Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

12O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal—

surely you do not plan to wipe us out?

O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us,

to punish us for our many sins.

13But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.

Will you wink at their treachery?

Should you be silent while the wicked

swallow up people more righteous than they?

14Are we only fish to be caught and killed?

Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?

15Must we be strung up on their hooks

and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?

16Then they will worship their nets

and burn incense in front of them.

“These nets are the gods who have made us rich!”

they will claim.

17Will you let them get away with this forever?

Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

Habakkuk 2

1I will climb up to my watchtower

and stand at my guardpost.

There I will wait to see what the Lord says

and how he*2:1 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads I. will answer my complaint.