Habakkuk 2

1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer concerning my complaint.

[After I said that, I said to myself, ] “I will climb up into my watchtower, and stand there at my guard post. I will wait there to find out what Yahweh will say, what he will reply to what I have complained about.”

2 And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.

Then Yahweh replied to me, “Write plainly on tablets [what I am revealing to you in] this vision, [and then read it to a messenger] in order that he can run with it [to tell it to] other people.

3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.

In this vision [I will be talking about things that will happen] in the future. Now is not the time when those things will happen, but they certainly will happen, and when they occur, they will occur quickly, and they will not be delayed. Now you [want those things to happen immediately, but] they are not happening. But wait patiently for them [to happen]!

4 Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him; but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Think about the proud [people of Babylonia]! They are certainly not doing what is righteous. But people who are righteous will live because they faithfully [do what I want them to do].

5 Yea, moreover, wine is treacherous, a haughty man, that keepeth not at home; who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all peoples. (Sheol h7585)

If people [trust in their wealth], they will deceive themselves, and proud people are never able to rest. [It is as though] the greedy people [of Babylonia open their mouths] as wide as the place where dead people are, and they never have enough, like [the place where] dead people go never has enough dead people [PRS]. The [armies of Babylonia] conquer many nations for themselves, and capture all their people. (Sheol h7585)

6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and that ladeth himself with pledges!

But [soon] all those [whom they have captured] will ridicule [the soldiers from Babylonia]! They will make fun of them, saying, ‘Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things [from other countries]! You got many things by forcing people to give them to you. [But you certainly will not keep those things] for a long time [RHQ]!’

7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booty unto them?

Suddenly those whom you (oppressed/treated cruelly) will cause you to tremble, and they will take away all the things that you have stolen from them.

8 Because thou hast plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder thee, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

You stole things from the people of many nations. You murdered [MTY] people of many people-groups, and you destroyed their land and their cities. So those who are still alive will steal valuable things from you.

9 Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!

Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who build big houses with money that you got by forcing others to give it to you. You are proud and you think that your houses will be safe because you have built them in places where you can easily defend them.

10 Thou hast devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and hast sinned against thy soul.

But because you have destroyed others, you have caused your family [MTY] to be shamed/disgraced, and you yourselves will be killed.

11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

[It is as though] the stones in the walls [of your houses] cry out to accuse you, and [it is as though] the beams [in your ceilings] also say the same things.

12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who kill people [MTY] in order to build cities, cities that you build by using money that you have gotten by committing crimes.

13 Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

But the Commander of the armies of angels has [RHQ] declared that everything that is built by people who do things like that [will be destroyed by] fire; they will have worked hard uselessly.

14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.

But [in contrast], like [SIM] the oceans are filled with water, the earth will be filled with [people who] know that Yahweh is very great.

15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, [to thee] that addest thy venom, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who cause people who live in nearby countries to become drunk. You force them to drink a lot of wine from wineskins [until they are drunk and then they walk around] naked, in order that you can see that.

16 Thou art filled with shame, and not glory: drink thou also, and be as one uncircumcised; the cup of Jehovah’s right hand shall come round unto thee, and foul shame shall be upon thy glory.

But you are the ones who [soon] will be disgraced instead of being honored. [It will be as though you are forced to] drink [a lot of wine] in order that you will also stagger [around, drunk]. You will drink the wine [that symbolizes that Yahweh will punish you], and he will cause you to be disgraced instead of being greatly respected [any more].

17 For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid; because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

You did violent [PRS] things to [the people in] Lebanon, and you killed the wild animals [there], but you will be punished severely for doing that. You have killed [MTY] many people and you have destroyed their lands and their cities.

18 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

[You people of Babylonia need to know that your] idols are completely [RHQ] useless, because it is people who made them. Statues that have been carved or made in a mold deceive you. Those who trust in idols are trusting in things that they themselves created, things that cannot speak!

19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Terrible things will happen to you who say to lifeless idols that are made of wood, ‘Wake up!’ Idols certainly cannot [RHQ] tell you what you should do; they [look nice/beautiful because] they are covered with silver and gold, but they are not alive.

20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

But Yahweh is in his holy temple; everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence.”