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 at my watch, and set myself on the ramparts, and will look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will 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.

Yahweh answered me, “Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he who runs may read 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 hurries toward the end, and won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t 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 will 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.

Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself 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?’

Won’t all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases that which is not his, and who enriches himself by extortion! How long?’

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

Won’t your debtors rise up suddenly, and wake up those who make you tremble, and you will be their victim?

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 plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it.

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 who gets 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.

You have devised shame to your house, by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against your soul.

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

For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it.

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

Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes 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, isn’t it of Yahweh of Armies 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 will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, 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 to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies!

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 are filled with shame, and not glory. You will also drink, and be exposed! The cup of Yahweh’s right hand will come around to you, and disgrace will cover your 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 will overwhelm you, and the destruction of the animals, which made them afraid; because of men’s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to every city and to those who dwell 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.

“What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute 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 to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it.

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

But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!”