Habakkuk 1-2
King James Version
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.
7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
12 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.
13 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?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
15 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.
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
2 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 1-2
1599 Geneva Bible
Habakkuk
1 1 A complaint against the wicked that persecute the just.
1 The burden, which Habakkuk the Prophet did see.
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee [a]for violence, and thou wilt not help!
3 Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold sorrow? for spoiling, and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4 Therefore the Law is dissolved, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth [b]compass about the righteous: therefore [c]wrong judgment proceedeth.
5 Behold among the heathen, and regard, and wonder, and marvel: for I will work a work in your days: [d]ye will not believe it, though it be told you.
6 For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and furious nation, which shall go upon the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and fearful: [e]their judgment, and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the wolves in the (A)evening: and their horsemen are many: and their horsemen shall come from far: they shall fly as the eagle hasting to meat.
9 They come all to spoil: for their faces shall be an [f]East wind, and they shall gather the captivity [g]as the sand.
10 And they shall mock the Kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold: for they shall gather [h]dust, and take it.
11 Then shall they [i]take a courage, and transgress and do wickedly, imputing this their power unto their god.
12 Art not thou of old, O Lord my God, mine holy One? we shall not [j]die: O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment, and O God, thou hast established them for correction.
13 Thou art of pure eyes, and canst not see evil: thou canst not behold wickedness: wherefore dost thou look upon the transgressors, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man, that is more righteous than he?
14 And makest men as the [k]fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all with the angle: they catch it in their net, and gather it in their yarn, whereof they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their [l]net, and burn incense unto their yarn, because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
17 Shall they therefore stretch out their net, and not spare continually to slay [m]the nations?
2 1 A vision. 5 Against pride, covetousness, drunkenness, and idolatry.
1 I will stand upon my [n]watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look and see what he would say unto me, and what I shall answer to him that rebuketh me.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run [o]that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the [p]last it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait: for it shall surely come, and shall not stay.
4 Behold, [q]he that lifteth up himself, his mind is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith,
5 Yea, indeed the proud man is as [r]he that transgresseth by wine: therefore shall he not endure, because he hath enlarged his desire as the hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Ho, he that increaseth that which is not his? [s]how long? and he that ladeth himself with thick clay?
7 Shall [t]they not rise up suddenly, that shall bite thee? and awake, that shall stir thee? and thou shalt be their prey?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee, because of men’s blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the city, and unto all that dwell therein.
9 Ho, he that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, to escape from the power of evil.
10 Thou [u]hast consulted shame to thine own house, by destroying many people, and hast sinned against thine own soul.
11 For the [v]stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe unto him that buildeth a town with blood, and erecteth a city by iniquity.
13 Behold, is it not of the [w]Lord of hosts, that the people shall labor in the very fire? the people shall even weary themselves for very vanity.
14 For the earth shall [x]be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor [y]drink: thou joinest thine heat, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest see their privities.
16 Thou art filled with shame [z]for glory: drink thou also, and be made naked: the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be for thy glory.
17 For the [aa]cruelty of Lebanon shall cover thee: so shall the spoil of the beasts, which made them afraid, because of men’s blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the city, and unto all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the [ab]image? for the maker therefore hath made it an image, and a teacher of lies, though he that made it, trust therein, when he maketh dumb idols.
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake, and to the dumb stone, Rise up, it shall teach thee: [ac]behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath in it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 1:2 The Prophet complaineth unto God, and bewaileth that among the Jews is left none equity and brotherly love: but instead hereof reigneth cruelty, theft, contention and strife.
- Habakkuk 1:4 To suppress him, if any should show himself zealous of God’s cause.
- Habakkuk 1:4 Because the judges which should redress this excess, are as evil as the rest.
- Habakkuk 1:5 As in times past you would not believe God’s word, so shall ye not now believe the strange plagues which are at hand.
- Habakkuk 1:7 They themselves shall be your judges in this cause, and none shall have authority over them to control them.
- Habakkuk 1:9 For the Jews most feared this wind, because it destroyed their fruits.
- Habakkuk 1:9 They shall be so many in number.
- Habakkuk 1:10 They shall cast up mounts against it.
- Habakkuk 1:11 The Prophet comforteth the faithful that God will also destroy the Babylonians, because they shall abuse this victory, and become proud and insolent, attributing the praise hereof to their idols.
- Habakkuk 1:12 He assureth the godly of God’s protection, showing that the enemy can do no more than God hath appointed, and also that their sins required such a sharp rod.
- Habakkuk 1:14 So that the great devoureth the small, and the Chaldeans destroy all the world.
- Habakkuk 1:16 Meaning, that the enemies flatter themselves, and glory in their own force, power and wit.
- Habakkuk 1:17 Meaning, that they should not.
- Habakkuk 2:1 I will renounce mine own judgment, and only depend on God to be instructed what I shall answer them that abuse my preaching, and to be armed against all temptations.
- Habakkuk 2:2 Write it in great letters, that he that runneth may read it.
- Habakkuk 2:3 Which contained the destruction of the enemy, and the comfort of the Church: which thing though God execute not according to man’s hasty affections, yet the issue of both is certain at his time appointed.
- Habakkuk 2:4 To trust in himself, or in any worldly thing, is never to be quiet: for the only rest is to stay upon God by faith, Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38.
- Habakkuk 2:5 He compareth the proud and covetous man to a drunkard that is without reason and sense, whom God will punish and make him a laughing stock to all the world: and this he speaketh for the comfort of the godly, and against the Chaldeans.
- Habakkuk 2:6 Signifying, that all the world shall wish the destruction of tyrants, and that by their oppression and covetousness, they heap but upon themselves more heavy burdens: for the more they get, the more are they troubled.
- Habakkuk 2:7 That is, the Medes and Persians, that should destroy the Babylonians?
- Habakkuk 2:10 Signifying, that the covetous man is the ruin of his own house, when as he thinketh to enrich it by cruelty and oppression.
- Habakkuk 2:11 The stones of the house shall cry, and say that they are built of blood, and the wood shall answer and say the same of itself.
- Habakkuk 2:13 Meaning, that God will not defer his vengeance long, but will come and destroy all their labors, as though they were consumed with fire.
- Habakkuk 2:14 In the destruction of the Babylonians his glory shall appear through all the world.
- Habakkuk 2:15 He reproacheth thus the king of Babylon, who as he was drunken with covetousness and cruelty, so he provoked others to the same, and inflamed them by his rage, and so in the end brought them to shame.
- Habakkuk 2:16 Whereas thou thoughtest to have glory of these thy doings, they shall turn to thy shame: for thou shalt drink of the same cup with others in thy turn.
- Habakkuk 2:17 Because the Babylonians were cruel not only against other nations, but also against the people of God, which is meant by Lebanon and the beasts therein, he showeth that the like cruelty shall be executed against them.
- Habakkuk 2:18 He showeth that the Babylonians’ gods could nothing avail them, for they were but blocks or stones, read Jer. 10:8.
- Habakkuk 2:19 If thou wilt consider what it is, and how that it hath neither breath nor life, but is a dead thing.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
