Habakkuk 2:5-20
Modern English Version
5 Indeed, wine betrays the proud man,
who does not stay at home.
He enlarges his appetite as Sheol,
and like death he is never satisfied.
He gathers to himself all nations
and collects for himself all peoples.
Woe to the Wicked
6 Shall not all these take up a taunt against him, with satire and riddles, and say,
“Woe to him who increases what is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with heavy debts!”
7 Shall not your debtors rise up suddenly,
and those awake who oppress you?
Then you will be their plunder.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the people will plunder you,
because of the bloodshed of men and violence of the land,
of the cities and all who live in them.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be delivered from the power of calamity!”
10 You have given shameful counsel to your house
by cutting off many peoples,
and forfeiting your life.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam of the woodwork will answer it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed
and establishes a city on iniquity!”
13 Is it not from the Lord of Hosts
that the people labor to feed fire,
and the nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the seas.
15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink,
pouring out your poison until they are drunk,
that you may look on their nakedness!”
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
You yourself—drink and show your uncircumcision!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
and utter shame will come on your glory!
17 The violence done to Lebanon will cover you,
as will the plunder of beasts that terrified them,
because of the bloodshed of men and violence of the land,
of the cities and all who live in them.
18 What profit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
a cast image, and a teacher of lies,
that its maker trusts in what he has shaped
when he makes mute idols?
19 Woe to him who says to the wood, “Awake!”
To the silent stone, “Arise!” Can it teach?
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.
Habakkuk 2:5-20
Authorized (King James) Version
5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man,
neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell,
and is as death, and cannot be satisfied,
but gathereth unto him all nations,
and heapeth unto him all people:
6 shall not all these take up a parable against him,
and a taunting proverb against him,
and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long?
and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee,
and awake that shall vex thee,
and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations,
all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee;
because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land,
of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house,
that he may set his nest on high,
that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people,
and hast sinned against thy soul.
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall,
and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood,
and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire,
and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink,
that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also,
that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
16 Thou art filled with shame for glory:
drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered:
the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be turned unto thee,
and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee,
and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid,
because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land,
of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it;
the molten image, and a teacher of lies,
that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake;
to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach!
Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple:
let all the earth keep silence before him.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.