Habukkuk 2
2
1On my charge I stand, and I station myself on a bulwark, and I watch to see what He doth speak against me, and what I do reply to my reproof.
2And Jehovah answereth me and saith: ‘Write a vision, and explain on the tables, That he may run who is reading it.
3For yet the vision [is] for a season, And it breatheth for the end, and doth not lie, If it tarry, wait for it, For surely it cometh, it is not late.
4Lo, a presumptuous one! Not upright is his soul within him, And the righteous by his stedfastness liveth.
5And also, because the wine [is] treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples,
6Do not these — all of them — against him a simile taken up, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Woe [to] him who is multiplying [what is] not his? Till when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges?
7Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them?
8Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.
9Woe [to] him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil,
10Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to thy house, To cut off many peoples, and sinful [is] thy soul.
11For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it.
12Woe [to] him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.
13Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?
14For full is the earth of the knowledge of the honour of Jehovah, As waters cover [the bottom of] a sea.
15Woe [to] him who is giving drink to his neighbour, Pouring out thy bottle, and also making drunk, In order to look on their nakedness.
16Thou hast been filled — shame without honour, Drink thou also, and be uncircumcised, Turn round unto thee doth the cup of the right hand of Jehovah, And shameful spewing [is] on thine honour.
17For violence [to] Lebanon doth cover thee, And spoil of beasts doth affright them, Because of man's blood, and of violence [to] the land, [To] the city, and [to] all dwelling in it.
18What profit hath a graven image given That its former hath graven it? A molten image and teacher of falsehood, That trusted hath the former on his own formation — to make dumb idols?
19Woe [to] him who is saying to wood, ‘Awake,’ ‘Stir up,’ to a dumb stone, It a teacher! lo, it is overlaid — gold and silver, And there is no spirit in its midst.
20And Jehovah [is] in His holy temple, Be silent before Him, all the earth!
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Habukkuk 2: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
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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