Habakkuk, in The Douay Old Testament (1609–1610)

The prophecy of Habacuc (Habakkuk). This is Habakkuk as it stands in the second tome of the Douay Old Testament (Doway: Laurence Kellam, 1610), the English College of Douai’s Catholic translation from the Latin Vulgate, in its original spelling. The page gives every chapter with its printed summary, the verse text and the marginal notes.

THE PROPHECIE OF HABACVC.

HABACVC borne in Bezochar prophecied the ſame time with Nahum [Margin: Habacuc prophecied of the tvvo tribes: of the Chaldees: and of Chriſt.] foreshewing the victories of the Chaldees ſubdewing manie nations, namely the kingdom of Iuda, deſtroying Ieruſalem and the temple, and carying the people captiue into Babylon; and afterwards the ruine of the ſame Chaldees, and relaxation of the Iewes: at laſt the coming of Chriſt, with diuers particular Myſteries deſcribed in a Canticle from his Incarnation to the general Iudgement, and eternitie of the next world.

Chapter 1

CHAP. I. The prophet lamenteth the imminent ruine of the people, by the inſolent crueltie of the Chaldees: 12. eſpecially for that the holie citie shal be ranſacked by idolaters, and moſt wicked men.

1 THE [a] burden that Habacuc the prophete ſaw.

2 How long ô Lord ſhal I crie, and thou wilt not heare? shal I crie out to thee ſuffering violence, and thou wilt not ſaue?

3 Why haſt thou shewed me iniquitie and labour, to ſee praye and iniuſtice againſt me? and iudgement is made, & contradiction more mightie.

4 For this cauſe is the law torne, & iudgement came not to the end: becauſe the impious preuaileth agaynſt the iuſt, therfore doth there come forth peruerſe iudgement.

5 Behold ye in the nations, and ſee: meruel, and be aſtonied: becauſe [b] a worke is done in your dayes, which no man wil beleue when it shal be told.

6 Becauſe loe I [c] wil rayſe vp the Chaldees, a bitter & ſwift nation, walking vpon the latitude of the earth, to poſſeſſe tabernacles not their owne.

7 It is horrible, and terrible: out of it ſelf shal the iudgement, and the burden therof procede.

8 His horſes lighter then leopards, and ſwifter then euening wolues; and his horſemen shal be ſpred abrode, for his horſemen shal come from a far, they shal flie as an eagle haſtening to eate.

9 Al shal come to the praye, their faces a burning winde: & he shal gather together as the ſand, captiuitie.

10 And he shal triumph ouer kinges, & tyrants shal be his laughing flocke, and he shal laugh vpon euerie munition, and shal caſt vp a mount, and shal take it.

11 [d] Then shal the ſpirit be changed, and he shal paſſe, & fal: this is his ſtrength of his God.

12 Why waſt thou not from the beginning ô Lord my God, my holie one, & we shal not dye? Lord thou haſt appoynted him for iudgement: and ſtrong to chaſtiſe, thou haſt founded him.

13 Thine eyes are cleane, from ſeing euil, & thou canſt not looke toward iniquitie. Why lookeſt thou not vpon them that doe vniuſt thinges, & holdeſt thy peace when the impious deuoureth him that is more iuſt then him ſelf?

14 And thou wilt make men as the fishes of the ſea, & as the creeping beaſt not hauing a prince.

15 [e] He lifted vp al in the hooke, he drew it in his traine, and gathered it into his nette: vpon this he wil be glad and reioyce.

16 Therfore wil he immolate to his trayne, and he wil ſacrifice do his nette: becauſe by them his portion is fatte, and his meate choſen.

