1 This is the heuy burthen, which the Prophet Abacuk dyd se.
2 O Lorde, how longe shall I crie, & thou wylt not heare? How longe shall I complayne vnto the, suffrynge wronge, & thou wylt not helpe?
3 Why lettest thou me se werynesse and laboure? Tyranny & violence are before me, power ouergoeth right:
4 for the lawe is toarne in peces, & there can not right iudgement go forth And why? the vngodly is more set by then the ryghtuous: this is the cause, that wronge iudgement procedeth.
5 Beholde, amonge the Heathen, and loke well, wondre at it, and be abashed: for I wyll do a thynge in your tyme, whych though it be tolde you, ye shall not beleue.
6 For lo, I wil rayse vp the Caldees, that bitter and swyfte people: which shall go as wyde as the land is, to take possession of dwelling places, that be not their awne.
7 A grymme and boysterous people is it, these shall sit in iudgement & punishe.
8 Their horses are swyfter then the cattes of the mountayne, & byte sorer then the wolues in the euening. Their horsemen come by greate heapes from farre, they fle hastely to deuour as the Aegle.
9 They come all to spoyle: out of them commeth an east wynde, whych bloweth and gathereth their captiues, lyke as the sande.
10 They shal mocke the kynges, and laughe the princes to scorne. They shall not set by eny stronge holde, for they shall laye ordinaunce agaynst it, and take it.
11 Then shall they take a fresh corage vnto them, to go forth & to do more euel, and so ascribe the power vnto their God.
12 But thou O Lorde my God my holy one, thou art from the begynninge, therfore shal we not dye. O Lord, thou hast ordened them for a punishement, and sett them to reproue the myghtye.
13 Thyne eyes are clene, thou mayest not se euel, thou canst not beholde, the thinge that is wycked. Wherfore then dost thou loke vpon the vngodly, and holdest thy tunge, when the wycked deuoureth the man that is better then him selfe?
14 Thou makest men as the fishe in the see, and lyke as the crepyng beastes, that haue no gyde,
15 they take vp all with their angle, they catch it in their net, & gather it in their yarne: wherof they reioice and are glad.
16 Therfore offre they vnto their net, & do sacrifice vnto their yarne: because that thorowe it their porcyon is become so fat, & their meate so plenteous.
17 Wherfore, they cast out their net agayne, & neuer cease to slaye the people.
1 I stode vpon my watch, & set me vpon my bulworcke, to loke and se what he wolde saye vnto me, and what answere I shulde geue him that reproued me.
2 But the Lord answered me, & sayde: Wryte the vision playnely vpon thy tables, that who so commeth by, maye rede it
3 for the vision is yet farre of for a tyme, but at the last it shal come to passe, & not fayle. And though he tary, yet wayte thou for him, for in very dede he will come, & not be slacke.
4 Beholde, the vnrighteouse thinketh him selfe in sauegarde as in a strong holde: but the iust shal lyue by his fayth.
5 Lyke as the wyne disceaueth the dronckarde, euen so the proude shall fayle and not endure. He openeth his desire wyde vp as the hel, & is as vnsaciable as death. All Heathen gathereth he to hym, and heapeth vnto him all people.
6 But shall not all these take vp a prouerbe agaynst him, & mocke him with a byworde, & saye: Wo vnto him that heapeth vp other mens goodes? How longe will he lade hym selfe with thicke claye?
7 O how sodenly wyll they stande vp, that shal byte, & awake, that shal teare the in peces? yee, thou shalt be their praye?
8 Seinge thou hast spoyled many Heathen, therfore shal the remnaunt of the people spoyle the: because of mens bloude, & for the wronge done in the lande, in the citye and vnto all them that dwell therin.
9 Wo vnto him, that couetously gathereth euell gotten goodes into his house: that he maye set hys nest an hye, to escape from the power of misfortune.
10 Thou hast deuysed the shame of thine awne house, for thou hast slayne to moch people, and hast wilfully offended:
11 so that the very stones of the wall shal crie out of it, and the tymbre that lyeth betwyxte the ioyntes of the buylding shall answere.
