Habakkuk 2

God Answers the Prophet

1I will 1stand at my guard post And station myself on the watchtower; And I will 2keep watch to see 3what He will say to me, And how I may reply 4when I am reprimanded.2Then the Lord answered me and said, “5Write down the vision And inscribe it clearly on tablets, So that one who 6reads it may run.3For the vision is yet for the 7appointed time; It 8hurries toward the goal and it will not 9fail. Though it delays, 10wait for it; For it will certainly come, it 11will not delay long.

4“Behold, as for the 12impudent one, His soul is not right within him; But the 13righteous one will live by his 14faith.5Furthermore, 15wine betrays an 16arrogant man, So that he does not 17achieve his objective. He 18enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all the nations And collects to himself all the peoples.

6“Will all of these not 19take up a song of ridicule against him, Even a saying and insinuations against him And say, ‘20Woe to him who increases what is not his-- For how long-- And makes himself 21rich with debts!’7Will 22your creditors not 23rise up suddenly, And those who 24collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them.8Since you have 25looted many nations, All the rest of the peoples will loot you-- Because of human bloodshed and violence 26done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.

9“Woe to him who makes 27evil profit for his household, To 28put his nest on high, To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!10You have planned a 29shameful thing for your house By bringing many peoples to an end; So you are 30sinning against yourself.11For the 31stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the 32framework.

12“Woe to him who 33builds a city with bloodshed, And founds a town with 34violence!13Is it not indeed from the Lord of armies That peoples 35labor merely for fire, And nations become weary for nothing?14For the earth will be 36filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

15“Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink; 37To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk, So as to look at their genitalia!16You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. 38Drink, you yourself, and 39expose your own foreskin! The 40cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And 41utter disgrace will come upon your glory.17For the 42violence 43done to Lebanon will 44overwhelm you, And the devastation of its animals 45by which you terrified them, 46Because of human bloodshed and 47violence 48done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.

18“What 49benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it, Or a cast metal image, a 50teacher of falsehood? For its maker 51trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.19Woe to him who 52says to a piece of wood, ‘53Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ That is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with 54gold and silver, Yet there is 55no breath at all inside it.20But the 56Lord is in His holy temple. 57Let all the earth 58be silent before Him.”