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 my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. The Just Live by Faith

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: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

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 an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

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 the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Woe to the Wicked

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;

“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man, And he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his desire as hell, And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied, He gathers to himself all nations And heaps up for 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 these 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 many pledges’?

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? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty.

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 plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it.

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 covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!

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

You give shameful counsel to your house, Cutting off many peoples, And sin against your soul.

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

For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

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

“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity!

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.

Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain?

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 him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his 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 are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 keep silence before Him.”