Source edition
Septuaginta. The Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint. Volume 3: Hosea-4 Maccabees, Psalms of Solomon, Enoch, The Odes. Swete, Henry Barclay, editor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1905
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This prophetic book of the Old Testament centers on the dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God concerning divine justice and faith in a seemingly unjust world. The work begins with Habakkuk lamenting the violence and injustice running rampant around him, questioning why God remains silent. In response, God declares that He is raising up the fierce Chaldeans as an instrument of judgment, which prompts the prophet to question the fairness of using a more wicked nation to punish those more righteous than they. God then reassures the waiting prophet that the proud oppressor will ultimately face woe, while the righteous shall live by their faithfulness (emunah). The book concludes with a poetic prayer of Habakkuk, which vividly describes God's majestic appearance and judgment, ending with a profound confession of joy and trust in God despite any material deprivation.