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

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

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

“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 “ 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?’

“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 “ Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, And those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for 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 “ 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 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 “ Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 “ For the earth will 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 “ 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!

“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 “ 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.

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 “ 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.

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 “ 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.

“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 “ 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.

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

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