Habakkuk 2
2
1 #
Is 21.8. I will take my stand to watch,
and station myself on the tower,
and look forth to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
2And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain upon tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 #
Heb 10.37. For still the vision awaits its time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seem slow, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 #
Rom 1.17; Gal 3.11; Heb 10.38-39. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail,#2.4 Cn: Heb is puffed up
but the righteous shall live by his faith.#2.4 Or faithfulness
5Moreover, wine is treacherous;
the arrogant man shall not abide.#2.5 The Hebrew of these two lines is obscure
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations,
and collects as his own all peoples.”
6Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, in scoffing derision of him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be booty for them.
8Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of men and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell therein.
9Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10You have devised shame to your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12Woe to him who builds a town with blood,
and founds a city on iniquity!
13Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor only for fire,
and nations weary themselves for naught?
14 #
Is 11.9. For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
15Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink
of the cup of his wrath,#2.15 Cn: Heb joining to your wrath and makes them drunk,
to gaze on their shame!
16You will be sated with contempt instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and stagger!#2.16 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb be uncircumcised
The cup in the Lord's right hand
will come around to you,
and shame will come upon your glory!
17The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you;
the destruction of the beasts will terrify you,#2.17 Gk Syr: Heb them
for the blood of men and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell therein.
18What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For the workman trusts in his own creation
when he makes dumb idols!
19Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a dumb stone, Arise!
Can this give revelation?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
20 #
Zeph 1.7; Zech 2.13. But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
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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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012