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Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Habakkuk 1:17

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?

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?
Easy-to-Read Version
Will he continue to take riches with his net? Will he continue destroying people without showing mercy?
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.

Contextual Overview

12 God , you're from eternity, aren't you? Holy God, we aren't going to die, are we? God , you chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job of discipline? But you can't be serious! You can't condone evil! So why don't you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch! 14You're treating men and women as so many fish in the ocean, Swimming without direction, swimming but not getting anywhere. Then this evil Babylonian arrives and goes fishing. He pulls in a good catch. He catches his limit and fills his creel— a good day of fishing! He's happy! He praises his rod and reel, piles his fishing gear on an altar and worships it! It's made his day, and he's going to eat well tonight! 17 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?

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

Job 38:12
"And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!' told Dawn, ‘Get to work!' So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches? As the sun brings everything to light, brings out all the colors and shapes, The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked— they're caught in the very act!
Psalms 8:1

A David Psalm

God , brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.
Psalms 8:3
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

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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