¹Det Udsagn, Profeten Habakkuk skuede.

¹The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

²Hvor længe skal jeg klage, HERRE, uden du hører, skrige til dig over Vold, uden du frelser?

²Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee — `Violence,` and Thou dost not save.

³Hvi lader du mig skue Uret, være Vidne til Kvide? Ødelæggelse og Vold har jeg for Øje, der opstod Kiv, og Strid kom op.

³Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift [itself] up,

⁴Derfor ligger Loven lammet, og Ret kommer aldrig frem. Thi når gudløse trænger retfærdige, fremkommer krøget Ret.

⁴Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

⁵Se eder om blandt Folkene til Skræk og Rædsel for eder! Thi en Gerning gør han i eders Dage, som I ej vilde tro, om det fortaltes.

⁵Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared.

⁶Thi se, han vækker Kaldæerne, det grumme og raske Folk, som drager viden om Lande for at indtage andres Bo.

⁶For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own.

⁷Forfærdeligt, frygteligt er det, Ødelæggelse udgår derfra.

⁷Terrible and fearful it [is], From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth.

⁸Dets Heste er rappere end Pantere, mer viltre end Ulve ved Kvæld; dets Rytterheste kommer i Spring, flyvende langvejs fra. Som Ørnen i Fart efter Føde

⁸Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting to consume.

⁹er de alle på Vej efter Vold. De higede stadig mod Øst og samlede Fanger som Sand.

⁹Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity.

¹⁰Med Kongerne drev det Spot, Fyrsterne lo det kun ad. Det lo ad hver en Fæstning, opdynged en Vold og tog den.

¹⁰And at kings it doth scoff, And princes [are] a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it.

¹¹Så suste det videre som Stormen og gjorde sin Kraft til sin Gud.

¹¹Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god.

¹²Er du ikke fra fordum HERREN, min hellige Gud? - Vi skal ej dø - HERRE, har du sat ham til Dommer, givet ham Fuldmagt til Straf?

¹²Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it.

¹³Dit rene Blik afskyr ondt, du tåler ej Synet af Kvide; hvi ser du da tavs på Ransmænd, at gudløs sluger sin Overmand i Retfærd?

¹³Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he,

¹⁴Med Mennesker gør du som med Havets Fisk, som med Kryb, der er uden Hersker:

¹⁴And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing — none ruling over him.

¹⁵Han fisker dem alle med Krog, slæber dem bort i sit Vod og samler dem i sit Garn; derfor er han jublende glad;

¹⁵Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice.

¹⁶han ofrer derfor til sit Vod, tænder Offerild for sit Garn. Ved dem blev bans Del jo fed og kraftig blev hans Føde.

¹⁶Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them [is] his portion fertile, and his food fat.

¹⁷Skal han altid tømme sit Vod og slå Folk ihjel uden Skånsel?

¹⁷Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?