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 on my watch-tower, And set myself on the bulwark, And watch to see what he will say to me, And what I shall answer to my expostulation.
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 make it plain 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 hasteneth to the end; it shall not deceive; If it tarry, wait for it; For it shall surely come; it shall not long 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, the soul of him that is puffed up shall not be at ease; But the just shall live by his faithfulness.
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)
Behold, the man of wine is outrageous; The proud man remaineth not at rest; He enlargeth his desire as the grave; He is as death, and cannot be satisfied; He gathereth to himself all the nations, And collecteth to himself all the kingdoms. (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 of them utter a song against him, Yea, songs of reproach and derision concerning him? And say, Woe to him that heapeth up that which belongeth not to him! For how long a time? That ladeth himself with goods taken in pledge!
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 not they suddenly rise up that will oppress thee, And awake, that will harass thee? Yea, thou shalt be their booty.
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 kingdoms, All the residue of the nations shall plunder thee: For the blood of men, and for violence against the land, Against the city and all its inhabitants.
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 procureth unjust gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the evil hand!
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 for thine house; By destroying many nations, thou hast brought ruin upon thyself.
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 from the wall crieth out, And the beam from the timber answereth 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 by blood, And establisheth a city by iniquity!
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, it is determined by Jehovah of hosts, That nations shall labor for the fire, And kingdoms weary themselves for naught.
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 to him who giveth his neighbor drink; Who poureth out the strong wine, and maketh him drunken, That he may look upon his 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 shalt be filled with shame instead of glory; Drink thou also, and show thy foreskin! To thee shall come the cup in the right hand of Jehovah, And foul shame shall be upon 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 the beasts which made them afraid, On account of the blood of men, and violence against the land, Against the city and all its inhabitants.
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, When the maker hath graven it? Or the molten image, and the teacher of lies, That the artificer trusteth in his work, When he maketh 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 to him who saith to the wood, Awake! To the dumb stone, Arise! Will it teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath within 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; Be silent before him, all the earth!
