| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I will stand at my watch post; I will remain stationed on the city wall. I will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me and can know how I should answer when he counters my argument. | 1I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what He will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint. |
| 2The LORD responded: "Write down this message! Record it legibly on tablets, so the one who announces it may read it easily. | 2The LORD answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. |
| 3For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass--it will not arrive late. | 3For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. |
| 4Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness. | 4Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith. |
| 5Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol's; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples. | 5Moreover, wine betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself; he collects all the peoples for himself. |
| 6"But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 'The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?)--he who gets rich by extortion!' | 6Won't all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say: Woe to him who amasses what is not his-- how much longer?-- and loads himself with goods taken in pledge. |
| 7Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you. | 7Won't your creditors suddenly arise, and those who disturb you wake up? Then you will become spoil for them. |
| 8Because you robbed many countries, all who are left among the nations will rob you. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. | 8Since you have plundered many nations, all the peoples who remain will plunder you-- because of human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them. |
| 9The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. | 9Woe to him who dishonestly makes wealth for his house to place his nest on high, to escape from the reach of disaster! |
| 10Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. | 10You have planned shame for your house by wiping out many peoples and sinning against your own self. |
| 11For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back. | 11For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will answer them from the woodwork. |
| 12The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead--he who starts a town by unjust deeds. | 12Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with injustice! |
| 13Be sure of this! The LORD who commands armies has decreed: The nations' efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing. | 13Is it not from the LORD of Hosts that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire and countries exhaust themselves for nothing? |
| 14For recognition of the LORD's sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea. | 14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD's glory, as the waters cover the sea. |
| 15"You who force your neighbor to drink wine are as good as dead--you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, so you can look at their genitals. | 15Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath and even making them drunk, in order to look at their nakedness! |
| 16But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup of wine in the LORD's right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory! | 16You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory. You also--drink, and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD's right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory. |
| 17For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. | 17For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you; the destruction of animals will terrify you because of your human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them. |
| 18What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things? | 18What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak. |
| 19The one who says to wood, 'Wake up!' is as good as dead--he who says to speechless stone, 'Awake!' Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life's breath inside it. | 19Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up! or to mute stone: Come alive! Can it teach? Look! It may be plated with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all. |
| 20But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence!" | 20But the LORD is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence. |
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