THE PROPHET
HABAKKUK
Habakkuk 2 ©
The prophet, having waited for an answer upon his foregoing prayer and complaint, v. 1., is charged by the LORD to set plainly before the eyes of the Jewish people the destruction of the Chaldeans, that it would assuredly come to pass, only they, the Jews, should patiently wait for it, 4. Which, in the following verses, is declared more circumstantially, 7, etc., because of the excessive pride, greediness, tyranny, intemperance, blood thirstiness and idolatry of those their enemies.
Ia WILL 1stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what 2he will 3say 4unto me, and 5what I shall answer when I am reproved.
And the LORD answered me, and said, Writeb6the vision, and make it plain upon tables, 7that he may run that readeth it.
For 8the vision is yet for an appointed time, but 9at the end 10it 11shall 12speak, and 13not lie: though 14it tarry, wait for 15it; because 16it will 17surely come, 18it will not 19tarry.
Behold, 20his 21soul which is 22lifted up is 23not upright in him: but 24the just shall 25live 26by his faith.
¶Yea also, because 27he 28transgresseth by wine, he is 29a proud man, 30neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire 31as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth 32unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:33
34Shall not 35all these take up a parable 36against him, and 37a taunting proverb against him, and 38say, Woe to him 39that increaseth that which is not his! 40how long? and to him that ladeth himself with 41thick clay!
42Shall they not rise up 43suddenly that shall bite 44thee, and awake that shall 45vex thee, and thou shalt be for 46booties unto them?
Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil 47thee; because 48of men’s blood, and for the violence of 49the land, of 50the city, and of 51all that dwell therein.
¶Woe to him 52that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, 53that he may set his nest on high, 54that he may be delivered 55from the power of evil!
56Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by 57cutting off many people, and hast sinned 58against thy soul.
For 59the stone shall 60cry out of the wall, and 61the beam out of the timber shall answer 62it.
¶Woe to him that buildeth a town 63with blood, and 64stablisheth a city 65by iniquity!
Behold, 66is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall 67labour 68in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves 69for very vanity?
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of 70the glory of the LORD, 71as the waters cover the sea.
¶Woe unto him that giveth 72his neighbour 73drink, that puttest thy 74bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, 75that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
76Thou art filled with shame for glory: 77drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: 78the cup 79of the LORD's right hand 80shall be turned unto thee, and 81shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
For the violence 82of Lebanon 83shall cover thee, and 84the 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.85
¶ 86What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, 87and a teacher of lies, 88that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
Woe unto him that saith 89to the wood, 90Awake; 91to the dumb stone, 92Arise, 93it shall 94teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is 95no breath at all in the midst of it.
But 96the LORD is in 97his holy temple: let 98all the earth 99keep silence before him.