English Standard Version

New King James Version

I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

1

The Just Shall Live by Faith

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.

2

The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith

And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.

2

The Just Live by Faith

Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.

3

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end — it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.

3

For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

4

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

4

“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.

5

“Moreover, wineb is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.c
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”

5

Woe to the Wicked

“Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,
He is a proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
Because he enlarges his desire as [a]hell,
And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.

6

Woe to the Chaldeans

Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own —
for how long? —
and loads himself with pledges!”

6

“Will not all these take up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his — how long?
And to him who loads himself with [b]many pledges’?

7

Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.

7

Will not [c]your creditors rise up suddenly?
Will they not awaken who oppress you?
And you will become their booty.

8

Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.

8

Because you have plundered many nations,
All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,
Because of men’s [d]blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.

9

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!

9

“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,
That he may set his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the [e]power of disaster!

10

You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.

10

You give shameful counsel to your house,
Cutting off many peoples,
And sin against your soul.

11

For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.

11

For the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

12

“Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!

12

“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed,
Who establishes a city by iniquity!

13

Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?

13

Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts
That the peoples labor [f]to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?

14

For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

14

For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.

15

“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink —
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!

15

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,
[g]Pressing him to your bottle,
Even to make him drunk,
That you may look on [h]his nakedness!

16

You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
The cup in the Lord’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter shame will come upon your glory!

16

You are filled with shame instead of glory.
You also — drink!
And [i]be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
And utter shame will be on your glory.

17

The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.

17

For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you,
And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.

18

“What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!

18

“What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?

19

Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.

19

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.

20

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

20

“But the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Parallel

English Standard Version

New King James Version

Habakkuk 2

Habakkuk 2