< Habakkuk 2 >
1 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.
I will stand upon my watch, and fix my foot upon the tower: and I will watch, to see what will be said to me, and what I may answer to him that reproveth me.
2 And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and engrave it upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.
And the Lord answered me, and said: Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables: that he that readeth it may run over it.
3 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.
For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie: if it make any delay, wait for it: for it shall surely come, and it shall not be slack.
4 Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright within him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself: but the just shall live in his faith.
5 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 )
And as wine deceiveth him that drinketh it: so shall the proud man be, and he shall not be honoured: who hath enlarged his desire like hell: and is himself like death, and he is never satisfied: but will gather together unto him all nations, and heap together unto him all people. (Sheol )
6 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!
Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a dark speech concerning him: and it shall be said: Woe to him that heapeth together that which is not his own? how long also doth he load himself with thick clay?
7 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?
Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee: and they be stirred up that shall tear thee, and thou shalt be a spoil to them?
8 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.
Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all that shall be left of the people shall spoil thee: because of men’s blood, and for the iniquity of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
9 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!
Woe to him that gathereth together an evil covetousness to his house, that his nest may be on high, and thinketh he may be delivered out of the hand of evil.
10 Thou hast devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and hast sinned against thine own soul.
Thou hast devised confusion to thy house, thou hast cut off many people, and thy soul hath sinned.
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
For the stone shall cry out of the wall: and the timber that is between the joints of the building, shall answer.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by unrighteousness!
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and prepareth a city by iniquity.
13 Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?
Are not these things from the Lord of hosts? for the people shall labour in a great fire: and the nations in vain, and they shall faint.
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.
For the earth shall be filled, that men may know the glory of the Lord, as waters covering the sea.
15 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!
Woe to him that giveth drink to his friend, and presenteth his gall, and maketh him drunk, that he may behold his nakedness.
16 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.
Thou art filled with shame instead of glory: drink thou also, and fall fast asleep: the cup of the right hand of the Lord shall compass thee, and shameful vomiting shall be on thy glory.
17 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.
For the iniquity of Libanus shall cover thee, and the ravaging of beasts shall terrify them because of the blood of men, and the iniquity of the land, and of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
18 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?
What doth the graven thing avail, because the maker thereof hath graven it, a molten, and a false image? because the forger thereof hath trusted in a thing of his own forging, to make dumb idols.
19 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.
Woe to him that saith to wood: Awake: to the dumb stone: Arise: can it teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold, and silver, and there is no spirit in the bowels thereof.
20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him!
But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.