Habakuk 1:2

1:2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?

But you do not listen!

I call out to you, “Violence!”

But you do not intervene! ¹ 

Habakuk 2:8

2:8 Because you robbed many countries, ² 

all who are left among the nations ³  will rob you.

You have shed human blood

and committed violent acts against lands, cities, ⁴  and those who live in them.

Habakuk 2:17

2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; ⁵ 

terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. ⁶ 

You have shed human blood

and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Or “deliver.”

[2:8]  ² tn Or “nations.”

[2:8]  ³ tn Or “peoples.”

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.

[2:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”

[2:17]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew appears to read literally, “and the violence against the animals [which] he terrified.” The verb form יְחִיתַן (yÿkhitan) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with third feminine plural suffix (the antecedent being the animals) from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). The translation above follows the LXX and assumes a reading יְחִתֶּךָ (yÿkhittekha, “[the violence against the animals] will terrify you”; cf. NRSV “the destruction of the animals will terrify you”; NIV “and your destruction of animals will terrify you”). In this case the verb is a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with second masculine singular suffix (the antecedent being Babylon). This provides better symmetry with the preceding line, where Babylon’s violence is the subject of the verb “cover.”

[2:17]  sn The language may anticipate Nebuchadnezzar’s utilization of trees from the Lebanon forest in building projects. Lebanon and its animals probably represent the western Palestinian states conquered by the Babylonians.