1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen: 2 Until when, O YHWH, have I cried, || And You do not hear? I cry to You, “Violence!” And You do not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, || And cause me to behold perversity? And spoiling and violence are before me, || And there is strife, and contention lifts itself up, 4 Therefore law ceases, || And judgment does not go out forever, || For the wicked is surrounding the righteous, || Therefore wrong judgment goes out. 5 “Look on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, || You do not believe though it is declared. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, || The bitter and hasty nation, || That is going to the broad places of earth, || To occupy dwelling places not his own. 7 He is terrible and fearful, || His judgment and his excellence go out from him. 8 His horses have been swifter than leopards, || And sharper than evening wolves, || And his horsemen have increased, || Even his horsemen from afar come in, || They fly as an eagle, hastening to consume. 9 All for violence—he comes in, || Their faces swallowing up the east wind, || And he gathers a captivity as the sand. 10 And he scoffs at kings, || And princes are a laughter to him, || He laughs at every fortification, || And he heaps up dust, and captures it. 11 Then the spirit has passed on, || Indeed, he transgresses, || And ascribes this—his power—to his god.” 12 Are You not of old, O YHWH, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O YHWH, || You have appointed him for judgment, || And, O Rock, You have founded him for reproof. 13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, || You are not able to look on perverseness, || Why do You behold the treacherous? You keep silent when the wicked || Swallow the more righteous than he, 14 And You make man as fishes of the sea, || As a creeping thing with none ruling over him. 15 He has brought up each of them with a hook, || He catches it in his net, and gathers it in his dragnet, || Therefore he delights and rejoices. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net, || And makes incense to his dragnet, || For by them is his portion fertile, and his food fat. 17 Does he therefore empty his net, || And continually not spare to slay nations?