17 For this cauſe therfore ſpreddeth he his trayne, and alwayes to kil [f] the nations he wil not ſpare.

Marginal notes to Chapter 1

• 1 [a] This prophet expreſſeth not againſt vvhat kingdom citie or perſon this burden is the reaſon vvherof ſemeth to be, becauſe it is againſt very manie and diuers, yea againſt al perſecuters of Gods ſeruantes.
• 5 Act 13. v. 41.
• 5 [b] S. Paul alleageth this place in the myſtical ſenſe Act 13 in the literal the coherence is very obſcure.
• 6 [c] The Chaldees vvere not yet comen to their greatnes; and therfore this could not be the ſame Habacucmentioned. Daniel. 14. v. 32.
• 11 [d] After that the Chaldees ſhal haue ſubdued the Aſſirians, they ſhal alſo be ouerthrowne by others, to witte, by the Medes and Perſians.
• 15 [e] The Chaldees and other victorious nations conquering other countries attribute al to their owne induſtrie, & forces, honoring themſelues, and not God.
• 17 [f] Men of al nations.

Chapter 2

CHAP. II. The captiuitie of the two tribes, their relaxation, Chriſt wil aſſuredly come though not quickly. 5. Their afflicters (the Chaldees) shal be deſtroyed; 18. and al other idolaters.

1 I [a] WIL ſtand vpon my watch, and fixe my ſteppe vpon the munition: and I wil behold, to ſee what may be ſayd to me, and what I may anſwer to him that rebuketh me.

2 And our Lord anſwered me, & ſayd: Write the viſion, & make it playne vpon tables: that he which runneth may read it ouer.

3 Becauſe as yet the viſion is far, and it shal appeare at the end, and shal not lye: if he shal make tariance, expect him: becauſe coming he wil come, & he [b] wil not ſlacke.

4 Behold he that is incredulous, his ſoule shal not be right in him ſelf: but [c] the iuſt shal liue in his faith.

5 And as wine deceiueth him that drinketh: ſo shal the prowd man be, and he shal not be beautified: who as it were hel, hath dilated his ſoule: and himſelf as death, and he is not filled: and he hath gathered together vnto him al nations, and hath heaped together vnto him al peoples.

6 Why, shal not al theſe take vp a parable vpon him, and a ſpeach of obſcure ſayings of him: and it be ſayd: Wo to him, that multiplieth thinges not his owne? how long alſo doth he agrauat againſt himſelf thicke clay?

7 Why, shal they not riſe ſodenly, that shal bite thee: and they that teare thee, be rayſed vp, and thou be for a ſpoile to them?

8 Becauſe thou haſt ſpoiled manie nations, al that shal be left of the peoples shal ſpoile thee: for the bloud [d] of man, and the iniquitie of the land, of the citie, and of al that dwel therein.

9 Wo to him that gathereth together naughtie auarice to his houſe, that his neſt may be on high, and thinketh he is deliuered out of the hand of euil.

10 Thou [e] haſt thought confuſion to thy houſe, thou haſt cut in ſunder manie peoples, and thy ſoule hath ſinned.

11 Becauſe the ſtone out of the wal shal crie: and the timber, that is betwen the iunctures of the buildings, shal anſwer.

12 Wo to him that buildeth a citie in blouds, and prepareth a citie in iniquitie.

13 Why, are not theſe thinges from the Lord of hoſts? For the peoples shal labour in much fire: and the nations in vaine, and they shal faynt.

14 Becauſe the earth shal be replenished, that they may know the glorie of our Lord, as waters couering the ſea.

15 Wo to him that geueth drinke to his freind, putting in his gal, and making drunke, that he may behold his nakednes.

16 Thou art filled with ignominie for glorie, drinke thou alſo, and be faſt a ſleepe: the cuppe of the right hand of our Lord shal compaſſe thee, and the vomite of ignominte vpon thy glorie.

17 Becauſe the iniquitie of Libanus shal couer thee, and the waſting of the beaſts shal terrifie them for the blouds of men, and the iniquitie of the land, and of the citie, and of al that dwel therein.

18 What profiteth the thing engrauen, that the forger therof hath grauen it a molten, and a falſe image? becauſe the forger therof hath hoped in his forgerie, to make dumme idols.

