Habakkuk 2

Modern

Literal

The LORD Answers Again

¹I will stand at my guard post

and station myself on the ramparts.

I will watch to see what He will say to me,

and how I should answer when corrected.

¹At my guard post I will stand, and I will take my stand on the rampart, and I will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will return upon my reproof.

²Then the LORD answered me:

“Write down this vision

and clearly inscribe it on tablets,

so that a herald may run with it.

²And YHWH answered me and said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tablets, that the one calling may run with it.

³For the vision awaits an appointed time;

it testifies of the end and does not lie.

Though it lingers, wait for it,

since it will surely come and will not delay.^a

³For is yet the vision for an appointed time, and it breathes of the end, and it will not lie; if it lingers, wait for it, because it will surely come and will not delay.

⁴Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright—^a

but the righteous will live by faith—^b

⁴Behold, one is not puffed up whose soul is upright within him, and the righteous one will live by his faith.

⁵and wealth^a indeed betrays him.

He is an arrogant man never at rest.

He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,

and like Death, he is never satisfied.

He gathers all the nations to himself

and collects all the peoples as his own.

⁵And indeed because wealth is treacherous, a proud man who does not stay at home, who enlarges his appetite like Sheol and he is like death, and is not satisfied, and he gathers to himself all the nations, and he collects for himself all the peoples.

Woe to the Chaldeans

⁶Will not all of these take up a taunt against him,

speaking with mockery and derision:

‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his

and makes himself rich with many loans!

How long will this go on?’

⁶Will not these, all of them, take up a clever saying against him, and a taunt with riddles against him, and say, ‘Woe to the one multiplying what is not unto him. Until when will will he load on humself many pledges?’

⁷Will not your creditors suddenly arise

and those who disturb you awaken?

Then you will become their prey.

⁷Will not your creditors suddenly rise up, and your oppressors awaken? And you will become as plunder for them!

⁸Because you have plundered many nations,

the remnant of the people will plunder you—

because of your bloodshed against man

and your violence against the land, the city,

and all their dwellers.

⁸Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you for the bloodshed of man and the violence to the land, to the city and all those dwelling in it!

⁹Woe to him who builds his house

by unjust gain,

to place his nest on high

and escape the hand of disaster!

⁹Woe to the one biting off evil gain for his house, to set his nest in the heights, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!

¹⁰You have plotted shame for your house

by cutting off many peoples

and forfeiting your life.^a

¹⁰You have devised shame for your house, cutting off many peoples, and sinning against your soul.

¹¹For the stones will cry out from the wall,

and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.

¹¹For a stone from the wall will cry out, and a beam from the timbers will answer it:

¹²Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed

and establishes a town by iniquity!

¹²Woe to the one building a city with bloodshed, and who establishes a town by injustice!

¹³Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts

that the labor of the people only feeds the fire,

and the nations weary themselves in vain?

¹³Behold, Is it not from YHWH of Hosts that the labor of the people is for feeding the fire, and nations only in vain weary themselves?

¹⁴For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁴For the earth will be filled to know the glory of YHWH, as the waters cover over the sea.

¹⁵Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,

pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk,

in order to gaze at their nakedness!

¹⁵Woe to the one giving drink to his neighbor, pouring out your rage and even to make him drunk, in order to look upon his nakedness!

¹⁶You will be filled with shame instead of glory.

You too must drink

and expose your uncircumcision!^a

The cup in the LORD’s right hand

will come around to you,

and utter disgrace will cover your glory.

¹⁶You have been filled with shame instead of glory. Drink, you also, and expose your uncircumcision. It will turn around upon you—the cup of the right hand of YHWH, and disgrace be upon your glory.

¹⁷For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you,

and the destruction of animals will terrify you,

because of your bloodshed against men

and your violence against the land, the city,

and all their dwellers.

¹⁷For the violence to Lebanon will cover you, and the destruction of the beasts will terrify them, from the bloodshed of man and the violence to the land, to the city and all those dwelling in it.

¹⁸What use is an idol,

that a craftsman should carve it—

or an image,

a teacher of lies?

For its maker trusts in his own creation;

he makes idols that cannot speak.

¹⁸What profit is an image when its fashioner has carved it, a molten image and a teacher of falsehood? For the one fashioning trusts upon it in his fashioning, making mute idols.

¹⁹Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’

or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’

Can it give guidance?

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

yet there is no breath in it at all.”

¹⁹Woe to the one saying to the wood, ‘Awake!’ Or to a stone of silence, ‘Arise!’ Can it give instruction? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and not any breath is within it.”

²⁰But the LORD is in His holy temple;

let all the earth be silent before Him.

²⁰And YHWH is in the temple of His holiness; let all the earth be silent before Him.