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

And the Lord answered me:

(D)“Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
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.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but (H)the righteous shall live by his faith.[a]

“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

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!”
(Q)Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
    and those awake who will make you tremble?
    Then you will be spoil for them.
(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.

(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

  1. Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness
  2. Habakkuk 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
  3. Habakkuk 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain

I will climb up to my watchtower
    and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
    and how he[a] will answer my complaint.

The Lord’s Second Reply

Then the Lord said to me,

“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
    so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time.
    It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
    for it will surely take place.
    It will not be delayed.

“Look at the proud!
    They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
    But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.[b]
Wealth[c] is treacherous,
    and the arrogant are never at rest.
They open their mouths as wide as the grave,[d]
    and like death, they are never satisfied.
In their greed they have gathered up many nations
    and swallowed many peoples.

“But soon their captives will taunt them.
    They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
    Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
    but how much longer can this go on?’
Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
    They will turn on you and take all you have,
    while you stand trembling and helpless.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
    and filled the towns with violence.

“What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
    with money gained dishonestly!
You believe your wealth will buy security,
    putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.
10 But by the murders you committed,
    you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
    and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

12 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities
    with money gained through murder and corruption!
13 Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised
    that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes?
They work so hard,
    but all in vain!
14 For as the waters fill the sea,
    the earth will be filled with an awareness
    of the glory of the Lord.

15 “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!
    You force your cup on them
    so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
16 But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.
    Come, drink and be exposed![e]
Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment,
    and all your glory will be turned to shame.
17 You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
    Now you will be cut down.
You destroyed the wild animals,
    so now their terror will be yours.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
    and filled the towns with violence.

18 “What good is an idol carved by man,
    or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation—
    a god that can’t even talk!
19 What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
    ‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
    ‘Rise up and teach us!’
    Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
    but they are lifeless inside.
20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
    Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads I.
  2. 2:3b-4 Greek version reads If the vision is delayed, wait patiently, / for it will surely come and not delay. / I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away. / But the righteous person will live by my faith. Compare Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:37-38.
  3. 2:5a As in Dead Sea Scroll 1QpHab; other Hebrew manuscripts read Wine.
  4. 2:5b Hebrew as Sheol.
  5. 2:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek and Syriac versions read and stagger!