Habakkuk 1:6–17

⁶I am going to send the armies of Babylonia to attack you.

They are very mean. They move quickly.

They sweep across the whole earth.

They take over places

that do not belong to them.

⁷They terrify others.

They do not recognize any laws but their own.

That is how proud they are.

⁸Their horses are faster than leopards.

They are meaner than wolves in the dark.

Their horsemen charge straight into battle.

They ride in from far away.

They come down like an eagle

diving for its food.

⁹All of them are ready to destroy others.

Their huge armies advance like a wind out of the desert.

They gather prisoners like sand.

¹⁰They laugh at kings

and make fun of rulers.

They laugh at all of the cities

that have high walls around them.

They build dirt ramps against the walls

and capture the cities.

¹¹They sweep past like the wind.

Then they go on their way.

They are guilty.

They worship their own strength.”

Habakkuk Asks the Lord Another Question

¹²Lord, haven’t you existed forever?

You are my holy God.

So we won’t die, will we?

Lord, you have appointed the Babylonians

to punish your people.

My Rock, you have chosen them to judge us.

¹³Your eyes are too pure to look at what is evil.

You can’t put up with the wrong things people do.

So why do you put up

with those who can’t be trusted?

The evil Babylonians swallow up

those who are more godly than themselves.

So why are you silent?

¹⁴You have made men as if they were only fish in the sea.

They are like sea creatures that don’t have a ruler.

¹⁵The evil Babylonians pull all of them up with hooks.

They catch them in their nets.

They gather them up.

So they celebrate.

They are glad.

¹⁶They offer sacrifices to their nets.

They burn incense to them.

Their nets allow them to live in great comfort.

They enjoy the finest food.

¹⁷Are you going to let them

keep on emptying their nets?

Will they go on destroying nations

without showing them any mercy?