Habakkuk 2
1 [After I said that, I said to myself, ] “I will climb up into my watchtower, and stand there at my guard post. I will wait there to find out what Yahweh will say, what he will reply to what I have complained about.”
On my charge I stand, and I station myself on a bulwark, and I watch to see what He doth speak against me, and what I do reply to my reproof.
2 Then Yahweh replied to me, “Write plainly on tablets [what I am revealing to you in] this vision, [and then read it to a messenger] in order that he can run with it [to tell it to] other people.
And Jehovah answereth me and saith: 'Write a vision, and explain on the tables, That he may run who is reading it.
3 In this vision [I will be talking about things that will happen] in the future. Now is not the time when those things will happen, but they certainly will happen, and when they occur, they will occur quickly, and they will not be delayed. Now you [want those things to happen immediately, but] they are not happening. But wait patiently for them [to happen]!
For yet the vision [is] for a season, And it breatheth for the end, and doth not lie, If it tarry, wait for it, For surely it cometh, it is not late.
4 Think about the proud [people of Babylonia]! They are certainly not doing what is righteous. But people who are righteous will live because they faithfully [do what I want them to do].
Lo, a presumptuous one! Not upright is his soul within him, And the righteous by his stedfastness liveth.
5 If people [trust in their wealth], they will deceive themselves, and proud people are never able to rest. [It is as though] the greedy people [of Babylonia open their mouths] as wide as the place where dead people are, and they never have enough, like [the place where] dead people go never has enough dead people [PRS]. The [armies of Babylonia] conquer many nations for themselves, and capture all their people. (Sheol h7585)
And also, because the wine [is] treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples, (Sheol h7585)
6 But [soon] all those [whom they have captured] will ridicule [the soldiers from Babylonia]! They will make fun of them, saying, ‘Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things [from other countries]! You got many things by forcing people to give them to you. [But you certainly will not keep those things] for a long time [RHQ]!’
Do not these — all of them — against him a simile taken up, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Woe [to] him who is multiplying [what is] not his? Till when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges?
7 Suddenly those whom you (oppressed/treated cruelly) will cause you to tremble, and they will take away all the things that you have stolen from them.
Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them?
8 You stole things from the people of many nations. You murdered [MTY] people of many people-groups, and you destroyed their land and their cities. So those who are still alive will steal valuable things from you.
Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.
9 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who build big houses with money that you got by forcing others to give it to you. You are proud and you think that your houses will be safe because you have built them in places where you can easily defend them.
Woe [to] him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil,
10 But because you have destroyed others, you have caused your family [MTY] to be shamed/disgraced, and you yourselves will be killed.
Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to thy house, To cut off many peoples, and sinful [is] thy soul.
11 [It is as though] the stones in the walls [of your houses] cry out to accuse you, and [it is as though] the beams [in your ceilings] also say the same things.
For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it.
12 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who kill people [MTY] in order to build cities, cities that you build by using money that you have gotten by committing crimes.
Woe [to] him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.
13 But the Commander of the armies of angels has [RHQ] declared that everything that is built by people who do things like that [will be destroyed by] fire; they will have worked hard uselessly.
Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?
14 But [in contrast], like [SIM] the oceans are filled with water, the earth will be filled with [people who] know that Yahweh is very great.
For full is the earth of the knowledge of the honour of Jehovah, As waters cover [the bottom of] a sea.
15 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who cause people who live in nearby countries to become drunk. You force them to drink a lot of wine from wineskins [until they are drunk and then they walk around] naked, in order that you can see that.
Woe [to] him who is giving drink to his neighbour, Pouring out thy bottle, and also making drunk, In order to look on their nakedness.
16 But you are the ones who [soon] will be disgraced instead of being honored. [It will be as though you are forced to] drink [a lot of wine] in order that you will also stagger [around, drunk]. You will drink the wine [that symbolizes that Yahweh will punish you], and he will cause you to be disgraced instead of being greatly respected [any more].
Thou hast been filled — shame without honour, Drink thou also, and be uncircumcised, Turn round unto thee doth the cup of the right hand of Jehovah, And shameful spewing [is] on thine honour.
17 You did violent [PRS] things to [the people in] Lebanon, and you killed the wild animals [there], but you will be punished severely for doing that. You have killed [MTY] many people and you have destroyed their lands and their cities.
For violence [to] Lebanon doth cover thee, And spoil of beasts doth affright them, Because of man's blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.
18 [You people of Babylonia need to know that your] idols are completely [RHQ] useless, because it is people who made them. Statues that have been carved or made in a mold deceive you. Those who trust in idols are trusting in things that they themselves created, things that cannot speak!
What profit hath a graven image given That its former hath graven it? A molten image and teacher of falsehood, That trusted hath the former on his own formation — to make dumb idols?
19 Terrible things will happen to you who say to lifeless idols that are made of wood, ‘Wake up!’ Idols certainly cannot [RHQ] tell you what you should do; they [look nice/beautiful because] they are covered with silver and gold, but they are not alive.
Woe [to] him who is saying to wood, 'Awake,' 'Stir up,' to a dumb stone, It a teacher! lo, it is overlaid — gold and silver, And there is no spirit in its midst.
20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple; everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence.”
And Jehovah [is] in His holy temple, Be silent before Him, all the earth!
