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Habakkuk 2
New International Version
Habakkuk 2
New International Version
2 I will stand at my watch(A)
and station myself on the ramparts;(B)
I will look to see what he will say(C) to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[a](D)
The Lord’s Answer
2 Then the Lord replied:
“Write(E) down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald[b] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(F)
it speaks of the end(G)
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(H) for it;
it[c] will certainly come
and will not delay.(I)
4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person(J) will live by his faithfulness[d](K)—
5 indeed, wine(L) betrays him;
he is arrogant(M) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,(N)
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive(O) all the peoples.
6 “Will not all of them taunt(P) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(Q)
How long must this go on?’
7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.(R)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.(S)
For you have shed human blood;(T)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(U)
9 “Woe to him who builds(V) his house by unjust gain,(W)
setting his nest(X) on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(Y) of many peoples,
shaming(Z) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(AA) 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(AB)
and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(AC)
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(AD)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(AE) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.(AF)
15 “Woe to him who gives drink(AG) 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(AH) instead of glory.(AI)
Now it is your turn! Drink(AJ) and let your nakedness be exposed[e]!(AK)
The cup(AL) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(AM) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(AN)
For you have shed human blood;(AO)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
18 “Of what value(AP) is an idol(AQ) carved by a craftsman?
Or an image(AR) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.(AS)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(AT)
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;(AU)
there is no breath in it.”(AV)
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
- Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
- Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
- Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith
- Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
Habackuk 2
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
Habackuk 2
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
2 Jag vill stå på min vaktpost
och ställa mig på fästningsvallen.
Jag ska spana för att se vad han ska tala till mig,
och vad jag borde svara när jag tillrättavisas.[a]
Herrens svar
2 Herren svarade mig:
”Skriv ner det du får se
med tydlig skrift på tavlor,
så att en budbärare kan löpa iväg med den.[b]
3 För synen gäller en bestämd tid.
Den talar om slutet och slår inte fel.
Om den dröjer, vänta på den,
för den kommer säkert,
den uteblir inte.
4 Se, uppblåst och orättrådig är hans själ i honom,
men den som är rättfärdig ska leva genom sin tro.
5 Vinet[c] bedrar människan,
och den högfärdige mannen får ingen ro.
Han öppnar sitt gap som dödsriket
och är som döden som aldrig får nog.
Han samlar alla folk till sig
och drar till sig alla folkslag.
6 Alla dessa ska stämma upp en nidvisa om honom, med hånord och anspelningar. De ska säga:
’Ve dig som lägger på hög
det som inte är ditt
– och hur länge? –
och gör dig rik på pantsatt gods!’
7 Plötsligt ska dina fordringsägare resa sig,
vakna och få dig att darra,
och du blir deras byte.
8 Eftersom du har plundrat många folk
ska alla de andra folken som är kvar
plundra dig,
för du har utgjutit människoblod
och våldfört dig mot både land och stad
och alla dem som bor där.
9 Ve den som bygger sitt hus med orätt vinning
och ställer sitt näste högt upp
för att undkomma det onda!
10 Du har dragit skam över ditt hus
med dina planer att förinta många folk,
du har förfelat ditt eget liv.
11 Stenarna i muren ska ropa
och bjälkarna i trävirket eka.
12 Ve den som bygger upp en stad med blodsdåd
och grundar ett samhälle med brott!
13 Har inte härskarornas Herre bestämt
att folkens möda bara är bränsle i elden,
och att de sliter ut sig till ingen nytta?
14 Jorden ska bli full av kunskap om Herrens härlighet,
liksom haven täcks av vatten.
15 Ve dig som får din nästa att dricka
och blandar i din drog,
så att de blir berusade
och du kan se på deras nakenhet!
16 Du har mättat dig med skam
i stället för härlighet.
Drick också du,
och visa din nakenhet!
Bägaren i Herrens högra hand
vänds mot dig,
och vanära täcker din härlighet.
17 Ditt våld mot Libanon ska komma över dig,
liksom förödelsen som förskräckte dess djur.
För du har utgjutit människoblod
och våldfört dig mot både land och stad
och alla dem som bor där.
18 Vad är en avgudabild värd,
snidad av en människa?
Eller en gjuten avgud,
en falsk vägledare?
Den som gjort den förtröstar på sitt eget verk
och tillverkar stumma avgudar.
19 Ve den som säger till en bit trä: ’Vakna!’
och till en stum sten: ’Res dig!’
Kan den ge någon vägledning?
Den är täckt med guld och silver,
men någon ande finns inte i den.”
20 Men Herren är i sitt heliga tempel.
Var stilla inför honom, hela jorden!
Habakkuk 2
English Standard Version
Habakkuk 2
English Standard Version
2 I will (A)take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and (B)look out to see (C)what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith
2 And the Lord answered me:
(D)“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 For still (E)the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, (F)wait for it;
(G)it will surely come; it will not delay.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but (H)the righteous shall live by his faith.[a]
5 “Moreover, wine[b] is (I)a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.[c]
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death (J)he has never enough.
(K)He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Woe to the Chaldeans
6 Shall not all these (L)take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
(M)“Woe to him (N)who heaps up what is not his own—
for (O)how long?—
and (P)loads himself with pledges!”
7 (Q)Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 (R)Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
(S)for the blood of man and (T)violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
9 (U)“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
(V)to (W)set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame for your house
(X)by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11 For (Y)the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12 (Z)“Woe to him (AA)who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that (AB)peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 (AC)For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of (AD)the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
15 (AE)“Woe to him (AF)who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze (AG)at their nakedness!
16 You will have your fill (AH)of shame instead of glory.
(AI)Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
(AJ)The cup in the Lord's right hand
will come around to you,
and (AK)utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 (AL)The violence (AM)done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
(AN)for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
18 (AO)“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, (AP)a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes (AQ)speechless idols!
19 (AR)Woe to him (AS)who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and (AT)there is no breath at all in it.
20 But (AU)the Lord is in his holy temple;
(AV)let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness
- Habakkuk 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
- Habakkuk 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible) (NUB)
Swedish Contemporary Bible (nuBibeln) Copyright © 2015 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.