Habakkuk 2

1 I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the watchtower, and I will watch carefully to see what he will say to me and how I should turn from my complaint.

[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.”

2 Yahweh answered me and said, “Record this vision, and write plainly on the tablets so that the one reading them might run.

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.

3 For the vision is yet for a future time and will finally speak and not fail. Though it delays, wait for it. For it will surely come and will not tarry.

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]!

4 Look! The one whose desires are not right within him is puffed up. But the righteous will live by his faith.

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].

5 For wine is a betrayer of the arrogant young man so that he will not abide, but enlarges his desire like the grave and, like death, is never satisfied. He gathers to himself every nation and gathers up for himself all of the peoples. (Sheol h7585)

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)

6 Will not all these create a saying to ridicule him and a taunting song about him, saying, 'Woe to the one increasing what is not his! For how long will you increase the weight of the pledges you have taken?'

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]!’

7 Will the ones biting at you not rise up suddenly, and the ones terrifying you awaken? You will become a victim for them.

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.

8 Because you have plundered many peoples, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you. For you have shed human blood and acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.

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.

9 'Woe to the one who carves out evil gains for his house, so he can set his nest on high to keep himself safe from the hand of evil.'

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.

10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many people, and have sinned against yourself.

But because you have destroyed others, you have caused your family [MTY] to be shamed/disgraced, and you yourselves will be killed.

11 For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters of timber will answer them,

[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.

12 'Woe to the one who builds a city with blood, and who establishes a town in iniquity.'

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.

13 Is it not from Yahweh of hosts that peoples labor for fire and all the other nations weary themselves for nothing?

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.

14 Yet the land will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

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.

15 'Woe to the one who forces his neighbors to drink— you express your anger over and you make them drunk in order to look at their nakedness.'

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.

16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink, and you will expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup in Yahweh's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.

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].

17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you and the destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood and you have acted with violence against the land, the cities, and all who live in them.

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.

18 What does the carved figure profit you? For the one who has carved it, or who casts a figure from molten metal, is a teacher of lies; for he trusts his own handiwork when he makes these mute gods.

[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!

19 'Woe to the one saying to the wood, Wake up! Or to the silent stone, Arise!' Do these things teach? See, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all within it.

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.

20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple! Be silent before him, all the land.”

But Yahweh is in his holy temple; everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence.”