Habakkuk 2:6–20

The Five Woe Oracles

⁶Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him, ⁱ

with mockery and riddles about him?

They will say:

Woe to him who amasses what is not his—

how much longer?— ^j

and loads himself with goods taken in pledge. ^k

⁷Won’t your creditors suddenly arise,

and those who disturb you wake up?

Then you will become spoil for them. ^l

⁸Since you have plundered many nations, ^m

all the peoples who remain will plunder you— ⁿ

because of human bloodshed

and violence ^oagainst lands, cities,

and all who live in them. ^p

⁹Woe to him who dishonestly makes

wealth for his house ^qr

to place his nest on high,

to escape from the reach of disaster! ^s

¹⁰You have planned shame for your house

by wiping out many peoples

and sinning against your own self.

¹¹For the stones will cry out ^tfrom the wall,

and the rafters will answer them

from the woodwork.

¹²Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed

and founds a town with injustice! ^u

¹³Is it not from the Lord of Hosts

that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire

and countries exhaust themselves for nothing? ^v

¹⁴For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory,

as the waters cover the sea. ^w

¹⁵Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink,

pouring out your wrath ^x

and even making them drunk,

in order to look at their nakedness!

¹⁶You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.

You also—drink,

and expose your uncircumcision! ^y

The cup in the Lord’s right hand

will come around to you,

and utter disgrace will cover your glory. ^z

¹⁷For your violence against Lebanon

will overwhelm you;

the destruction of animals will terrify you ^a

because of your human bloodshed and violence

against lands, cities, and all who live in them.

¹⁸What use is a carved idol

after its craftsman carves it?

It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.

For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it

and makes idols that cannot speak.

¹⁹Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up!

or to mute stone: Come alive!

Can it teach?

Look! It may be plated with gold and silver,

yet there is no breath ^bin it at all.

²⁰But the Lord is in His holy temple; ^c

let everyone on earth

be silent in His presence. ^d