Look among the nations, wonder and stare, A work moves forward no rumor could bear. Even when spoken, the heart would refuse To believe such an answer was coming in view. The Chaldeans rise, bitter and fast, Marching through breadths they do not possess. Terrible, dreadful, their judgment self-made, Their honor comes only from power and blade. Horses run swifter than leopards at dusk, Fiercer than wolves when the daylight is hushed. I raise up the Chaldeans, A storm from the edge of the sky. They fly like an eagle that hastens to eat, And nations are sand in their eyes. I raise up the Chaldeans, But strength is the god they adore. The instrument lifted against Judah Will answer for worshiping war. They gather for violence, faces set east, Captives like sand are collected with ease. Kings become mockery, princes a game, They laugh at the fortress and heap dust to gain. Wind across the wall, Dust across the field, Cities bow to speed, Iron does not yield. Then the army passes beyond every bound, Its own might praised as the source of its crown. The answer is darker than Habakkuk had known: A violent nation with power as throne. I raise up the Chaldeans, A storm from the edge of the sky. They fly like an eagle that hastens to eat, And nations are sand in their eyes. I raise up the Chaldeans, Yet pride writes a debt in the sword. The hand used to judge another people Still stands underneath the LORD. The answer came, And the question grew deeper.