19 Wo vnto him that ſayth to wood: Awake: Ariſe, to the dumme ſtone. Why, can it teach? Behold, this ſame is couered with gold, and ſiluer: and there is no ſpirit in the bowels therof.

20 But our Lord is in his holie temple: let al the earth be ſilent at his preſence.

Marginal notes to Chapter 2

• 1 [a] The wordes of the prophet expecting vvhat God wil further reuele vnto him.
• 1 Iſa. 2⟨illegible⟩.
• 3 [b] He that cometh at the time appointed though it belong, is not ſlacke.
• 4 [c] The principal comforte of the iuſt conſiſteth in their faith an I confidence of the vvorld to come. VVherby they liue vvith conſolation, vvheras otherwiſe this miſerable life vvere rather ⟨illegible⟩ death Heb. 10. v. 38 Sec alſo S. Aug. li. 3. c. 5. cont. duas epiſt Pe'ag. li. 14. de ⟨illegible⟩rinit. c. 12. & de ſpiritu & lit c. 9. & 11. explicating vvith the Apoſtle that faith is the beginning of ſpiritual life by grace to vvhich workes of the lavv vvithout faith in Chriſt ſufficed not. Rom. 1. Gal. ⟨illegible⟩.
• 4 Ioan. ⟨illegible⟩. Rom. 1. Gal. 3. Heb. 10.
• 8 [d] For much bloudſhed by the Chaldees for auarice, in iuſtice & other vvickednes they ſhal at laſt be ruined.
• 10 [e] Vvhiles thou thougheſt by rapine & auarice to eter n⟨illegible⟩ze thy familie & kingdom thou haſt merited the ruine therof.
• 12 Ezec. 24. Nah⟨illegible⟩. 3.
• 19 Pſal. 10.

Chapter 3

CHAP. III.

1 The prayer of Habacuc the prophet for [*] ignorances.

2 LORD I heard thy hearing, and [a] was afrayd. Lord thy worke in [b] the middes of yeares, quicken it: In the middes of yeares shalt thou make it knowen: when thou art angrie, thou wilt remember mercie.

3 God wil come from [c] the South, and the holie one from mount Pharan:[*] His glorie shal couer the heauens, and the earth is ful of his prayſe.

4 His brightnes shal be as the light, hornes in his handes: There is his ſtrength hid.

5 Before his face shal death goe. and the deuil shal goe forth before his feete.

6 He ſtood and meaſured the earth. he beheld, and diſſolued the Gentils: and the mountaines of the world were broken. The hilles of the world were bowed, by the wayes of his eternitie.

7 For iniquitie I ſaw the tents of Aethiopia, [d] the skinnes of the land of Madian shal be trubled.

8 Why, waſt thou angrie with the riuers ô Lord? or was thy furie in the riuers? or thine indignation in the ſea? Who wilt mount vpon thy horſes, and thy chariots ſaluation.

9 Rayſing thou wilt rayſe vp thy bow: the othe to the tribes which thou haſt ſpoken.[*] Thou wilt curte the riuers of the earth.

10 The mountaines ſaw thee, and were ſorie, the gulfe of water paſſed. The depth gaue his voice: the height lifted vp his handes.

11 The ſunne, and the moone ſtood in their habitation, in the light of thine arrowes, they shal goe in the brightnes of thy glittering ſpeare.

12 In freating thou wilt treade downe the earth: in furie thou wilt aſtonish the Gentils.

13 Thou wentſt forth the ſaluation of thy people: ſaluation with thy Chriſt. Thou ſtrokeſt [e] the head out of the houſe of the impious, thou haſt diſcouered the fundation euen to the neck.[*]

14 Thou haſt curſed his ſcepters, the head of his warriers, them that come as a whirlewinde to diſperſe me. Their exultation, as his that deuoureth the poore in ſecrete.