12 Wo vnto him, that buyldeth the towne with bloude, & maynteneth the citye with vnrightuousnes.
13 Shall not the Lord of hostes bringe this to passe, that the labourers of the people shal be brent with a greate fyre, & that the thinge wher vpon the people haue weeried them selues, shalbe lost?
14 For the earth shalbe full of knowledge of the Lordes honoure, lyke as the waters that couer the see.
15 Wo vnto him that geueth his neyghboure dryncke, puttynge in gall and makyng him droncken, that he maye se hys preuytees.
16 Therfore with shame shalt thou be filled, in steade of honoure. Dryncke thou also, tyll thou stombre with all: for the cuppe of the Lordes right hande shall compasse the aboute, and shamefull spewing in steade of thy worshype.
17 For the wronge that thou hast done in Libanus, shall ouerwhelme the, and the wilde beastes shal make the afrayed: because of mens bloud, & for the wronge done in the lande, in the citie, and vnto all soch as dwell therin.
18 What helpe then will the ymage do, whom the worckman hath fashioned? Or the vayne cast ymage, wherin because the craftesman putteth his trust, therfore maketh he domme Idols?
19 Wo vnto hym, that sayeth to a pece of wod: aryse, & to a domme stone: stande vp. For what instruccyon maye soch one geue? Beholde it is layed ouer with gold & syluer and there is no breth in it.
20 But the Lorde in his holy temple is he: whom all the worlde shulde feare.
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2 O Lorde, when I herde speake of the, I was afrayed. The worcke that thou hast taken in hande, shalt thou perfourme in his tyme, O Lord & when thy tyme commeth, thou shalt declare it. In thy very wrath thou thinckest vpon mercy.
3 God commeth from Theman, & the holy one from the mount of Pharan. Selah.
4 His glory couereth the heauens, & the earth is full of his prayse. His shine is as the sunne, and beames of lyght go out of hys handes, there is his power hyd.
5 Destruccyon goeth before hym, & a pestilent sycknesse go from his fete.
6 He standeth, & measureth the earth He loketh, & the people consume awaye, the mountaynes of the worlde fal downe to poulder, & the hilles are fayne to bowe them selues, for his goinges are euerlastynge and sure.
7 I sawe, that the pauilyons of the Morians & the tentes of the land of Madian were vexed for werynesse.
8 Wast thou not angrie O Lord, in the waters? was not thy wrath in the floudes, & thy displeasure in the see? yes when thou sattest vpon thine horse, & when thy charetes had the victory.
9 Thou shewedst thy bowe openly, lyke as thou haddest promysed wt an othe vnto the trybes. Selah. Thou dydest deuyde the waters of the earth.
10 When the mountaines sawe the, they were afrayed, the water streame wente awaye: the depe made a noyse at the lyftinge vp of thyne hand.
11 The Sunne & Moone remayned styll in their habitacyon. Thyne arowes wente out glisterynge, and thy speares as the shyne of the lyghtenyng.
12 Thou trodest downe the land in thyne anger, and dydest throshe the Heathen in thy displeasure.
13 Thou camest forth to helpe thy people, to helpe thine anointed. Thou smotest downe the head the house of the vngodly, & discoueredest hys foundacions, euen vnto the necke of him. Selah.
14 Thou dydest stryke thorow wt his scepter the heades of his playne people: which come as a stormy wynd to scatre me abrode, & are glad when they maye eat vp the poore secretly
15 Thou makest awaye for thine horses in the see, euen in the mudde of great waters.
16 When I heare this, my body is vexed, my lyppes tremble at the voyce therof, my bones corrupte, I am afraied where I stande. O that I myght rest in the daye of trouble, that I myght go vp vnto our people, which are alredy prepared.
17 For the fygg trees shal not be grene: & the vynes shal beare no frute. The laboure of the olyue shalbe but lost, & the lande shall bring no corne: the shepe shalbe taken out of the folde, and there shalbe no catel in the stalles.
18 But as for me, I wyll be glad in the Lorde, and will reioyce in God my Sauyoure.
19 The Lord God is my strength, he shal make my fete as the fete of hertes: & he which geueth the victory, shal bring me to my hye places synginge vpon my psalmes.