Habakkuk 2 - Zephaniah 1

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)

“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.

“‘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)

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

² Lord, I have heard^(AZ) of your fame;
    I stand in awe^(BA) of your deeds, Lord.^(BB)
Repeat^(BC) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.^(BD)

³ God came from Teman,^(BE)
    the Holy One^(BF) from Mount Paran.^[g](BG)
His glory covered the heavens^(BH)
    and his praise filled the earth.^(BI)
4 His splendor was like the sunrise;^(BJ)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power^(BK) was hidden.
⁵ Plague^(BL) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
⁶ He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled^(BM)
    and the age-old hills^(BN) collapsed^(BO)—
    but he marches on forever.^(BP)
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian^(BQ) in anguish.^(BR)

⁸ Were you angry with the rivers,^(BS) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea^(BT)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?^(BU)
9 You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.^(BV)
You split the earth with rivers;
¹⁰     the mountains saw you and writhed.^(BW)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared^(BX)
    and lifted its waves^(BY) on high.

¹¹ Sun and moon stood still^(BZ) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,^(CA)
    at the lightning^(CB) of your flashing spear.
¹² In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed^(CC) the nations.
¹³ You came out^(CD) to deliver^(CE) your people,
    to save your anointed^(CF) one.
You crushed^(CG) 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,^(CH)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched^(CI) who were in hiding.
¹⁵ You trampled the sea^(CJ) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.^(CK)

¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.^(CL)
Yet I will wait patiently^(CM) 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,^(CN)
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,^(CO)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,^(CP)
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.^(CQ)

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

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

“When I destroy all mankind
    on the face of the earth,”^(CY)
declares the Lord,^(CZ)
4 “I will stretch out my hand^(DA) against Judah
    and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,^(DB)
    the very names of the idolatrous priests^(DC)—
⁵ those who bow down on the roofs
    to worship the starry host,^(DD)
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
    and who also swear by Molek,^[i](DE)
6 those who turn back from following^(DF) the Lord
    and neither seek^(DG) the Lord nor inquire^(DH) of him.”

⁷ Be silent^(DI) before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord^(DJ) is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;^(DK)
    he has consecrated those he has invited.

⁸ “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
    I will punish^(DL) the officials
    and the king’s sons^(DM)
and all those clad
    in foreign clothes.
⁹ On that day I will punish
    all who avoid stepping on the threshold,^[j](DN)
who fill the temple of their gods
    with violence and deceit.^(DO)

¹⁰ “On that day,^(DP)”
    declares the Lord,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,^(DQ)
    wailing^(DR) from the New Quarter,
    and a loud crash from the hills.
¹¹ Wail,^(DS) you who live in the market district^[k];
    all your merchants will be wiped out,
    all who trade with^[l] silver will be destroyed.^(DT)
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,^(DU)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,^(DV)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,^(DW)
    either good or bad.’^(DX)
13 Their wealth will be plundered,^(DY)
    their houses demolished.
Though they build houses,
    they will not live in them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they will not drink the wine.”^(DZ)

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord^(EA) is near^(EB)—
    near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
    the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
¹⁵ That day will be a day of wrath—
    a day of distress and anguish,
        a day of trouble and ruin,
    a day of darkness^(EC) and gloom,
        a day of clouds and blackness^(ED)—
¹⁶     a day of trumpet and battle cry^(EE)
against the fortified cities
    and against the corner towers.^(EF)

¹⁷ “I will bring such distress^(EG) on all people
    that they will grope about like those who are blind,^(EH)
    because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out^(EI) like dust
    and their entrails like dung.^(EJ)
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
    will be able to save them
    on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”^(EK)

In the fire of his jealousy^(EL)
    the whole earth will be consumed,^(EM)
for he will make a sudden end
    of all who live on the earth.^(EN)