1Eyi ne asɛm a odiyifo Habakuk nya fii Awurade nkyɛn wɔ anisoadehu mu.
Habakuk Anwiinwii
2Awurade, enkosi da bɛn na memfrɛ nsrɛ mmoa,
nanso wuntie me?
Meteɛ mu frɛ, “Akakabensɛm!”
nanso womma mmegye me.
3Adɛn na woma mehwɛ ntɛnkyew?
Adɛn nti na wotena bɔne ho?
Ɔsɛe ne akakabensɛm da mʼanim,
basabasayɛ ne abɛbrɛsɛ atwa me ho ahyia.
4Enti mmara nyɛ adwuma
na atɛntrenee nni baabiara,
atirimɔdenfo aka atreneefo ahyɛ,
enti wɔkyea atemmu.
Awurade Mmuae
5“Hwɛ aman no,
na wo ho bedwiriw wo!
Merebɛyɛ biribi wɔ wo bere so,
na sɛ wɔka kyerɛ wo a,
worennye nni.
6Merema Babiloniafo asɔre,
ɔman a wɔyɛ atirimɔdenfo ne ntɔkwapɛfo;
wobu fa asase nyinaa so,
na wɔfa tenabea a ɛnyɛ wɔn de.
7Wɔn ho yɛ hu na nnipa suro wɔn;
wɔyɛ wɔn koko so ade,
de pɛ anuonyam ma wɔn ho.
8Wɔn apɔnkɔ ho yɛ hare sen asebɔ,
na wɔn ho yɛ hu sen pataku a ɔnam anadwo,
wɔn apɔnkɔsotefo kɔ wɔn anim mmarima so,
wofi akyirikyiri nsase so,
na wɔbɔ hoo sɛ akorɔma a ɔrekɔkyere aboa.
9Wɔn nyinaa ba sɛ wɔrebɛyɛ basabasayɛ.
Wɔn dɔm pem kɔ wɔn anim te sɛ nweatam so mframa,
na wɔtase nneduafo sɛ nwea.
10Wodi ahene ho fɛw,
wɔka aman sodifo anim,
na wɔtwee nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ bammɔ dennen.
Wosisi dɔte mpie nam so kyekyere atamfo.
11Wɔbɔ hoo te sɛ mframa kɔ wɔn anim.
Afɔdifo a wɔn ahoɔden yɛ wɔn nyame.”
Habakuk Nwiinwii Bio
12Awurade, wunni hɔ fi tete ana?
Me Nyankopɔn, me Kronkronni, wo a wote ase daa.
Wo, Awurade, woapaw wɔn sɛ wommu atɛn;
wo, me Botantim, woahyɛ wɔn sɛ wɔntwe aso.
13Wʼaniwa yɛ kronkron a wuntumi nhwɛ nnebɔne;
wunnyigye nnebɔne so.
Na adɛn nti na wugyigye nnipa akɔntɔnkye so,
na dɛn nti na wayɛ komm wɔ bere a
atirimɔdenfo rememene atreneefo?
14Woama nnipa ayɛ sɛ nsumnam a ɛwɔ po mu,
te sɛ abɔde a ɛwɔ po mu a wonni sodifo.
15Ɔtamfo tirimɔdenfo no de darewa yi wɔn,
ogu nʼasau de buma wɔn,
na afei ɔsɛpɛw ne ho ma nʼani gye.
16Ne saa nti ɔbɔ afɔre ma nʼasau
na wahyew aduhuam ama no,
efisɛ asau yi so na ɔnam nya yiyedi,
na odi nʼakɔnnɔ aduan.
17Enti ɔnkɔ so nni nʼasau mu nam,
na ɔmfa atirimɔden nsɛe aman ana?
1The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s complaint
2How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’
but you do not save?
3Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4Therefore the law is paralysed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s answer
5‘Look at the nations and watch –
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
6I am raising up the Babylonians,1:6 Or Chaldeans
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
to seize dwellings not their own.
7They are a feared and dreaded people;
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honour.
8Their horses are swifter than leopards,
fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners like sand.
10They mock kings
and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps they capture them.
11Then they sweep past like the wind and go on –
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.’
Habakkuk’s second complaint
12Lord, are you not from everlasting?
My God, my Holy One, you1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
13Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14You have made people like the fish in the sea,
like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his drag-net;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense to his drag-net,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?
