Passage

Habakkuk 1.13

Book: Habakkuk · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"11. Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, even he whose might is his god. 12. Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction."

"13. Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;"

"14. and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 15. He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad." (Habakkuk 1:11-15, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"11. Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.” 12. Aren’t you from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish."

"13. You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he,"

"14. and make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 15. He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad." (Habakkuk 1:11-15, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"11. Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. 12. Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. ^{mighty: Heb. rock. established: Heb. founded}"

"13. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? ^{iniquity: or, grievance}"

"14. And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? ^{creeping: or, moving} 15. They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. ^{drag: or, flue net}" (Habakkuk 1:11-15, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"11. Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god. 12. Art 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."

"13. Purer 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,"

"14. And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing, none ruling over him. 15. Each 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." (Habakkuk 1:11-15, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Habakkuk + LORD direct discourse (dialogue)
Audience: Judah on the eve of Babylonian invasion
Location: Judah
Time period: ministry c. 612-589 BC

Theological reading

Key words

No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.