Habakkuk 2:5-20
English Standard Version
5 “Moreover, wine[a] is (A)a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.[b]
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death (B)he has never enough.
(C)He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Woe to the Chaldeans
6 Shall not all these (D)take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
(E)“Woe to him (F)who heaps up what is not his own—
for (G)how long?—
and (H)loads himself with pledges!”
7 (I)Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 (J)Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
(K)for the blood of man and (L)violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
9 (M)“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
(N)to (O)set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame for your house
(P)by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11 For (Q)the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12 (R)“Woe to him (S)who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that (T)peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 (U)For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of (V)the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
15 (W)“Woe to him (X)who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze (Y)at their nakedness!
16 You will have your fill (Z)of shame instead of glory.
(AA)Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
(AB)The cup in the Lord's right hand
will come around to you,
and (AC)utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 (AD)The violence (AE)done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
(AF)for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
18 (AG)“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, (AH)a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes (AI)speechless idols!
19 (AJ)Woe to him (AK)who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and (AL)there is no breath at all in it.
20 But (AM)the Lord is in his holy temple;
(AN)let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
- Habakkuk 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
Habakkuk 2:5-20
Revised Standard Version
5 Moreover, wine is treacherous;
the arrogant man shall not abide.[a]
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations,
and collects as his own all peoples.”
The Woes of the Wicked
6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, in scoffing derision of him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be booty for them.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of men and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell therein.
9 Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame to your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12 Woe to him who builds a town with blood,
and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor only for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nought?
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 makes his neighbors drink
of the cup of his wrath,[b] and makes them drunk,
to gaze on their shame!
16 You will be sated with contempt instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and stagger![c]
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and shame will come upon your glory!
17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you;
the destruction of the beasts will terrify you,[d]
for the blood of men and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell therein.
18 What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For the workman trusts in his own creation
when he makes dumb idols!
19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a dumb stone, Arise!
Can this give revelation?
Behold, 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.
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:5 The Hebrew of these two lines is obscure
- Habakkuk 2:15 Cn: Heb joining to your wrath
- Habakkuk 2:16 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb be uncircumcised
- Habakkuk 2:17 Gk Syr: Heb them
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.