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Read Habakkuk Chapter 2

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1I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

2And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

4Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

5Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

6Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

7Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

8Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

9Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

10Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

11For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

12Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

15Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

16Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

17For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the 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.

18What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

20But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

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Explanation

Habakkuk 2

In short

God tells the prophet Habakkuk to write down what he will reveal, because it is coming at a set time. Then God declares that the righteous live by trust in him, while the arrogant will face judgment. Five accusations follow against those who plunder, build through violence, get drunk with power, and worship false gods.

What the text says

Habakkuk stations himself to hear God's answer (verse 1). God tells him to write the vision plainly on tablets so that someone reading it can understand it quickly (verse 2). The vision will happen at its appointed time; though it seems slow, it will arrive (verse 3). Here comes the core statement: an arrogant person's soul is not right, but "the just shall live by his faith" (verse 4).

The passage then lists five woes. First (verses 5-8): someone drinks, is proud, wants more and more, gathers nations to himself. But those he hurt will rise up suddenly and rob him, because he shed blood and did violence (verses 7-8). Second (verses 9-11): someone tries to build a high nest to escape trouble by killing many people, but the stones and beams of what he built will cry out against him. Third (verses 12-13): someone builds towns through bloodshed and wrong, yet people labor for nothing. Fourth (verses 15-17): someone makes his neighbor drunk to see his shame, but will drink God's cup and be covered with shame. Fifth (verses 18-19): someone trusts in carved and metal idols that cannot teach anything. The chapter ends (verse 20) with the assurance that God is in his holy temple and all earth should be silent before him.

Takeaways

  • The righteous person trusts God's timing, while the proud person takes what is not theirs and comes to ruin.
  • False gods and human pride offer nothing; the knowledge of God's glory will fill the earth.
  • What appears delayed from human view will certainly arrive at God's set time.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.