¹Shoko raMwari rakaonekwa nomuporofita Habhakuki.

¹The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen:

²Aiwa, Jehovha, ndichadana kusvikira riniko, imwi musinganzwi? Ndinodana kwamuri pamusoro pokuitirwa simba, asi hamundiponesi.

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

³Munondiratidzireiko zvakaipa, munotarireiko zvisakarurama? nekuti kuparadza nokuitira vamwe simba zviri pamberi pangu; rukave ruripo, uye kukakavara kunomuka.

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,

⁴Saka murayiro haune simba, uye kururamisira vamwe hakuchaonekwi; nekuti vakashata vanokomba vakarurama; saka kururamisira vamwe kunongoonekwa kwakaminama.

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

⁵Tarirai pakati pamarudzi, muone, mushamiswe kwazvo-kwazvo; nekuti ndinobata basa pamazuva enyu, ramucharamba kutenda kunyange muchizviudzwa.

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.

⁶nekuti tarirai, ndinomutsa vaKaradhea, rudzi rune hasha runopenga, vanofamba panyika pose, kuti vazvitorere ugaro husati huri hwavo.

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.

⁷Vanotyisa nokukarudza; kutonga kwavo nokukudzwa kwavo kunobva kwavari vamene.

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

⁸Mabhiza avowo anomhanya achipfuura ingwe, ane hasha kupfuura mapere amadekwana; vatasvi vavo vamabhiza vanomhanya vachiuruka, zvirokwazvo vatasvi vavo vamabiza vanouya vachibva kure, vanobhururuka segondo rinokurumidzira kudya.

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.

⁹Vanouya vose kuzoita simba; zviso zvavo zvakatarira mberi; vanounganidza vatapwa sejecha.

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

¹⁰Zvirokwazvo vanodadira madzimambo, machinda anosekwa navo; vanoseka nhare dzose, nekuti vanodzitutira guruva ndokudzikunda.

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.

¹¹Ipapo vanopfuura semhepo, ndokuenda, asi vane mhosva, ivo vanoita simba ravo mwari wavo.

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

¹²Imi Jehovha, Mwari wangu, Mutsvene wangu, hamuzakavapo kubva pakutanga-tanga here? Isu hatingafi. Jehovha, imwi makavatemera kuti vatonge, nemwi dombo makavaisapo kuti varange,

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.

¹³Imi, muna meso akaisvonaka, asingadi kutarira zvakaipa, musingadi kuona zvisakarurama, munotaririreiko vanonyengera, muchinyarara kana akashata achimedza akamupfuura nokururama;

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,

¹⁴muchiita vanhu sehove dzegungwa, sezvinokambaira, zvisina mubati?

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

¹⁵Vanovabudisa vose nehaka yavo, vanovabata mumumbure wavo, vachivaunganidzira murutava rwavo; naizvozvo vanofara kwazvo vanomufaro.

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.

¹⁶Naizvozvo vanobayira mumbure wavo, nokupisira rutava rwavo zvinonhuhwira, nekuti mugove wavo wakakora nazvo, zvokudya zvavo zvawanda.

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.

¹⁷Zvino vangadurura zviri mumumbure wavo, vakaramba vachiuraya marudzi avanhu here?

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