Habakkuk 1:3
New International Version
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

New Living Translation
Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.

English Standard Version
Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.

Berean Standard Bible
Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

King James Bible
Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

New King James Version
Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

New American Standard Bible
Why do You make me see disaster, And make me look at destitution? Yes, devastation and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

NASB 1995
Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

NASB 1977
Why dost Thou make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why do You make me see wickedness And cause me to look on trouble? Indeed, devastation and violence are before me; And there is strife, and contention is lifted up.

Amplified Bible
Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? For destruction and violence are before me; Strife continues and contention arises.

Christian Standard Bible
Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

American Standard Version
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Why have you shown me evil and deceit, and I see plunder and evil? Judgment was before me and the Judge accepts a bribe

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wherefore hast thou shown me troubles and griefs to look upon, misery and ungodliness? judgment is before me, and the judge receives a reward.

Contemporary English Version
Why do you make me watch such terrible injustice? Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why hast thou shewn me iniquity and grievance, to see rapine and injustice before me? and there is a judgment, but opposition is more powerful.

English Revised Version
Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there is strife, and contention riseth up.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why do you make me see wrongdoing? And why do you watch wickedness? Destruction and violence are in front of me. Quarrels and disputes arise.

Good News Translation
Why do you make me see such trouble? How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are all around me, and there is fighting and quarreling everywhere.

International Standard Version
Why are you forcing me to look at iniquity and to stare at wickedness? Social havoc and oppression are all around me; there are legal conflicts, and disputes abound.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
Why do You show me iniquity, | And cause [me] to behold perversity? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, | And there is strife, and contention lifts [itself] up,

Majority Standard Bible
Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.

New American Bible
Why do you let me see iniquity? why do you simply gaze at evil? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and discord.

NET Bible
Why do you force me to witness injustice? Why do you put up with wrongdoing? Destruction and violence confront me; conflict is present and one must endure strife.

New Revised Standard Version
Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.

New Heart English Bible
Why do you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for devastation and violence are before me: and there are that raise strife and contention.

World English Bible
Why do you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up.

Young's Literal Translation
Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence are before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift itself up,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Habakkuk's Complaint
2How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? 3Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. 4Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.…

Cross References
Psalm 55:9
O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.

Jeremiah 15:10
Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.

Jeremiah 20:8
For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long.

Jeremiah 20:18
Why did I come out of the womb to see only trouble and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?


Treasury of Scripture

Why do you show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

Psalm 12:1,2
To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men…

Psalm 55:9-11
Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city…

Psalm 73:3-9
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…

Jump to Previous
Abounds Acts Arise Arises Ariseth Beholdest Bitter Cause Conflict Contention Destruction Devastation Evil-Doing Exists Eyes Fighting Fixed Grievance Iniquity Injustice Itself Lift Mischief Perversity Raise Rises Riseth Shew Show Spoiling Strife Tolerate Trouble Violence Violent Wasting Wickedness Wrong Wrongs
Jump to Next
Abounds Acts Arise Arises Ariseth Beholdest Bitter Cause Conflict Contention Destruction Devastation Evil-Doing Exists Eyes Fighting Fixed Grievance Iniquity Injustice Itself Lift Mischief Perversity Raise Rises Riseth Shew Show Spoiling Strife Tolerate Trouble Violence Violent Wasting Wickedness Wrong Wrongs
Habakkuk 1
1. Unto Habakkuk, complaining of the iniquity of the land,
5. is shown the fearful vengeance by the Chaldeans.
12. He complains that vengeance should be executed by them who are far worse.














(3) Why dost thou shew me iniquity? . . .--Better, Why dost thou show me distress and look upon grievance; oppression and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention exalts itself." The question, "Why dost thou . . . look upon grievance?" is illustrated by Habakkuk 1:13, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil." Grievance, or "trouble wilfully caused." Heb. amal, associated again with aven, a term of similar import, in Psalm 10:7; Psalm 55:11.

Verse 3. - Why dost thou show me - Why dost thou let me see daily with my own eyes - iniquity abounding, the very evil which Balaam says (Numbers 23:21) the Lord had not found in Israel? Cause me to behold grievance. This should be, Dost thou look upon perverseness? He asks how God can look on this evil and leave it unpunished. The LXX. and the Vulgate translate the word amal "trouble," or "labour;" Keil, "distress." In this case it means the trouble and distress which a man inflicts on others, as wrong doing seems to be generally spoken cf. Spoiling and violence are before me. "Spoiling" is robbery that causes desolation. "Violence" is conduct that wrongs one's neighbour. The two words are often joined; e.g. Jeremiah 6:7; Amos 3:10. Vulgate, praedam et injustitiam. These are continually coming before the prophet's eyes. There are that raise up strife and contention; better, there is strife, and contention is raised. This refers to the abuse of the Law by grasping, quarrelsome nobles. Septuagint, "Against me judgment hath gone, and the judge receiveth bribes." So the Syriac and Arabic. The Vulgate gives, Factum est judicium, et contradictio potentior, where judicium is used in a bad sense.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָ֣מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

do You make me see
תַרְאֵ֤נִי (ṯar·’ê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

iniquity?
אָ֙וֶן֙ (’ā·wen)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 205: Strictly nothingness, trouble, vanity, wickedness, an idol

Why do You tolerate
תַּבִּ֔יט (tab·bîṭ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

wrongdoing?
וְעָמָ֣ל (wə·‘ā·māl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5999: Toil, wearing effort, worry, wheth, of body, mind

Destruction
וְשֹׁ֥ד (wə·šōḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7701: Violence, havoc, devastation, ruin

and violence
וְחָמָ֖ס (wə·ḥā·mās)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2555: Violence, wrong, by meton, unjust gain

[are] before me.
לְנֶגְדִּ֑י (lə·neḡ·dî)
Preposition-l | first person common singular
Strong's 5048: A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before

Strife
רִ֦יב (rîḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7379: Strife, dispute

is ongoing,
וַיְהִ֧י (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

and conflict
וּמָד֖וֹן (ū·mā·ḏō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4066: A contest, quarrel

abounds.
יִשָּֽׂא׃ (yiś·śā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take


Links
Habakkuk 1:3 NIV
Habakkuk 1:3 NLT
Habakkuk 1:3 ESV
Habakkuk 1:3 NASB
Habakkuk 1:3 KJV

Habakkuk 1:3 BibleApps.com
Habakkuk 1:3 Biblia Paralela
Habakkuk 1:3 Chinese Bible
Habakkuk 1:3 French Bible
Habakkuk 1:3 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Habakkuk 1:3 Why do you show me iniquity (Hab Hb)
Habakkuk 1:2
Top of Page
Top of Page