Habakkuk 1:12–17

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.

Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and makes offerings to his dragnet;

for by them he lives in luxury,

and his food is rich.

Is he then to keep on emptying his net

and mercilessly killing nations forever?

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.

Therefore he sacrifices to his net

and burns incense to his dragnet,

for by his net he lives in luxury

and enjoys the choicest food.

Is he to keep on emptying his net,

destroying nations without mercy?

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.

That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet

and burn incense to their fishing net,

for by these things their portion is rich

and their food plentiful.

Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy?

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?

Then they will worship their nets

and burn incense in front of them.

“These nets are the gods who have made us rich!”

they will claim.

Will you let them get away with this forever?

Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

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.

Therefore he sacrifices to his fishnet

and makes offerings to his dragnet,

for by them he makes a good living

and his food is rich.

Will he therefore empty his fishnet

and continually kill nations without showing mercy?

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.

Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag;

Because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.

Shall they therefore empty their net,

And not spare continually to slay the nations?