The first half of the verse has the form of a double question in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation turns it into two separate sentences. As in verse 2, the question form is an indirect way for Habakkuk to make his complaint against God. Again, it should be retained in translation if possible.
Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble?: first of all, it must be noted that the word translated wrongs in Revised Standard Version is translated “trouble” in Good News Translation, and the word translated trouble in Revised Standard Version is translated “wrongdoing” in Good News Translation. This may make it appear that Good News Translation has reversed the order of the first two clauses, but in fact this is not the case. Several other modern English versions also prefer to use “wrong” or “wrongdoing” in the second clause rather than the first (New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). The words make me see are causative in sense; the prophet is boldly blaming God for the problems in his situation. Good News Translation expresses this more naturally as “Why do you make me see such trouble?” This means not just to look at the troubles of other people, but to experience trouble oneself. The sentence may also be phrased as “Why do you make me meet with such trouble?” or “Why do you make me receive trouble like this?” or even “Why do you bring such trouble upon me?” Wrongs is rendered as “ruin” (New American Bible), “misery” (New English Bible), “injustice” (Jerusalem Bible, New International Version), or “iniquity” (New Jerusalem Bible).
The rest of the sentence, and look upon trouble, is ambiguous in Revised Standard Version. The obvious interpretation in English is that Why dost thou make from the first clause is to be repeated in the second. This would give the meaning “Why do you make me look upon trouble?” However, this is wrong, and the Hebrew actually means “Why do you look upon trouble?” The prophet implies that the LORD is watching without taking any action to put things right. This meaning is expressed more clearly in Good News Translation, “How can you stand to look on such wrongdoing” (American edition) or “How can you endure to look on such wrongdoing” (British edition). Compare New International Version “Why do you tolerate wrong?” In many languages it will be necessary to show who is the subject of “wrongdoing.” Therefore other ways of rendering this clause are “Why do you tolerate people doing such evil things?” or “When you see people doing such evil things, why do you not pay attention (or, take action)?”
The terms Destruction and violence often go together (compare Jer 6.7; 20.8; Ezek 45.9; Amos 3.10). Here the prophet says that they are “all around me” (Good News Translation).
The last part of the verse has another pair of nouns, strife and contention, which balance Destruction and violence. Good News Translation translates these in modern terms as “there is fighting and quarreling everywhere.”
In some languages it will be necessary to use verbs to express the meaning of the second part of the verse. One may say “All around me people are attacking and oppressing others. Everywhere people are fighting and quarreling.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .