Habakkuk 2

1 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.

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.

2 And Jehovah answereth me and saith: 'Write a vision, and explain on the tables, That he may run who is reading it.

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

3 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.

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.

4 Lo, a presumptuous one! Not upright is his soul within him, And the righteous by his stedfastness liveth.

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

5 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)

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)

6 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?

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!

7 Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them?

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?

8 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.

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.

9 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,

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!

10 Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to thy house, To cut off many peoples, and sinful [is] thy soul.

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

11 For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it.

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

12 Woe [to] him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.

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

13 Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?

Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

14 For full is the earth of the knowledge of the honour of Jehovah, As waters cover [the bottom of] a sea.

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

15 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.

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!

16 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.

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.

17 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.

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.

18 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?

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?

19 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.

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.

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

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