Habakkuk 1

DOUAI-RHEIMS	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 The burden that Habacuc the prophet saw.	1 The oracle of God which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2 How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?	2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not hear? Or cry to thee "Violence!" and thou wilt not save?
3 Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and grievance, to see rapine and injustice before me? and there is a judgment, but opposition is more powerful.	3 Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 Therefore the law is torn in pieces, and judgment cometh not to the end: because the wicked prevaileth against the just, therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.	4 So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted.
5 Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told.	5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, marching upon the breadth of the earth, to possess the dwelling places that are not their own.	6 For lo, I am rousing the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own.
7 They are dreadful, and terrible: from themselves shall their judgment, and their burden proceed.	7 Dread and terrible are they; their justice and dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses are lighter than leopards, and swifter than evening wolves; and their horsemen shall be spread abroad: for their horsemen shall come from afar, they shall fly as an eagle that maketh haste to eat.	8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Yea, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9 They shall all come to the prey, their face is like a burning wind: and they shall gather together captives as the sand.	9 They all come for violence; terror of them goes before them. They gather captives like sand.
10 And their prince shall triumph over kings, and princes shall be his laughingstock: and he shall laugh at every strong hold, and shall cast up a mount, and shall take it.	10 At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every fortress, for they heap up earth and take it.
11 Then shall his spirit be changed, and he shall pass, and fall: this is his strength of his god.	11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!
12 Wast thou not from the beginning, O Lord my God, my holy one, and we shall not die? Lord, thou hast appointed him for judgment: and made him strong for correction.	12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established them for chastisement.
13 Thy eyes are too pure to behold evil, and thou canst not look on iniquity. Why lookest thou upon them that do unjust things, and holdest thy peace when the wicked devoureth the man that is more just than himself?	13 Thou who art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on wrong, why dost thou look on faithless men, and art silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?
14 And thou wilt make men as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things that have no ruler.	14 For thou makest men like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler.
15 He lifted up all them with his hook, he drew them in his drag, and gathered them into his net: for this he will be glad and rejoice.	15 He brings all of them up with a hook, he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults.
16 Therefore will he offer victims to his drag, and he will sacrifice to his net: because through them his portion is made fat, and his meat dainty.	16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his seine; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich.
17 For this cause therefore he spreadeth his net, and will not spare continually to slay the nations.	17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying nations for ever?