1 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

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, “Write down the special dream on stone so that one may read it in a hurry.

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

3 F or 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.

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 A s 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

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

5 “ 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.

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 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?’

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 W ill 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.

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 B ecause 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.

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 “ 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!

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

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

11 T he stone will cry out from the wall, and the roof will answer it from the wood.

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

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

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

13 I s it not the will of the All-powerful Lord that people work for what will burn up and nations make themselves tired 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 F or the earth will be filled with knowing of the Lord’s shining-greatness, 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 “ 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!

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 Y ou 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.

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 T he 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.

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 “ 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.

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 I t 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.

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

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