Yehezkiel 28:7

28:7 I am about to bring foreigners ¹  against you, the most terrifying of nations.

They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, ² 

and they will defile your splendor.

Yehezkiel 30:11

30:11 He and his people with him,

the most terrifying of the nations, ³ 

will be brought there to destroy the land.

They will draw their swords against Egypt,

and fill the land with corpses.

Habakuk 1:6

1:6 Look, I am about to empower ⁴  the Babylonians,

that ruthless ⁵  and greedy ⁶  nation.

They sweep across the surface ⁷  of the earth,

seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.

Habakuk 1:11

1:11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. ⁸ 

But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.” ⁹ 

[28:7]  ¹ sn This is probably a reference to the Babylonians.

[28:7]  ² tn Heb “they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom.”

[30:11]  ³ tn The Babylonians were known for their cruelty (2 Kgs 25:7).

[1:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).

[1:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.

[1:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “the open spaces.”

[1:11]  ⁸ tn The precise meaning of v. 11a is uncertain. The present translation assumes the first line further describes the Babylonian hordes, comparing them to a destructive wind. Another option is to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as “spirit,” rather than “wind,” and take the form וְאָשֵׁם (vÿ’ashem) with what precedes (as suggested by the scribal punctuation). Repointing this form as a geminate verb from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be astonished”), one could then translate the line, “The spirit passed on and departed, and I was astonished.” In this case the line would describe the cessation of the divine revelation which began in v. 5. For a detailed defense of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 97-100.

[1:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and guilty is the one whose strength is his god.” This assumes that אָשֵׁם (’ashem) is a predicate adjective meaning “guilty” and that it relates to what follows.