Habakkuk 2:5-20
Christian Standard Bible
5 Moreover, wine[a] betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.[b]
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
and like Death he is never satisfied.(A)
He gathers all the nations to himself;(B)
he collects all the peoples for himself.
The Five Woe Oracles
6 Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him,(C)
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say,
“Woe to him who amasses what is not his—
how much longer?(D)—
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.”(E)
7 Won’t your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.(F)
8 Since you have plundered many nations,(G)
all the peoples who remain will plunder you(H)—
because of human bloodshed
and violence(I) against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.(J)
9 Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house[c](K)
to place his nest on high,
to escape the grasp of disaster!(L)
10 You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11 For the stones will cry out(M) from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.
12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!(N)
13 Is it not from the Lord of Armies
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?(O)
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,
as the water covers the sea.(P)
15 Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink,
pouring out your wrath[d]
and even making them drunk,
in order to look at their nakedness!
16 You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.
You also—drink,
and expose your uncircumcision![e]
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.(Q)
17 For your violence against Lebanon
will overwhelm you;
the destruction of animals will terrify you[f]
because of your human bloodshed and violence
against lands, cities, and all who live in them.
18 What use is a carved idol
after its craftsman carves it?
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it
and makes worthless idols that cannot speak.
19 Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up!
or to mute stone: Come alive!
Can it teach?
Look! It may be plated with gold and silver,
yet there is no breath(R) in it at all.
Habakkuk 2:5-20
New American Standard Bible
5 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.
6 “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!’
7 Will [b]your creditors not (G)rise up suddenly,
And those who [c]collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 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.
9 “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 Lord’s 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.”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:6 Lit heavy
- Habakkuk 2:7 Lit those who bite you
- Habakkuk 2:7 Lit violently shake you
- Habakkuk 2:8 Lit of the land
- Habakkuk 2:11 Lit wood
- Habakkuk 2:12 Lit injustice
- Habakkuk 2:15 Another reading is From the cup of your venom
- Habakkuk 2:16 Lit show yourself uncircumcised; DSS and ancient versions stagger
- Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of Lebanon
- Habakkuk 2:17 Lit cover
- Habakkuk 2:17 Lit which shattered them
- Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of the land
- Habakkuk 2:20 Lit Hush before Him, all the earth
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