1 This is the message that the Lord revealed to the prophet Habakkuk.
Habakkuk Complains of Injustice
2 O Lord, how long must I call for help before you listen, before you save us from violence? 3 Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere. 4 The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted.
The Lord's Reply
5 Then the Lord said to his people, “Keep watching the nations around you, and you will be astonished at what you see. I am going to do something that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 I am bringing the Babylonians to power, those fierce, restless people. They are marching out across the world to conquer other lands. 7 They spread fear and terror, and in their pride they are a law to themselves.
8 “Their horses are faster than leopards, fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry troops come riding from distant lands; their horses paw the ground. They come swooping down like eagles attacking their prey.
9 “Their armies advance in violent conquest, and everyone is terrified as they approach. Their captives are as numerous as grains of sand. 10 They treat kings with contempt and laugh at high officials. No fortress can stop them—they pile up earth against it and capture it. 11 Then they sweep on like the wind and are gone, these men whose power is their god.”
Habakkuk Complains to the Lord Again
12 Lord, from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. Lord, my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us. 13 But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are?
14 How can you treat people like fish or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct them? 15 The Babylonians catch people with hooks, as though they were fish. They drag them off in nets and shout for joy over their catch! 16 They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything.
17 Are they going to use their swords forever and keep on destroying nations without mercy?
1 هذا ما رَآهُ حبَقوقُ النَّبـيُّ في رُؤْيا.
شكوى حبقوق
2 إلى متى يا ربُّ أستَغيثُ ولا تَسمعُ؟ إلى متى أصرخُ إليكَ مِنَ الجَورِ ولا تُخَلِّصُ؟
3 لِماذا تُرينيَ الإِثْمَ، وكيفَ تطيقُ النَّظرَ إلى الشَّقاءِ؟ الاغتِصابُ والعُنْفُ أمامَ عينَيَّ، والخِصامُ والنِّزاعُ في كُلِّ مكانٍ.
4 لِذلِكَ تَراخَت قَبضَةُ الشَّريعةِ ولا يَصدرُ الحُكْمُ، أو هوَ يَصدرُ مُعْوَجًّا لأنَّ الشِّرِّيرَ يتَغَلَّبُ على الصِّدِّيقِ.
جواب الرب
5 فأجابَهُ الرّبُّ مُخاطِبا شعبَهُ: «أنظُروا بَينَ الأُمَمِ وأبصِروا. تعَجَّبوا وتحَيَّروا، فإني أعمَلُ في أيّامِكُم عمَلا إذا أخبَرَكُم بهِ أحدٌ لا تُصَدِّقونَ. 6 ها أنا أُثيرُ البابِليِّينَ، تِلكَ الأمَّةَ الضَّاريَةَ المُتَسارِعةَ، فتَسيرُ في رِحابِ الأرضِ لِتَمتَلِكَ ديارَ الآخَرينَ. 7 هيَ هائِلةٌ مَرهوبةٌ، ومِنها يَصدرُ حُكْمُها وعظَمَتُها. 8 خَيلُها أخَفُّ مِنَ النَّمِرِ وأشرَسُ مِنْ ذِئابِ المساءِ، وفُرسانُها يَنتَشِرونَ، يزحَفونَ مِنْ بعيدٍ ويَنقَضُّونَ كالنَّسرِ على فريستِهِ. 9 يَجيئونَ كُلُّهُم في عُنْفٍ، والرُّعْبُ يَسبُقُهُم، فيَجمَعونَ الأسرى كالرَّملِ. 10 يسخَرونَ مِنَ المُلوكِ، ويَهزَأونَ بِالحُكَّامِ، ويضحَكونَ على كُلِّ حِصنٍ، ويركُمونَ التُّرابَ أمامَهُ ويحتلُّونَه، 11 ثُمَّ يَمُرُّونَ كالرِّيحِ ويَعبُرونَ. يا لهُم مِنْ قَومٍ، قُوَّتُهُم إلهُهُم».
حبقوق يعود إلى الشكوى
12 مُنذُ الأزَلِ أنتَ يا ربُّ، يا إلهي وقُدُّوسي، فلا تموتُ. إختَرتَ البابِليِّينَ يا ربُّ وثَّبَتَهُم كالصَّخرِ لِتَأديـبِنا، 13 لكنْ عيناكَ أطهَرُ مِنْ أنْ تَطيقا النَّظَرَ إلى الشَّرِّ والشَّقاءِ والغَدْرِ، فكيفَ تَصمُتُ عِندَما يَبتَلِـعُ الشِّرِّيرُ مَنْ هوَ أبَرُّ مِنهُ؟ 14 ولِماذا تُعامِلُ البشرَ كسَمَكِ البحرِ، أو كحَشراتٍ لا قائِدَ لها؟ 15 يُصعِدُهُمُ البابِليُّ بِصِنَّارتِهِ ويصطادُهُم بِشَبَكتِهِ، يجمَعُهُم بِـجاروفَتِهِ، فيفرحُ ويـبتَهِـجُ. 16 يُقَرِّبُ الذَّبائِـحَ لِشَبكتِهِ ويحرِقُ البَخورَ لِجاروفَتِهِ، فبِهِما تَكثُرُ ثَروَتُهُ ويَدْسُمُ طَعامُهُ. 17 أفَيُداوِمُ الضَّرْبَ بِسَيفِهِ، ولا يكُفُّ عَنْ قَتلِ الأُمَمِ بِلا رَأفةٍ؟