15 Thou madeſt a way in the ſea for thy horſes, in the middes of manie waters.

16 I heard, and my bellie was trubled: at the voice my lippes trembled. let rottenes enter in my bones, & ſwarme vnder me. That I may reſt in [f] the day of tribulation: that I may aſcend to our girded people.

17 For the figtree shal not florish: and there shal be no ſpring in the vines. The worke of the oliuetree shal deceiue: and the fields shal not yeld meate: the cattel shal be cut of from the fold, and there shal be no heard in the ſtalles.

18 But I wil ioy in our Lord: and wil reioyce in God my IESVS.

19 God our Lord is my ſtrength: and he wil make my feete as of the harts. and vpon my high places he the conquerer wil lead me ſinging in pſalmes.

Marginal notes to Chapter 3

• 1 [*] Al ſinnes in ſome ſorte procede of ignorance: for remiſſion wherof the prophet prayeth in this Canticle, & that for the ſame Chriſts coming may not be differred: 2. So prophecieth his Incarnation, 3. Natiuitie, 4. Miracles and Doctrine, 5. Paſſion, Reſurrection, and conuerſion of Gentiles: 16. The general Iudgement, Glorie of the bleſſed, & damnation of the reprobate.
• 2 [a] For the great excellent, and admirable mercie of God I was aſtoniſhed as one afrayde, ſeing God himſelf vvil take mans nature, and therin pay ranſom & redeme mankind.
• 2 [b] in the time diſigned for this purpoſe. The 70. Interpreters reade, betvven tvvo liuing creatures thou shalt be found and ſo the Church hath in the office of Chriſts Natiuitie and Circumciſion betvven an oxe and an aſse in the ſhall.
• 3 [c] From Bethlem vvhich is ſouthvvard from Ieruſalē.
• 3 [*] Sela. See A⟨illegible⟩not. Pſal ⟨illegible⟩.
• 7 [d] In Madian a part of Aethiopia the people liued moſt in tentes, not in houſes ſo here is ſignified that in the tumulte of warres vvil be much remouing of skinnes that is, of their tentes made of skinnes.
• 9 [*] Sela.
• 13 [e] Antichriſt the head of the malignant houſe, or conuenticle, ſhal be deſtroyed by Chriſt. Iſa. 11 v. 4 2▪ Theſ 2.
• 13 [*] Sela.
• 16 [f] Al afflictions are to be patiently ſuſtayned, that vve may haue reſt in the day of iudgement.

Colophon

The holie Bible faithfully translated into English, out of the authentical Latin. Diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greeke, and other editions in diuers languages. With arguments of the bookes, and chapters: annotations. tables: and other helpes. By the English College of Doway. The second tome (Psalms to 2 Machabees, with the Prayer of Manasses and the third and fourth books of Esdras), Doway: Laurence Kellam, 1610 (STC 2207). Copy: Henry E. Huntington Library, as reproduced in Early English Books Online (image set 2087).

Transcription: Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP), Phase I text A11777 (2007), released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal public-domain dedication.

This is an archival transcription, not a Good Works Translation: the English is the Douay translators’ own, kept in the original spelling, with long s (ſ), u and v, i and j as printed. The Good Works Library converted the TCP text to this page, removing only markup, page breaks and line-end hyphens. In the print a cross (†) opens each verse and the verse number stands in the margin; here each verse is its own paragraph headed by that number. Marginal notes are gathered after each chapter under the number of the verse beside which they stand; where the print sets a reference mark in the text (a letter, four pricks ::, or a star *), the mark is kept at its place in square brackets. In prose sections the marginal notes stand at their places in square brackets. Marks that the transcription records in the text are kept as they stand: ▪ is the transcribers’ sign for a printed mark they could not set, which this edition’s key to its marks uses to point to an Annotation after the chapter, and “ is another such printed mark. Words the transcribers could not read are marked ⟨illegible⟩ (9 on this page); none has been filled in by conjecture.

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