Habakkuk 1:15-16

1:15 The Babylonian tyrant ¹  pulls them all up with a fishhook;

he hauls them in with his throw net. ² 

When he catches ³  them in his dragnet,

he is very happy. ⁴ 

1:16 Because of his success ⁵  he offers sacrifices to his throw net

and burns incense to his dragnet; ⁶ 

for because of them he has plenty of food, ⁷ 

and more than enough to eat. ⁸ 

Habakkuk 2:2

The Lord Assures Habakkuk

2:2 The Lord responded: ⁹ 

“Write down this message! ¹⁰  Record it legibly on tablets,

so the one who announces ¹¹  it may read it easily. ¹² 

Habakkuk 2:14-15

2:14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth

just as the waters fill up the sea. ¹³ 

2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine ¹⁴  are as good as dead ¹⁵  –

you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, ¹⁶ 

so you can look at their genitals. ¹⁷ 

[1:15]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.

[1:15]  ² tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.

[1:15]  ³ tn Heb “and he gathers.”

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.

[1:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “therefore.”

[1:16]  ⁶ sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).

[1:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”

[1:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”

[2:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord answered and said.” The redundant expression “answered and said” has been simplified in the translation as “responded.”

[2:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[the] vision.”

[2:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “reads from.”

[2:2]  ¹² tn Heb “might run,” which here probably means “run [through it quickly with one’s eyes],” that is, read it easily.

[2:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just as the waters cover over the sea.”

[2:15]  ¹⁷ tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ¹⁸ tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.

[2:15]  ¹⁹ tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).

[2:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.