The Five Woe Oracles

Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him,(A)
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say,
“Woe to him who amasses what is not his—
how much longer?(B)
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.”(C)
Won’t your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.(D)
Since you have plundered many nations,(E)
all the peoples who remain will plunder you(F)
because of human bloodshed
and violence(G) against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.(H)

Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house[a](I)
to place his nest on high,
to escape the grasp of disaster!(J)
10 You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11 For the stones will cry out(K) from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.

12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!(L)
13 Is it not from the Lord of Armies
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?(M)
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
as the water covers the sea.(N)

15 Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink,
pouring out your wrath[b]
and even making them drunk,
in order to look at their nakedness!
16 You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.
You also—drink,
and expose your uncircumcision![c]
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.(O)
17 For your violence against Lebanon
will overwhelm you;
the destruction of animals will terrify you[d]
because of your human bloodshed and violence
against lands, cities, and all who live in them.

18 What 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 worthless idols that cannot speak.
19 Woe 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(P) in it at all.

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple;(Q)
let the whole earth
be silent in his presence.(R)

Habakkuk’s Third Prayer

A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. According to Shigionoth.[e](S)

Lord, I have heard the report about you;
Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds.(T)
Revive your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In your wrath remember mercy!(U)

God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.(V)Selah
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of his praise.(W)
His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from his hand.
This is where his power is hidden.
Plague goes before him,
and pestilence follows in his steps.
He stands and shakes[f] the earth;(X)
he looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.(Y)
His pathways are ancient.(Z)
I see the tents of Cushan[g] in distress;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.
Are you angry at the rivers, Lord?
Is your wrath against the rivers?
Or is your fury against the sea
when you ride on your horses,
your victorious chariot?(AA)
You took the sheath from your bow;
the arrows are ready[h] to be used with an oath.[i](AB)Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains see you and shudder;(AC)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice(AD)
and lifts its waves[j] high.
11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,(AE)
at the flash of your flying arrows,
at the brightness of your shining spear.
12 You march across the earth with indignation;
you trample down the nations in wrath.(AF)
13 You come out to save your people,(AG)
to save your anointed.[k]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot[l] to neck.Selah
14 You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.
15 You tread the sea with your horses,
stirring up the vast water.(AH)

Habakkuk’s Confidence in God Expressed

16 I heard, and I trembled within;(AI)
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress(AJ)
to come against the people invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
18 yet I will celebrate in the Lord;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!(AK)
19 The Lord my Lord is my strength;(AL)
he makes my feet like those of a deer(AM)
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!(AN)

For the choir director: on[m] stringed instruments.

Footnotes

  1. 2:9 Or dynasty
  2. 2:15 Or venom
  3. 2:16 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr, Vg read and stagger
  4. 2:17 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads them
  5. 3:1 Perhaps a passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm, or a dirge
  6. 3:6 Or surveys
  7. 3:7 = Midian
  8. 3:9 Or set
  9. 3:9 Hb obscure
  10. 3:10 Lit hands
  11. 3:13 The Davidic king or the nation of Israel
  12. 3:13 Lit foundation
  13. 3:19 Lit on my

“Will not all of them taunt(A) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(B)
    How long must this go on?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.(C)
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.(D)
For you have shed human blood;(E)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(F)

“Woe to him who builds(G) his house by unjust gain,(H)
    setting his nest(I) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(J) of many peoples,
    shaming(K) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(L) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(M)
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(N)
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(O)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(P) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.(Q)

15 “Woe to him who gives drink(R) to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(S) instead of glory.(T)
    Now it is your turn! Drink(U) and let your nakedness be exposed[a]!(V)
The cup(W) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(X) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(Y)
For you have shed human blood;(Z)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value(AA) is an idol(AB) carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image(AC) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.(AD)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(AE)
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;(AF)
    there is no breath in it.”(AG)

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;(AH)
    let all the earth be silent(AI) before him.

