Habakkuk 2
2
1I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.#2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
The Lord’s Answer
2Then the Lord replied:
“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald#2:2 Or so that whoever reads it may run with it.
3For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it#2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he will certainly come
and will not delay.
4“See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness#2:4 Or faith—
5indeed, wine betrays him;
he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive all the peoples.
6“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
How long must this go on?’
7Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.
8Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
9“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,
setting his nest on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.
11The stones of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
12“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and establishes a town by injustice!
13Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
15“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed#2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
18“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;
there is no breath in it.”
20The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
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Habakkuk 2
2
The LORD answers Habakkuk again
1While standing guard
on the watchtower,
I waited for the LORD's answer,
before explaining the reason
for my complaint.#2.1 I…complaint: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2Then the LORD told me:
“I will give you my message
in the form of a vision.
Write it clearly enough
to be read at a glance.
3At the time I have decided,#He 10.37.
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting—
it will happen!
4“I, the LORD, refuse to accept#Ro 1.17; Ga 3.11; He 10.38.
anyone who is proud.
Only those who live by faith
are acceptable to me.”#2.4 Only…me: Or “But those who are acceptable to me will live because of their faithfulness.”
Trouble for evil people
5Wine#2.5 Wine: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “Wealth”. is treacherous,
and arrogant people
are never satisfied.
They are no less greedy
than death itself—
they open their mouths as wide
as the world of the dead
and swallow everyone.
6But they will be mocked
with these words:
You're doomed!
You stored up stolen goods
and cheated others
of what belonged to them.
7But without warning,
those you owe
will demand payment.
Then you will become
a frightened victim.
8You robbed cities and nations
everywhere on earth
and murdered their people.
Now those who survived
will be as cruel to you.
9You're doomed!
You made your family rich
at the expense of others.
You even said to yourself,
“I'm above the law.”
10But you will bring shame
on your family
and ruin to yourself
for what you did to others.
11The very stones and wood
in your home
will testify against you.
12You're doomed! You built a city
on crime and violence.
13But the LORD All-Powerful
sends up in flames
what nations and people
work so hard to gain.
14Just as water fills the sea,#Is 11.9.
the land will be filled
with people who know
and honour the LORD.
15You're doomed!
You get your friends drunk,
just to see them naked.
16Now you will be disgraced
instead of praised.
The LORD will make you drunk,
and when others see you naked,
you will lose their respect.
17You destroyed trees and animals
on Mount Lebanon;
you were ruthless to towns
and people everywhere.
Now you will be terrorized.
Idolatry is foolish
18What is an idol worth?
It's merely a false god.
Why trust a speechless image
made from wood or metal
by human hands?
19What can you learn from idols
covered with silver or gold?
They can't even breathe.
Pity anyone who says to an idol
of wood or stone,
“Get up and do something!”
20Let all the world be silent—
the LORD is present
in his holy temple.
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