1 I will stand vpon my watch, and set me vpon the towre, and wil looke and see what he would say vnto mee, and what I shall answere to him that rebuketh me. 2 And the Lord answered me, and sayde, Write the vision, and make it plaine vpon tables, that he may runne that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the last it shall speake, and not lie: though it tarie, waite: for it shall surely come, and shall not stay. 4 Beholde, he that lifteth vp himselfe, his minde is not vpright in him, but the iust shall liue by his fayth, 5 Yea, in deede the proude man is as hee that transgresseth by wine: therefore shall he not endure, because he hath enlarged his desire as the hell, and is as death, and can not be satisfied, but gathereth vnto him all nations, and heapeth vnto him all people. 6 Shall not all these take vp a parable against him, and a tanting prouerbe against him, and say, Ho, he that increaseth that which is not his? howe long? and hee that ladeth himselfe with thicke clay? 7 Shall they not rise vp suddenly, that shall bite thee? and awake, that shall stirre thee? and thou shalt be their praye? 8 Because thou hast spoyled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoyle thee, because of mens blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the citie, and vnto all that dwell therein. 9 Ho, he that coueteth an euil couetousnesse to his house, that he may set his nest on hie, to escape from the power of euil. 10 Thou hast consulted shame to thine owne house, by destroying many people, and hast sinned against thine owne soule. 11 For the stone shall crie out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shall answere it. 12 Wo vnto him that buildeth a towne with blood, and erecteth a citie by iniquitie. 13 Beholde, is it not of the Lord of hostes that the people shall labour in ye very fire? the people shall euen weary themselues for very vanitie. 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters couer the sea. 15 Wo vnto him that giueth his neighbour drinke: thou ioynest thine heate, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest see their priuities. 16 Thou art filled with shame for glorie: drinke thou also, and be made naked: the cup of the Lords right hand shall be turned vnto thee, and shamefull spuing shalbe for thy glory. 17 For the crueltie of Lebanon shall couer thee: so shall the spoyle of the beastes, which made them afraide, because of mens blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the citie, and vnto all that dwell therein. 18 What profiteth the image? for the maker thereof hath made it an image, and a teacher of lies, though he that made it, trust therein, when he maketh dumme idoles. 19 Wo vnto him that sayth to the wood, Awake, and to the dumme stone, Rise vp, it shall teach thee: beholde, it is layde ouer with golde and siluer, and there is no breath in it. 20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple: let all the earth keepe silence before him.
The Lord's Answer to Habakkuk
1 I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer he will give to my complaint.
2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”
Doom on the Unrighteous
5 Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless—like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. 6 The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, “You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?”
7 But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! 8 You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
9 You are doomed! You have made your family rich with what you took by violence, and have tried to make your own home safe from harm and danger! 10 But your schemes have brought shame on your family; by destroying many nations you have only brought ruin on yourself. 11 Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry.
12 You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder. 13 The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The Lord Almighty has done this. 14 But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water.
15 You are doomed! In your fury you humiliated and disgraced your neighbors; you made them stagger as though they were drunk. 16 You in turn will be covered with shame instead of honor. You yourself will drink and stagger. The Lord will make you drink your own cup of punishment, and your honor will be turned to disgrace. 17 You have cut down the forests of Lebanon; now you will be cut down. You killed its animals; now animals will terrify you. This will happen because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it—a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” or to a block of stone, “Get up!” Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.
20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.