Habakkuk’s Prayer

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.[b](AJ)

Lord, I have heard(AK) of your fame;
    I stand in awe(AL) of your deeds, Lord.(AM)
Repeat(AN) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.(AO)

God came from Teman,(AP)
    the Holy One(AQ) from Mount Paran.[c](AR)
His glory covered the heavens(AS)
    and his praise filled the earth.(AT)
His splendor was like the sunrise;(AU)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power(AV) was hidden.
Plague(AW) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled(AX)
    and the age-old hills(AY) collapsed(AZ)
    but he marches on forever.(BA)
I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian(BB) in anguish.(BC)

Were you angry with the rivers,(BD) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea(BE)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?(BF)
You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.(BG)
You split the earth with rivers;
10     the mountains saw you and writhed.(BH)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared(BI)
    and lifted its waves(BJ) on high.

11 Sun and moon stood still(BK) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,(BL)
    at the lightning(BM) of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed(BN) the nations.
13 You came out(BO) to deliver(BP) your people,
    to save your anointed(BQ) one.
You crushed(BR) the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,(BS)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched(BT) who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea(BU) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.(BV)

16 I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.(BW)
Yet I will wait patiently(BX) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,(BY)
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,(BZ)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,(CA)
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.(CB)

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;(CC)
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.(CD)

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
  2. Habakkuk 3:1 Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Habakkuk 3:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the middle of verse 9 and at the end of verse 13.

The Seventh Seal

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence(A) in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God;(B) seven trumpets were given to them.(C) Another angel, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne.(D) The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar,(E) and hurled it to the earth; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.(F)

The Seven Trumpets

And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

The First Trumpet

The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth.(G) So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.(H)

The Second Trumpet

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea.(I) So a third of the sea became blood,(J) a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The Third Trumpet

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.(K) It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood,(L) and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

The Fourth Trumpet

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night.(M)

13 I looked and heard an eagle[a] flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe!(N) Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!”

Footnotes

  1. 8:13 Other mss read angel

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

When he opened the seventh seal,(A) there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels(B) who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.(C)

Another angel,(D) who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,(E) on the golden altar(F) in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God(G) from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar,(H) and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,(I) rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.(J)

The Trumpets

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets(K) prepared to sound them.

The first angel(L) sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire(M) mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third(N) of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.(O)

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain,(P) all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third(Q) of the sea turned into blood,(R) a third(S) of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky(T) on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water(U) 11 the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third(V) of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.(W)

12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third(X) of them turned dark.(Y) A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.(Z)

13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair(AA) call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe(AB) to the inhabitants of the earth,(AC) because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 8:11 Wormwood is a bitter substance.

Lord, part your heavens and come down.(A)
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.(B)
Flash your lightning and scatter the foe;[a]
shoot your arrows and rout them.(C)
Reach down[b] from on high;(D)
rescue me from deep water, and set me free
from the grasp of foreigners(E)
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(F)

God, I will sing a new song to you;
I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you(G)
10 the one who gives victory to kings,
who frees his servant David
from the deadly sword.(H)
11 Set me free and rescue me
from foreigners(I)
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 144:6 Lit scatter them
  2. 144:7 Lit down your hands

Part your heavens,(A) Lord, and come down;(B)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.(C)
Send forth lightning(D) and scatter(E) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows(F) and rout them.
Reach down your hand from on high;(G)
    deliver me and rescue me(H)
from the mighty waters,(I)
    from the hands of foreigners(J)
whose mouths are full of lies,(K)
    whose right hands(L) are deceitful.(M)

I will sing a new song(N) to you, my God;
    on the ten-stringed lyre(O) I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,(P)
    who delivers his servant David.(Q)

From the deadly sword(R) 11 deliver me;
    rescue me(S) from the hands of foreigners(T)
whose mouths are full of lies,(U)
    whose right hands are deceitful.(V)

Read full chapter

The Words of Lemuel

31 The words of King Lemuel,
a pronouncement[a](A) that his mother taught him:

What should I say, my son?
What, son of my womb?(B)
What, son of my vows?

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 31:1 Or of Lemuel, king of Massa, or of King Lemuel, a burden

Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayings(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!(B)

Read full chapter