correct, reprove.”
42 Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.
43 Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
44 Heb “to look at.” Cf. “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
45 Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, 1:470–73.
46 Or “swallow up.”
47 Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
48 The Hebrew word רֶמֶשׂ (remesh) usually refers to animals that creep, but here the referent seems to be marine animals that glide through the water (note the parallelism in the previous line). See also Ps 104:25.
49 Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. “The Chaldeans”; “The wicked foe”; “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
50 Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (), 165.
51 Heb “and he gathers.”
52 Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Are you not from everlasting,

O Lord my God, my Holy One?

We shall not die.

O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,

and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil

and cannot look at wrong,

why do you idly look at traitors

and remain silent when the wicked swallows up

the man more righteous than he?

You make mankind like the fish of the sea,

like crawling things that have no ruler.

He brings all of them up with a hook;

he drags them out with his net;

he gathers them in his dragnet;

so he rejoices and is glad.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Lord, are you not from everlasting?

My God, my Holy One, you will never die.

You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;

you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;

you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?

Why are you silent while the wicked

swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

You have made people like the fish in the sea,

like the sea creatures that have no ruler.

The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,

he catches them in his net,

he gathers them up in his dragnet;

and so he rejoices and is glad.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Are you not from eternity, Lord my God?

My Holy One, you will not die.

Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment;

my Rock, you destined them to punish us.

Your 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?

You have made mankind

like the fish of the sea,

like marine creatures that have no ruler.

The 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.

NLTNew Living Translation

O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal—

surely you do not plan to wipe us out?

O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us,

to punish us for our many sins.

But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.

Will you wink at their treachery?

Should you be silent while the wicked

swallow up people more righteous than they?

Are we only fish to be caught and killed?

Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?

Must we be strung up on their hooks

and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Are you not from of old,

O Yahweh my God, my Holy One?

You shall not die.

O Yahweh, you have marked them for judgment;

O Rock, you have established them for reproof.

Your eyes are too pure to see evil,

and you are not able to look at wrongdoing.

Why do you look at the treacherous?

Why are you silent when the wicked swallows up

someone more righteous than him?

You make humankind like fish of the sea,

like crawling creatures that have no ruler among them.

He brings up all of them with a fishhook;

he drags them up with his fishnet,

and he gathers them in his dragnet.

Therefore, he rejoices and exults.

KJV 1900King James Version

Art thou not from everlasting,

O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die.

O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment;

And, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,

And canst not look on iniquity:

Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously,

And holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

And makest men as the fishes of the sea,

As the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

They take up all of them with the angle,

They catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag:

Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

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