Habakkuk 1:5-11

¶[The LORD replied,] “Look among the nations! See! Be astonished! Wonder! For I am doing something in your days— You would not believe it if you were told. [Acts 13:40, 41] “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon], That fierce and impetuous nation Who march throughout the earth To take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them. [2 Kin 24:2] “The Chaldeans are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves and are defined only by their decree. “Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening, Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from far away; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. “They all come for violence; Their horde of faces moves [eagerly] forward, They gather prisoners like sand. “They make fun of kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They ridicule every stronghold And heap up rubble [for earth mounds] and capture it. “Then they will sweep by like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god.”