Habakkuk 2

NIV — New International Version Bible (NIV)

KJV — King James Version Bible (KJV)

Verse 1

I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.^[a]

The Lord’s Answer

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Verse 2

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald^[b] may run with it.

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

Verse 3

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it^[c] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

For 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, it will not tarry.

Verse 4

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness^[d]—

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Verse 5

indeed, wine betrays him;
    he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive all the peoples.

Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

Verse 6

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
How long must 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 to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

Verse 7

Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.

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

Verse 8

Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Verse 9

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,
setting his nest on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Verse 10

You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.

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

Verse 11

The stones of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

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

Verse 12

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and establishes a town by injustice!

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

Verse 13

Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?

Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

Verse 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 the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Verse 15

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Verse 16

You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed^[e]!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.

Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Verse 17

The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

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

Verse 18

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Verse 19

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    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, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Verse 20

The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.

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