Habakkuk 2
2
1I will stand at my guard post,
and station myself upon the rampart;#Is 21:8.
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what answer he will give to my complaint.
God’s Response
2Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write down the vision;#Write down the vision: the vision is written down for two reasons: so that a herald may carry and proclaim its contents to the people, and so that the reception of the vision and its truth can be verified by its fulfillment (v. 3). #Is 30:8.
Make it plain upon tablets,
so that the one who reads it may run.
3For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
4See, the rash have no integrity;
but the just one who is righteous because of faith shall live.#The just one who is righteous because of faith shall live: the faithful survive the impending doom because they trust in God’s justice and wait patiently for God to carry it out. Several New Testament passages cite these words (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; cf. Heb 10:38) to confirm the teaching that people receive justification and supernatural life through faith in Christ. #Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38.
Sayings Against Tyrants
5#This verse describes any tyrant who, like the Babylonians, possesses insatiable greed. Indeed wealth is treacherous;
a proud man does not succeed.
He who opens wide his throat like Sheol,
and is insatiable as death,
Who gathers to himself all the nations,
and collects for himself all the peoples—
6Shall not all these take up a taunt against him,#Is 14:4.
and make a riddle about him, saying:
Ah! you who store up what is not yours
—how long can it last!—
you who load yourself down with collateral.
7Will your debtors#Debtors: the Hebrew term can mean either debtors or creditors, and this double meaning is likely intended: the debtor nations rise up against their creditor nation and become its creditors in the reversal of affairs described here. not rise suddenly?
Will they not awake, those who make you tremble?
You will become their spoil!
8Because you plundered many nations,
the remaining peoples shall plunder you;
Because of the shedding of human blood,
and violence done to the land,
to the city and to all who live in it.
9Ah! you who pursue evil gain for your household,
setting your nest on high
to escape the reach of misfortune!
10You have devised shame for your household,
cutting off many peoples, forfeiting your own life;
11For the stone in the wall shall cry out,#The palaces, built at the expense of gross injustice (vv. 6–10), call down vengeance on their builders. This is typical prophetic language for the condemnation of social crimes within Israel and Judah.
and the beam in the frame shall answer it!
12Ah! you who build a city by bloodshed,
and who establish a town with injustice!#Ez 24:6; Mi 3:10; Na 3:1.
13Is this not from the Lord of hosts:
peoples toil#Peoples toil: those oppressed by the Babylonians do not benefit from their work. Verses 13–14 break the pattern of reversal in the oracles that precede and may have been added by an editor. for what the flames consume,
and nations grow weary for nothing!
14But the earth shall be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
just as the water covers the sea.#Is 11:9.
15Ah! you who give your neighbors
the cup of your wrath to drink, and make them drunk,
until their nakedness is seen!#Jer 51:7; Lam 4:21.
16You are filled with shame instead of glory;
drink, you too, and stagger!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand shall come around to you,
and utter shame shall cover your glory.
17For the violence done to Lebanon#The violence done to Lebanon: the destruction of the cedar forests of Lebanon, used in lavish building projects by the great conquerors; cf. Is 14:8; 37:24. The destruction of the animals: the killing off of the wild animals through excessive hunting by the same conquerors; cf. Bar 3:16. shall cover you,#Is 14:8.
and the destruction of the animals shall terrify you;
Because of the shedding of human blood,
and violence done to the land,
to the city and to all who live in it.
18Of what use is the carved image,#Idolatrous worship is here shown to be folly by contrasting idols with the majesty of the one true God. Verse 18 may originally have followed v. 19, since the term “Ah!” begins each new saying in this section.
that its maker should carve it?
Or the molten image, the lying oracle,
that its very maker should trust in it,
and make mute idols?
19Ah! you who say to wood, “Awake!”
to silent stone, “Arise!”
Can any such thing give oracles?#Is 44:18–19.
It is only overlaid with gold and silver,
there is no breath in it at all.
20But the Lord is in his holy temple;
silence before him, all the earth!#Ps 11:4.
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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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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012