1 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.

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer concerning my complaint.

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

And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.

3 “ 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.

For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.

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

Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him; but the righteous shall live by his faith.

5 “ 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.

Yea, moreover, wine is treacherous, a haughty man, that keepeth not at home; who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all peoples.

6 “ 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?’

Shall 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 that ladeth himself with pledges!

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

Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booty unto them?

8 “ 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.

Because thou hast plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder thee, because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

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

Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!

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

Thou hast devised shame to thy house, by cutting off many peoples, and hast sinned against thy soul.

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

For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

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

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

13 “ Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?

Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

14 “ For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.

15 “ 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!

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, to thee that addest thy venom, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

16 “ 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.

Thou art filled with shame, and not glory: drink thou also, and be as one uncircumcised; the cup of Jehovah's right hand shall come round unto thee, and foul shame shall be upon thy glory.

17 “ 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.

For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

18 “ 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.

What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

19 “ 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.

Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

20 “ But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.