1 ¶ I will stand upon my watch and affirm my foot upon the fortress and will watch to see what he will say in me and what I shall answer to my question.

I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved.

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

Then the Lord answered me and said, “ Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.

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; wait for it.

“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

4 B ehold, he whose soul is not upright in him will become filled with pride, but the just in his faith shall live.

“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

5 ¶ Even more than he who is given over to wine, the transposer, the proud man, shall not remain, who enlarges his desire as Sheol and is as death and cannot be satisfied, but gathered unto him all the Gentiles and heaps unto him all the peoples;

“Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.

6 S hall not all these take up a parable against him and a taunting enigma against him and say, Woe to him that multiplied that which was not his! And for how long would he pile thick clay upon himself?

“Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, Even mockery and insinuations against him And say, ‘ Woe to him who increases what is not his— For how long— And makes himself rich with loans?’

7 S hall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee and awake those that shall take thy place, and thou shalt be for a prey unto them?

“Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, And those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them.

8 B ecause thou hast spoiled many nations, all the other peoples shall spoil thee because of human blood and for the robberies of the land, of the cities, and of all that dwell therein.

“Because you have looted many nations, All the remainder of the peoples will loot you— Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.

9 W oe to him that covets ill-gotten gain by violence for his house that he may set his nest on high, that he may escape from the power of evil!

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity!

10 T hou hast taken shameful counsel for thy house by cutting off many peoples and hast committed a sin against thy life.

“You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself.

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

“Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

12 W oe to him that builds the city with blood and founds the village with iniquity!

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence!

13 I s this not of the LORD of the hosts? Therefore the peoples shall labour for the fire, and the Gentiles shall weary themselves in vain.

“Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary 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 the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

15 ¶ Woe unto him that gives his neighbours drink, that puts thy bottle to them, and makes them drunken also, that thou may look on their nakedness!

“Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness!

16 T hou hast filled thyself with dishonour instead of honour; drink thou also, and thy foreskin shall be uncovered; the cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful vomit shall fall upon thy glory.

“You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.

17 F or the violence of Lebanon shall fall upon thee and the destruction of the wild beasts shall break thee, because of the human blood, and of the robbery of the land, of the cities, and of all that dwell therein.

“For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, And the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them, Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.

18 O f what profit is the graven image that its maker has sculpted; the molten image, that teaches lies, so that in making dumb images the maker trusts in his work?

“What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.

19 W oe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Can it ever teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it.

“Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘ Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside 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 temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”