Havakuk (Hab) 2
2
1I will stand at my watchpost;
I will station myself on the rampart.
I will look to see what [God] will say through me
and what I will answer when I am reproved.
2Then Adonai answered me; he said,
“Write down the vision clearly on tablets,
so that even a runner can read it.
3For the vision is meant for its appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and it does not lie.
It may take a while, but wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4“Look at the proud: he is inwardly not upright;
but the righteous will attain life through trusting faithfulness.
5Truly, wine is treacherous;
the arrogant will not live at peace
but keeps expanding his desires like Sh’ol;
like death, he can never be satisfied;
he keeps collecting all the nations for himself,
rallying to himself all the peoples.
6Won’t all these take up taunting him
and say about him, in mocking riddles,
‘Woe to him who amasses other people’s wealth! —
how long must it go on? —
and to him who adds to himself the weight
of goods taken in pledge!
7Won’t your own creditors suddenly stand,
won’t those who make you tremble wake up?
You will become their spoil.
8Because you plundered many nations,
all the rest of the peoples will plunder you;
because of the bloodshed and violence done
to the land, the city and all who live there.
9“‘Woe to him who seeks unjust gain for his household,
putting his nest on the heights,
in order to be safe from the reach of harm.
10By scheming to destroy many peoples,
you have brought shame to your house
and forfeited your life.
11For the very stones will cry out from the wall,
and a beam in the framework will answer them.
12“‘Woe to him who builds a city with blood
and founds a town on injustice,
13so that people toil for what will be burned up,
and nations exhaust themselves to no purpose.
Isn’t all this from Adonai-Tzva’ot?
14For the earth will be as full
of the knowledge of Adonai’s glory
as water covering the sea.
15“‘Woe to him who has his neighbor drink,
adds his own poison and makes him drunk,
in order to see him naked.
16You are filled with shame, not glory.
You, drink too, and stagger!
The cup of Adonai’s right hand
will be turned against you;
your shame will exceed your glory.
17For the violence done to the L’vanon
will overwhelm you,
and the destruction of the wild animals
will terrify you;
because of the bloodshed and violence done
to the land, the city and all who live there.’”
18What good is an idol, once its maker has shaped it,
a cast metal image and a teacher of lies,
that its maker puts his trust in it,
and goes on making non-gods, unable to talk?
19Woe to him who tells a piece of wood, “Wake up!”
or a speechless stone, “Rouse yourself!”
Can this thing teach? Why, it’s covered with gold and silver,
without the slightest breath in it!
20But Adonai is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleHabakkuk 2
2
1I will #Isa. 21:8 take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and #Jer. 6:17; Ezek. 33:2 look out to see #Ps. 85:8what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith
2And the Lord answered me:
#
Isa. 8:1; 30:8; [Rev. 1:19] “Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3For still #[Dan. 10:14]; See Ezek. 7:5-7 the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, #Zeph. 3:8; See Isa. 8:17 wait for it;
# Cited Heb. 10:37; [2 Pet. 3:9] it will surely come; it will not delay.
4“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but #Cited Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38; [John 3:36]the righteous shall live by his faith.#2:4 Or faithfulness
5“Moreover, wine#2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth is #ch. 1:13; Isa. 21:2 a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.#2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death #[Prov. 27:20] he has never enough.
#
Jer. 27:7; [ch. 1:6; Dan. 2:37, 38] He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Woe to the Chaldeans
6Shall not all these #Mic. 2:4; See Num. 23:7 take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
# ver. 19; Isa. 5:8 “Woe to him #[ch. 1:6] who heaps up what is not his own—
for #See Zech. 1:12 how long?—
and #[Ezek. 18:7]loads himself with pledges!”
7 # See Isa. 21:5-9 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 # [Isa. 33:1] Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
# ver. 17 for the blood of man and #[Isa. 33:1] violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
9 # [See ver. 6 above] “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
# [Isa. 14:13] to #Jer. 49:16; [Num. 24:21]set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10You have devised shame for your house
# [ch. 1:17] by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11For #[Luke 19:40]the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12 # [See ver. 6 above] “Woe to him #See Mic. 3:10who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
13Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that #Jer. 51:58peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 #
Isa. 11:9 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of #Ps. 72:19the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
15 # [See ver. 6 above] “Woe to him #[ver. 5; Jer. 51:7] who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze #Lam. 4:21; [Gen. 9:22]at their nakedness!
16You will have your fill #Nah. 3:5 of shame instead of glory.
#
Jer. 25:15, 26 Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
#
Jer. 25:15, 26 The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and #[Nah. 3:6]utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 # ver. 8 The violence #[Isa. 14:8; Jer. 22:23]done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
# ver. 8 for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
18 #
Isa. 44:10 “What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, #Jer. 10:8, 14; Zech. 10:2 a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes #Ps. 115:5; 1 Cor. 12:2speechless idols!
19 # ver. 6, 9, 12, 15 Woe to him #See 1 Kgs. 18:26, 27 who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and #Ps. 135:17; Jer. 10:14there is no breath at all in it.
20But #Ps. 11:4; Mic. 1:2 the Lord is in his holy temple;
# [Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13] let all the earth keep silence before him.”
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