Furthermore, (A)wine betrays an (B)arrogant man,
So that he does not (C)achieve his objective.
He (D)enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all the nations
And collects to himself all the peoples.

“Will all of these not (E)take up a song of ridicule against him,
Even a saying and insinuations against him
And say, ‘(F)Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself [a]rich with debts!’
Will [b]your creditors not (G)rise up suddenly,
And those who [c]collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
Since you have (H)looted many nations,
All the rest of the peoples will loot you—
Because of human bloodshed and violence [d]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.

“Woe to him who makes (I)evil profit for his household,
To (J)put his nest on high,
To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!
10 You have planned a (K)shameful thing for your house
By bringing many peoples to an end;
So you are (L)sinning against yourself.
11 For the (M)stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the [e]framework.

12 “Woe to him who (N)builds a city with bloodshed,
And founds a town with [f]violence!
13 Is it not indeed from the Lord of armies
That peoples (O)labor merely for fire,
And nations become weary for nothing?
14 For the earth will be (P)filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;
[g]To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,
So as to look at their genitalia!
16 You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
(Q)Drink, you yourself, and [h]expose your own foreskin!
The (R)cup in the Lords right hand will come around to you,
And (S)utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 For the (T)violence [i]done to Lebanon will [j]overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its animals [k]by which you terrified them,
(U)Because of human bloodshed and (V)violence [l]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.

18 “What (W)benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
Or a cast metal image, a (X)teacher of falsehood?
For its maker (Y)trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 Woe to him who (Z)says to a piece of wood, ‘(AA)Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
That is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with (AB)gold and silver,
Yet there is (AC)no breath at all inside it.
20 But the (AD)Lord is in His holy temple.
[m]Let all the earth (AE)be silent before Him.”

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:6 Lit heavy
  2. Habakkuk 2:7 Lit those who bite you
  3. Habakkuk 2:7 Lit violently shake you
  4. Habakkuk 2:8 Lit of the land
  5. Habakkuk 2:11 Lit wood
  6. Habakkuk 2:12 Lit injustice
  7. Habakkuk 2:15 Another reading is From the cup of your venom
  8. Habakkuk 2:16 Lit show yourself uncircumcised; DSS and ancient versions stagger
  9. Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of Lebanon
  10. Habakkuk 2:17 Lit cover
  11. Habakkuk 2:17 Lit which shattered them
  12. Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of the land
  13. Habakkuk 2:20 Lit Hush before Him, all the earth

Woe to the Wicked

“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,
He is a proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
Because he (A)enlarges his desire as [a]hell,
And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.

“Will not all these (B)take up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with [b]many pledges’?
Will not [c]your creditors rise up suddenly?
Will they not awaken who oppress you?
And you will become their booty.
(C)Because you have plundered many nations,
All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,
Because of men’s [d]blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.

“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,
That he may (D)set his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the [e]power of disaster!
10 You give shameful counsel to your house,
Cutting off many peoples,
And sin against your soul.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed,
Who establishes a city by iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts
That the peoples labor [f]to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?
14 For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,
[g]Pressing him to your (E)bottle,
Even to make him drunk,
That you may look on [h]his nakedness!
16 You are filled with shame instead of glory.
You also—drink!
And [i]be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
And utter shame will be on your glory.
17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you,
And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.

18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.

20 “But(F) the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:5 Or Sheol
  2. Habakkuk 2:6 Syr., Vg. thick clay
  3. Habakkuk 2:7 Lit. those who bite you
  4. Habakkuk 2:8 Or bloodshed
  5. Habakkuk 2:9 Lit. hand of evil
  6. Habakkuk 2:13 Lit. for what satisfies fire, for what is of no lasting value
  7. Habakkuk 2:15 Lit. Attaching or Joining
  8. Habakkuk 2:15 Lit. their
  9. Habakkuk 2:16 DSS, LXX reel!; Syr., Vg. fall fast asleep!