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Habakkuk chapter 1 in Hebrew and English

17 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

הַמַּשָׂא אֲשֶׁר חָזָה חֲבַקּוּק הַנָּבִֽיא׃

THE burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.

עַד־אָנָה יְהוָה שִׁוַּעְתִּי וְלֹא תִשְׁמָע אֶזְעַק אֵלֶיךָ חָמָס וְלֹא תוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃

How long, O LORD, shall I cry, And Thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto Thee of violence, And Thou wilt not save.

לָמָּה תַרְאֵנִי אָוֶן וְעָמָל תַּבִּיט וְשֹׁד וְחָמָס לְנֶגְדִּי וַיְהִי רִיב וּמָדוֹן יִשָּֽׂא׃

Why dost Thou show me iniquity, And beholdest mischief? And why are spoiling and violence before me? So that there is strife, and contention ariseth.

עַל־כֵּן תָּפוּג תּוֹרָה וְלֹא־יֵצֵא לָנֶצַח מִשְׁפָּט כִּי רָשָׁע מַכְתִּיר אֶת־הַצַּדִּיק עַל־כֵּן יֵצֵא מִשְׁפָּט מְעֻקָּֽל׃

Therefore the law is slacked, And right doth never go forth; For the wicked doth beset the righteous; Therefore right goeth forth perverted.

רְאוּ בַגּוֹיִם וְהַבִּיטוּ וְהִתַּמְּהוּ תְּמָהוּ כִּי־פֹעַל פֹּעֵל בִּימֵיכֶם לֹא תַאֲמִינוּ כִּי יְסֻפָּֽר׃

Look ye among the nations, and behold, And wonder marvellously; For, behold, a work shall be wrought in your days, Which ye will not believe though it be told you.

כִּי־הִנְנִי מֵקִים אֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַגּוֹי הַמַּר וְהַנִּמְהָר הַהוֹלֵךְ לְמֶרְחֲבֵי־אֶרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת מִשְׁכָּנוֹת לֹּא־לֽוֹ׃

For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, That bitter and impetuous nation, That march through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

אָיֹם וְנוֹרָא הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ מִשְׁפָּטוֹ וּשְׂאֵתוֹ יֵצֵֽא׃

They are terrible and dreadful; Their law and their majesty proceed from themselves.

וְקַלּוּ מִנְּמֵרִים סוּסָיו וְחַדּוּ מִזְּאֵבֵי עֶרֶב וּפָשׁוּ פָּרָשָׁיו וּפָרָשָׁיו מֵרָחוֹק יָבֹאוּ יָעֻפוּ כְּנֶשֶׁר חָשׁ לֶאֱכֽוֹל׃

Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And are more fierce than the wolves of the desert; And their horsemen spread themselves; Yea, their horsemen come from far, They fly as a vulture that hasteth to devour.

כֻּלֹּה לְחָמָס יָבוֹא מְגַמַּת פְּנֵיהֶם קָדִימָה וַיֶּאֱסֹף כַּחוֹל שֶֽׁבִי׃

They come all of them for violence; Their faces are set eagerly as the east wind; And they gather captives as the sand.

וְהוּא בַּמְּלָכִים יִתְקַלָּס וְרֹזְנִים מִשְׂחָק לוֹ הוּא לְכָל־מִבְצָר יִשְׂחָק וַיִּצְבֹּר עָפָר וַֽיִּלְכְּדָֽהּ׃

And they scoff at kings, And princes are a derision unto them; They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earth, and take it.

אָז חָלַף רוּחַ וַיַּעֲבֹר וְאָשֵׁם זוּ כֹחוֹ לֵאלֹהֽוֹ׃

Then their spirit doth pass over and transgress, And they become guilty: Even they who impute their might unto their god.

הֲלוֹא אַתָּה מִקֶּדֶם יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי קְדֹשִׁי לֹא נָמוּת יְהוָה לְמִשְׁפָּט שַׂמְתּוֹ וְצוּר לְהוֹכִיחַ יְסַדְתּֽוֹ׃

Art not Thou from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, Thou hast ordained them for judgment, And Thou, O Rock, hast established them for correction. .

טְהוֹר עֵינַיִם מֵרְאוֹת רָע וְהַבִּיט אֶל־עָמָל לֹא תוּכָל לָמָּה תַבִּיט בּוֹגְדִים תַּחֲרִישׁ בְּבַלַּע רָשָׁע צַדִּיק מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

Thou that art of eyes too pure to behold evil, And that canst not look on mischief, Wherefore lookest Thou, when they deal treacherously, And holdest Thy peace, when the wicked swalloweth up The man that is more righteous than he;

וַתַּעֲשֶׂה אָדָם כִּדְגֵי הַיָּם כְּרֶמֶשׂ לֹא־מֹשֵׁל בּֽוֹ׃

And makest men as the fishes of the sea, As the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

כֻּלֹּה בְּחַכָּה הֵעֲלָה יְגֹרֵהוּ בְחֶרְמוֹ וְיַאַסְפֵהוּ בְּמִכְמַרְתּוֹ עַל־כֵּן יִשְׂמַח וְיָגִֽיל׃

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 exult.

עַל־כֵּן יְזַבֵּחַ לְחֶרְמוֹ וִיקַטֵּר לְמִכְמַרְתּוֹ כִּי בָהֵמָּה שָׁמֵן חֶלְקוֹ וּמַאֲכָלוֹ בְּרִאָֽה׃

Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, And offer unto their drag; Because by them their portion is fat, And their food plenteous.

הַעַל כֵּן יָרִיק חֶרְמוֹ וְתָמִיד לַהֲרֹג גּוֹיִם לֹא יַחְמֽוֹל׃

Shall they therefore empty their net, And not spare to slay the nations continually?

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 1 of the 3 chapters of Habakkuk
  • Habakkuk is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets
  • 17 verses, 197 words, about 2 minutes to read

Habakkuk has 3 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Habakkuk·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Habakkuk chapter 1 have?

Habakkuk chapter 1 has 17 verses and 197 words.

How does Habakkuk chapter 1 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words המשא אשר חזה חבקוק.

Where does Habakkuk chapter 1 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 1 of the 3 chapters of Habakkuk, which is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

How long does it take to read Habakkuk chapter 1?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.