Habakkuk 2
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1I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.1I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
2Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.2And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.
3For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.3For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
4“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.4“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
5“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for himself all peoples.5“Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. 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.”
6“Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?6Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for 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 creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty.7Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them.
8Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.8Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.
9“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!9“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!
10You give shameful counsel to your house, Cutting off many peoples, And sin against your soul.10You have devised shame for 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 timbers will answer it.11For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity!12“Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!
13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain?13Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
15“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness!15“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
16You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the LORD’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory.16You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!
17For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you, And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.17The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.
18“What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?18“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!
19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.19Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.
20“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”20But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.
Habakkuk 1
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