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.

On my charge I stand, and I station myself on a bulwark, and I watch to see what He speaks against me, and what I reply to my reproof.

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

And YHWH answers me and says: “Write a vision, and explain on the tablets, That he may run who is reading 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 yet the vision [is] for a season, And it breathes for the end, and does not lie, If it lingers, wait for it, For surely it comes, it is not late.

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

Behold, a presumptuous one! His soul is not upright within him, And the righteous lives by 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 h7585)

And also, because the wine [is] treacherous, A man is haughty, and does not remain at home, Who has enlarged his soul as Sheol, And is as death that is not satisfied, And gathers to itself all the nations, And assembles to itself all the peoples, (Sheol h7585)

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!

Are these not—all of them—an allegory taken up against him, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Woe [to] him who is multiplying [what is] not his? Until when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges?

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?

Do your usurers not instantly rise up, And those shaking you awake, And you have been 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 you have spoiled many nations, All the remnant of the peoples spoil you, Because of man’s blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.

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 who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of evil,

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

You have counseled a shameful thing to your house, To cut off many peoples, and your soul [is] sinful.

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

For a stone cries out from the wall, And a beam from the wood answers it.

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

Woe [to] him who is building a city by blood, And establishing 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?

Behold, is it not from YHWH of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?

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

For the earth is full of the knowledge of the glory of YHWH, As the waters cover over a 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 who is giving drink to his neighbor, Pouring out your bottle, and also making drunk, In order to look on their 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.

You have been filled—shame without honor, Drink also, and be uncircumcised, Turn around to you does the cup of the right hand of YHWH, And shameful spewing [is] on your 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 violence [done to] Lebanon covers you, And spoil of beasts frightens them, Because of man’s blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.

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 profit has a carved image given That its former has hewn it? A molten image and teacher of falsehood, That the former has trusted on his own formation—to make mute 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 who is saying to wood, Awake, To a mute stone, Stir up, It [is] a teacher! Behold, it is overlaid—gold and silver, And there is no spirit in its midst.

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

And YHWH [is] in His holy temple, Be silent before Him, all the earth!”