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 ǃKhūb di ǂhôas kēbo-aob Habakuki ge ǂhaiǂhaibahes.
Habakuki ge ǂhanuoǃnâsib ǂama ra ǃgae
2 ǃKhūtse mâtikōse ta huib ǃaroma nî ǂgai, ǁnâu tets nîs aiǃâ?
Mâtikōse ta ǂkhabadīb ǂama nî ǃgae, huiǂuits nîs aiǃâ?
3 Tarexats ǂhanuoǃnâsiba ra mû kai te?
Tarexats ǂkhabadība ra mûǃhara?
Hîǀhurus tsî ǂkhabadīb tsîn ge ti ǂnamipe hâ;
ǂnoagub tsî ǃkhams tsîra hoa ǃkhaidi ai.
4 ǂHanub ge a ǀgaioǃnâ,
tsîb ge ǂhanu-aisiba aiǃgû tama hâ.
Eloxoresan ge ǂhanu-ain ǂama ra ǀgai
tsîb ge ǁnāti ǂhanuba ǂhanu tama ǀgaub ai ra sîsenūhe.
ǃKhūb di ǃereams
5 Ob ge ǃKhūba ge ǃeream: “Nau ǃhaode kō, î mû, o du ge nî burugâ. Tita ge sadu tsēdi ǃnâ mîbahe du ka, o du ǂgom tide xū-e nî dī. 6 Tita ge Babiloniaǁîna nî ǂkhaiǂkhaikhâi, ǁnā ǁaixa tsî ǃnoesa ǁaesa. ǁÎn ge hoaraga ǃhūbaiba ra ǃgûǃnâǃganu, ǁîn di tama ǁanǃkhaiden nî ūbasenga. 7 ǁÎn ge ǃhuriǃhurisa tsî a ǃaoǃaosa; ǁîn di ǂnīsasib ǃnân ge dīn ra xū-i hoa-i xa a ǂhanubahe.
8 “ǁÎn di hāgu ge ǀgarugu ǃgâ-ai ǃhae tsî ǃâsa tsuxuǂhiradi ǃgâ-ai a ǁaixa. ǁÎn di hāǃgapi-aogu ge ra ǃgapiǀkhī, ǁîgu ge ǃnūseba xu ra hā. ǁÎgu ge amǀnē-i ai ra ǁkhanaǁgôaxa ǃariǃkhās khami a ǃhae.
9 “ǁÎgu hoagu ge ǂkhabadīgu nîse ra hā; kai ǃaob ge ǁîga ra aimâba tsî gu ge ǃkhōsabena ǃhū-i khami ra ǀhaoǀhao. 10 ǁÎn ge gao-aoga ǃhō tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ra âiǂui. Omǂnamisa ǃādi ge ǁîn aiǃâ xū tama hâ, ǁîn ge ǃhūba ǁîdi ǂnubiǂgoagu tawa ǁhankhâi tsî ǁîde ra ū. 11 Tsîn ge ǂoab khami ǃgomǃkharu tsî ra aiǃgû; ǁîn ge a ǀhapixa, ǁnān ǁîn di ǀgaib ǂûba ǁîn di elose ūhâna.”
Habakuki ge ǁkhawa ǃKhūb ai ra ǃgae
12 ǃKhūtse sats ge ǀnai tsoatsoasa xu hâ, ti Elo ti ǃAnutse. Sida ge ǁō tide. ǃKhūtse sats ge ǁîna ǀgoraǃgân nîse ge mâi. ǃGareǀuitse sats ge ǁîna sidan nî ǁkharaga ge ǀgaiǀgai. 13 Sa mûra kom a ǃanuo, ǂkhawadība kōǀîs ǃaroma tsîts kom tsūdīga mûǃhara ǁoao. Tarexats kha ǁnâi ǂgomǃgâheǁoasa khoena ra taniǀnam? Tarexats kha ra ǃnō, ǂkhaba khoen ra ǁîn ǃgâ-ai ǂhanu-aina hîǀhuru hîa?
14 Tarexats kha khoena ǁaun khami tamas ka io ǂhanaben, ǂgaeǂgui-ao-e ūhâ taman khami ra dī-ū? 15 Babiloniaǁîn ge khoena ǁgabegu ǀkha ra ǃkhō. ǁÎn ge khoena ǀûidi ǃnâ ǃkhō tsî ra ǂgaeǂui tsîn ge ǃkhōs ân ǂama dâ tsî ra ǃgâiaǂgao. 16 ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti ǀûidi âna ǁguibade sī-ūba tsî ǁîde ǀanǀanǁguibade ra dība, ǁîde xun ǃkhūsib ǃnâ ra ûi tsî ǁkhoaxa ǂûna ra hō xui-ao. 17 ǁÎn di ǀûiden kha hoaǁae ǀkhaiǀkhaiǃnâ tsî ǁaede hoaǁae ǀkhomoǃnâse nî ǃgam.
