Habakkuk 1

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

The prophet Habakkuk receives a vision and asks the Lord why He ignores cries for help regarding widespread violence, iniquity, and paralyzed justice among the people. In response, the Lord announces that He is raising up the ruthless and impetuous Chaldeans, a feared nation that sweeps across the earth seizing dwellings, scoffing at rulers, and treating their own strength as their god. Hearing this, Habakkuk questions how the Lord, being pure and everlasting, can remain silent while the faithless Chaldeans swallow up people more righteous than themselves and treat humanity like defenseless fish caught in a net. He concludes by asking if this foe will therefore empty his net and continue slaying nations without mercy.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision: ²How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? ³Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. ⁴Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. ⁵“Look at the nations and observe— be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you. ⁶For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans — that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. ⁷They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty. ⁸Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour. ⁹All of them come bent on violence; their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners like sand. ¹⁰They scoff at kings and make rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build up siege ramps to seize it. ¹¹Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their own strength is their god.” ¹²Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction. ¹³Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? ¹⁴You have made men like the fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler. ¹⁵The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly. ¹⁶Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich. ¹⁷Will he, therefore, empty his net and continue to slay nations without mercy?