Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Habakkuk 1:17

Will he continue to take riches with his net? Will he continue destroying people without showing mercy?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Wicked (People);  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Habakkuk;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Dragnet;   Habakkuk;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Habakkuk;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Fish and Fishing;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Will they therefore empty their netand continually slaughter nations without mercy?
Hebrew Names Version
Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?
King James Version (1611)
Shall they therefore emptie their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
King James Version
Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
English Standard Version
Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?
New American Standard Bible
Will they therefore empty their net, And continually slay nations without sparing?
New Century Version
Will he keep on taking riches with his net? Will he go on destroying people without showing mercy?
Amplified Bible
Will they continue to empty their net And [mercilessly] go on destroying nations without sparing?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Shall they therefore stretch out their net and not spare continually to slay the nations?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing?
Legacy Standard Bible
Will they therefore empty their netAnd continually kill nations without sparing?
Berean Standard Bible
Will they, therefore, empty their net and continue to slay nations without mercy?
Contemporary English Version
Will he keep hauling in his nets and destroying nations without showing mercy?
Complete Jewish Bible
Should they, therefore, keep emptying their nets? Should they keep slaughtering the nations without pity?
Darby Translation
Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore they cast their net continually, they slay peoples without pity.
Good News Translation
Are they going to use their swords forever and keep on destroying nations without mercy?
Lexham English Bible
Will he therefore empty his fishnet and continually kill nations without showing mercy?
Literal Translation
Shall he therefore empty his net, and shall he not spare to continually slay nations?
American Standard Version
Shall he therefore empty his net, and spare not to slay the nations continually?
Bible in Basic English
For this cause his net is ever open, and there is no end to his destruction of the nations.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Shall they therfore stretche out their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore will he cast his net, and will not spare to slay the nations continually.
English Revised Version
Shall he therefore empty his net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
World English Bible
Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor for this thing he spredith abrood his greet net, and euere more he ceesith not for to sle folkis.
Update Bible Version
Shall he therefore draw his sword, and not spare to slay the nations continually?
Webster's Bible Translation
Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
New English Translation
Will he then continue to fill and empty his throw net? Will he always destroy nations and spare none?
New King James Version
Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity?
New Living Translation
Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?
New Life Bible
Will they empty their net forever and keep on destroying nations without pity?
New Revised Standard
Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and destroying nations without mercy?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Shall he, on this account, empty his net? And, the continual slaying of nations, deem to be no pity?
Douay-Rheims Bible
For this cause therefore he spreadeth his net, and will not spare continually to slay the nations.
Revised Standard Version
Is he then to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying nations for ever?
Young's Literal Translation
Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore they cast out their net agayne, & neuer ceasse to slaye the people.
THE MESSAGE
Are you going to let this go on and on? Will you let this Babylonian fisherman Fish like a weekend angler, killing people as if they're nothing but fish?

Contextual Overview

12 Lord , you are the one who lives forever! You are my holy God who never dies! Lord , you created the Babylonians to do what must be done. Our Rock, you created them to punish people. 13 Your eyes are too good to look at evil. You cannot stand to see people doing wrong. So why do you permit such evil? How can you watch while the wicked destroy people who are so much better? 14 You made people like fish in the sea. They are like little sea animals without a leader. 15 The enemy catches all of them with hooks and nets. The enemy catches them in his net and drags them in, and the enemy is very happy with what he caught. 16 His net helps him live like the rich and enjoy the best food. So the enemy worships his net. He makes sacrifices and burns incense to honor his net. 17 Will he continue to take riches with his net? Will he continue destroying people without showing mercy?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

and: Habakkuk 1:9, Habakkuk 1:10, Habakkuk 2:5-8, Habakkuk 2:17, Isaiah 14:16, Isaiah 14:17, Jeremiah 25:9-26, Jeremiah 46:1 - Jeremiah 49:39, Jeremiah 52:1-34, Ezekiel 25:1 - Ezekiel 30:26

Cross-References

Genesis 9:13
I am putting a rainbow in the clouds as proof of the agreement between me and the earth.
Job 38:12
"Did you ever in your life command the morning to begin or the day to dawn?
Psalms 8:1

To the director: With the gittith. A song of David.

Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful in all the earth! It brings you praise everywhere in heaven.
Psalms 8:3
I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created.
Acts 13:47
This is what the Lord told us to do: ‘I have made you a light for the other nations, to show people all over the world the way to be saved.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Shall they therefore empty their net,.... Or "thus", after this manner, so Noldius; as fishermen do, when they have had a good cast, and a large draught, spread the net, and take out the fishes, in order to throw it again, and catch more; and so it is asked, should these Chaldeans, when they have conquered one nation, and so filled their net or themselves with the spoil, carry it to Babylon, and there lay it up, and then proceed to fight against another kingdom and nation, and plunder it in like manner?

and not spare continually to slay the nations? the inhabitants of them one after another, and subdue them under them, and make themselves master of all their treasure, until they are arrived to universal monarchy by such cruel and unmerciful methods. The Targum is,

"shall he send his armies continually to consume nations, and that without mercy?''

This the prophet proposes in the name of the whole body of the Lord's people, and leaves it with him to have an answer to it, which is given in the following chapter Habakkuk 2:1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? - The prophet, like Isaiah Isaiah 18:4-5, stands at the very last point, before the fury and desire of the enemy was fulfilled. People, like fish, were gathered together for a prey; he who had taken them was rejoicing and exulting beforehand in his booty; his portion and meat were the choice of the earth; the prophet leeks on, as it were, and beholds the net full; there is but one step more; “Shall he empty it? Shall he then devour those whom he has caught? and so cast his emptied net again unceasingly, pitilessly, to slay the nations?” This question he answers in the next chapter - A Deliverer will come!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 1:17. And not spare continually to slay the nations? — They are running from conquest to conquest; burning, slaying, sacking, and slaughtering. Like the fishermen, who throw cast after cast while any fish are to be caught, so Nebuchadnezzar is destroying one nation after another. This last sentence explains the allegory of the net.


 
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