Habakkuk 1 | » |
1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause [me] to see trouble? For plundering and violence [are] before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
5 " Look among the nations and watch -- Be utterly astounded! For [I will] work a work in your days [Which] you would not believe, though it were told [you.]
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places [that are] not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle [that] hastens to eat.
9 "They all come for violence; Their faces are set [like] the east wind. They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen [mounds] and seize it.
11 Then [his] mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, [Ascribing] this power to his god."
12 Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
13 [You are] of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, [And] hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A [person] more righteous than he?
14 [Why] do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things [that have] no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share [is] sumptuous And their food plentiful.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?
The New King James Version (NKJV)
The New King James Version (NKJV) is a modern translation of the Bible that seeks to preserve the stylistic and literary beauty of the original King James Version (KJV) while making it more accessible to contemporary readers. The project to create the NKJV began in 1975, spearheaded by Arthur Farstad and a team of over 130 scholars, theologians, and pastors. They aimed to maintain the traditional language and rhythm of the KJV while updating archaic terms and expressions to be more understandable for modern audiences. The translation was completed and published in 1982, offering a blend of reverence for the past and clarity for the present.
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