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Habakkuk 2
Modern English Version
Habakkuk 2
Modern English Version
2 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the watchtower;
and I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,
and what I will answer when I am reproved.
The Just Shall Live by Faith
2 And the Lord answered me:
Write the vision,
and make it plain on tablets,
that he who reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
but it speaks of the end,
and does not lie.
If it delays, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look, his soul is lifted up;
it is not upright in him;
but the just shall live by his faith.
5 Indeed, wine betrays the proud man,
who does not stay at home.
He enlarges his appetite as Sheol,
and like death he is never satisfied.
He gathers to himself all nations
and collects for himself all peoples.
Woe to the Wicked
6 Shall not all these take up a taunt against him, with satire and riddles, and say,
“Woe to him who increases what is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with heavy debts!”
7 Shall not your debtors rise up suddenly,
and those awake who oppress you?
Then you will be their plunder.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the people will plunder you,
because of the bloodshed of men and violence of the land,
of the cities and all who live in them.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be delivered from the power of calamity!”
10 You have given shameful counsel to your house
by cutting off many peoples,
and forfeiting your life.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam of the woodwork will answer it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed
and establishes a city on iniquity!”
13 Is it not from the Lord of Hosts
that the people labor to feed fire,
and the nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the seas.
15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink,
pouring out your poison until they are drunk,
that you may look on their nakedness!”
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
You yourself—drink and show your uncircumcision!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
and utter shame will come on your glory!
17 The violence done to Lebanon will cover you,
as will the plunder of beasts that terrified them,
because of the bloodshed of men and violence of the land,
of the cities and all who live in them.
18 What profit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
a cast image, and a teacher of lies,
that its maker trusts in what he has shaped
when he makes mute idols?
19 Woe to him who says to the wood, “Awake!”
To the silent stone, “Arise!” Can it teach?
It is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
20 But the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.
Habakkuk 2
New International Version
Habakkuk 2
New International Version
2 I will stand at my watch(A)
and station myself on the ramparts;(B)
I will look to see what he will say(C) to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[a](D)
The Lord’s Answer
2 Then the Lord replied:
“Write(E) down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald[b] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(F)
it speaks of the end(G)
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(H) for it;
it[c] will certainly come
and will not delay.(I)
4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person(J) will live by his faithfulness[d](K)—
5 indeed, wine(L) betrays him;
he is arrogant(M) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
and like death is never satisfied,(N)
he gathers to himself all the nations
and takes captive(O) all the peoples.
6 “Will not all of them taunt(P) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,
“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(Q)
How long must this go on?’
7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
Then you will become their prey.(R)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
the peoples who are left will plunder you.(S)
For you have shed human blood;(T)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(U)
9 “Woe to him who builds(V) his house by unjust gain,(W)
setting his nest(X) on high
to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(Y) of many peoples,
shaming(Z) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(AA) of the wall will cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(AB)
and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(AC)
that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(AD)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(AE) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.(AF)
15 “Woe to him who gives drink(AG) to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(AH) instead of glory.(AI)
Now it is your turn! Drink(AJ) and let your nakedness be exposed[e]!(AK)
The cup(AL) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(AM) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(AN)
For you have shed human blood;(AO)
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
18 “Of what value(AP) is an idol(AQ) carved by a craftsman?
Or an image(AR) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.(AS)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(AT)
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;(AU)
there is no breath in it.”(AV)
Footnotes
- Habakkuk 2:1 Or and what to answer when I am rebuked
- Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
- Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
- Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith
- Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.