Habakkuk 2
1 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.
I will take my stand on my watch-tower, and station myself on a turret. I will watch to see what the Lord will say to me, what answer he will make to my complaint.
2 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.
Then the Lord answered me and said: Inscribe the vision plainly on tablets, so that even someone running by could read it.
3 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.
Though the vision waits for the time set, it hastens to fulfilment and will not fail; Though it linger long, wait for it. For it surely will come and will not be delayed.
4 Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself: but the just shall live in his faith.
The strength of the proud fails, but the upright lives by their faithfulness.
5 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 h7585)
Wealth is treacherous, the arrogant never have enough. They make their desire as wide as Sheol, are like death, unsatisfied, For they gather to themselves all the nations, bring together to themselves all peoples. (Sheol h7585)
6 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?
Shouldn’t everyone mock them? sing a taunt-song against them, and say: Woe to the person who amasses what is not theirs, and loads them self down with goods taken in pledge!
7 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?
Won’t your creditors suddenly rise, and those who will overthrow you awake, and you become their prey?
8 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.
For as you have plundered many peoples, the survivors will prey upon you. You have shed blood and committed violence to the earth, peoples and their cities.
9 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.
Woe to you who seeks unjust gain for your dynasty, who sets your nest on high to be safe from the reach of misfortune!
10 Thou hast devised confusion to thy house, thou hast cut off many people, and thy soul hath sinned.
You have planned only shame for your dynasty. You have destroyed many peoples, and brought guilt upon yourself;
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall: and the timber that is between the joints of the building, shall answer.
the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timber will answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and prepareth a city by iniquity.
Woe to the person who builds a city by bloodshed, and founds a town by crime
13 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.
while the peoples toil for what fires will consume, and the nations weary themselves for nothing! This the Lord of hosts has said,
14 For the earth shall be filled, that men may know the glory of the Lord, as waters covering the sea.
and the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the seas are full of water.
15 Woe to him that giveth drink to his friend, and presenteth his gall, and maketh him drunk, that he may behold his nakedness.
Woe to him who in fury gives drink to his neighbor to make him drunk, and see him naked.
16 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.
You are filled with shame, not glory; drink yourself and be uncovered. The cup from the Lord’s hand will pass in turn to you, and shame will cover your glory!
17 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.
For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, the destruction of animals will terrify you, because you shed people’s blood on the earth, destroyed people and their cities.
18 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.
What use is an idol? A human made it, a metal image. It cannot speak, it cannot teach truth, Why does its maker trust it?
19 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.
Woe to the person who says to a block, awake! to a dumb stone, arise! What can it teach? It may be set with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all within it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!
