Habakkuk 2

1 I will take my position and be on watch, placing myself on my tower, looking out to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my protest.

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer as to my reproof.

2 And the Lord gave me an answer, and said, Put the vision in writing and make it clear on stones, so that the reader may go quickly.

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

3 For the vision is still for the fixed time, and it is moving quickly to the end, and it will not be false: even if it is slow in coming, go on waiting for it; because it will certainly come, it will not be kept back.

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

4 As for the man of pride, my soul has no pleasure in him; but the upright man will have life through his good faith.

Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright within him: but the just shall live by his faith.

5 A curse on the cruel and false one! the man full of pride, who never has enough; who makes his desires wide as the underworld! he is like death; he is never full, but he makes all nations come to him, getting all peoples together to himself. (Sheol h7585)

And moreover, the wine is treacherous: he is a proud man, and keepeth not at rest, he enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is like death and cannot be satisfied; and he assembleth unto him all nations, and gathereth unto him all peoples. (Sheol h7585)

6 Will not all these take up a word of shame against him and a bitter saying against him, and say, A curse on him who goes on taking what is not his and is weighted down with the property of debtors!

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

7 Will not your creditors suddenly be moved against you, and your troublers get up from their sleep, and you will be to them like goods taken in war?

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

8 Because you have taken their goods from great nations, all the rest of the peoples will take your goods from you; because of men's blood and violent acts against the land and the town and all who are living in it.

Because thou hast plundered many nations, all the rest of the peoples shall plunder thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence [done] to the land, to the city, and all that dwell therein.

9 A curse on him who gets evil profits for his family, so that he may put his resting-place on high and be safe from the hand of the wrongdoer!

Woe to him that getteth iniquitous gain to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the grasp of evil!

10 You have been a cause of shame to your house by cutting off a number of peoples, and sinning against your soul.

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

11 For the stone will give a cry out of the wall, and it will be answered by the board out of the woodwork.

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

12 A curse on him who is building a place with blood, and basing a town on evil-doing!

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

13 See, is it not the pleasure of the Lord of armies that the peoples are working for the fire and using themselves up for nothing?

Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

14 For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the sea is covered by the waters.

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

15 A curse on him who gives his neighbour the wine of his wrath, making him overcome with strong drink from the cup of his passion, so that you may be a witness of their shame!

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, — that pourest out thy flask, and makest [him] drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

16 You are full of shame in place of glory: take your part in the drinking, and let your shame be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand will come round to you and your glory will be covered with shame.

Thou art filled with shame instead of glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of Jehovah's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and a shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

17 For the violent acts against Lebanon will come on you, and the destruction of the cattle will be a cause of fear to you, because of men's blood and the violent acts against the land and the town and all who are living in it.

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

18 What profit is the pictured image to its maker? and as for the metal image, the false teacher, why does its maker put his faith in it, making false gods without a voice?

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it? the molten image, and the teacher of falsehood, that the maker of his work dependeth thereon, to make dumb idols?

19 A curse on him who says to the wood, Awake! to the unbreathing stone, Up! let it be a teacher! See, it is plated with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all inside it.

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

20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple: let all the earth be quiet before him.

But Jehovah is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him!