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“For behold, I am raising up the [a]Chaldeans [who rule in [b]Babylon],
That fierce and impetuous nation
Who march throughout the earth
To take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them.(A)

“The Chaldeans are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and authority originate with themselves and are defined only by their decree.

“Their horses are swifter than leopards
And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening,
Their horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from far away;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:6 The Chaldeans were the dominant people in Babylonia. Originally from a small part of southern Babylonia near the head of the Persian Gulf, they were an aggressive tribe and completely controlled the country after 625 b.c. Babylon was their capital city and became the scholarly and scientific center of western Asia. The words “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” are used interchangeably.
  2. Habakkuk 1:6 “Babylon” was the name of the magnificent capital city of Babylonia, and the name of the city was commonly used to refer to the entire area which was located at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent. Both the plain of Shinar and Chaldea (land of the Chaldeans) were part of ancient Babylonia.

I am raising up the Babylonians,[a](A)
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(B)
    to seize dwellings not their own.(C)
They are a feared and dreaded people;(D)
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.
Their horses are swifter(E) than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves(F) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans