1 I willstand 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.
The Just Live by Faith
2 Then theLordanswered me and said:
# “Write the vision
And makeitplain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 Forthe visionisyet for an appointed time;
# But at the end it will speak, and it willnot lie.
# Though it tarries,wait for it;
# Because it willsurely come,
It will not tarry.
4 “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
# But thejust shall live by his faith.
Woe to the Wicked
5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,
Heisa proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
# Because heenlarges his desire as hell,
And heislike death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.
6 “Will not all thesetake up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
Whatis not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?
7 Will not 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 people shall plunder you,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the landandthe city,
And of all who dwell in it.
9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,
# That he mayset his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!
10 You give shameful counsel to your house,
Cutting off many peoples,
And sinagainstyour soul.
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 bloodshed,
Who establishes a city by iniquity!
13 Behold,isitnot of theLordof hosts
That the peoples labor to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?
14 For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of theLord,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,
# Pressinghimtoyourbottle,
Even to makehimdrunk,
That you may look on his nakedness!
16 You are filled with shame instead of glory.
You also—drink!
And be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of theLord’s right handwillbeturned against you,
And utter shame will be on your glory.
17 For the violencedonetoLebanon will cover you,
And the plunder of beastswhichmade them afraid,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the landandthe city,
And of all who dwell in it.
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 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 “ButtheLordis in His holy temple.
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”