1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

I will take my stand and keep watch. I will take my place on the tower. And I will keep watch to see what the Lord will say, and how I should answer when He speaks strong words to me. The Lord’s Answer to Habakkuk

2 A nd the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write down the special dream on stone so that one may read it in a hurry.

3 F or the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

For it is not yet time for it to come true. The time is coming in a hurry, and it will come true. If you think it is slow in coming, wait for it. For it will happen for sure, and it will not wait.

4 B ehold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

As for the proud one, his soul is not right in him. But the one who is right and good will live by his faith. It Is Bad for the Wrong-Doers

5 Y ea 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:

“Also, wine fools the proud man, so he does not stay at home. He is like the grave who always wants more. Like death, he never has enough. He gathers all nations for himself, and gathers all people for his own.

6 s hall 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!

“Will not all these people make fun of him and say, ‘It is bad for him who gathers what is not his and makes himself rich with other people’s money. How long will this go on?’

7 S hall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

Will not those to whom you owe money rise up all at once? Will they not wake up and make you afraid? Then they will take what belongs to you.

8 B ecause 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.

Because you have robbed many nations, the rest of them will rob you. For you have killed men. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

9 W oe 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!

“It is bad for him who builds his house by sinful ways, to put his nest in a high place to be safe from trouble!

10 T hou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

You have brought shame upon your house by destroying many nations. You are sinning against yourself.

11 F or the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

The stone will cry out from the wall, and the roof will answer it from the wood.

12 W oe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

“It is bad for him who builds a city with blood, and builds a town with wrong-doing!

13 B ehold, 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?

Is it not the will of the All-powerful Lord that people work for what will burn up and nations make themselves tired for nothing?

14 F or the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

For the earth will be filled with knowing of the Lord’s shining-greatness, as the waters cover the sea.

15 W oe 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!

“It is bad for him who makes his neighbors drink, mixing in his poison to make them drunk, so he can look on their shame!

16 T hou 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.

You will be filled with shame instead of honor. Now you yourself drink and let your own shame be seen. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and your greatness will turn to shame.

17 F or 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.

The bad things you have done to Lebanon will come back to you. Because you have killed its animals, now they will make you afraid. This will happen because of all the killing you have done. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 W hat 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?

“Of what worth is a false god when a workman has made it? Of what worth is an object of worship, a teacher of lies? For the workman trusts in his own work when he makes these false gods that cannot speak.

19 W oe 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.

It is bad for him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Wake up!’ or to a stone that cannot speak, ‘Get up!’ Can this teach you? See, it is covered with gold and silver. There is no breath in it.

20 B ut the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

But the Lord is in His holy house. Let all the earth be quiet before Him.”