Online Bible

God Answers the Prophet

I will ^astand at my guard postAnd station myself on the tower;And I will ^bkeep watch to see ^cwhat He will say to me,And what answer I will give as His spokesman when I am reproved.2 Then the LORD answered me and said,“^aWrite the visionAnd engrave it plainly on clay tabletsSo that the one who reads it will run.3 “For the vision is yet for the ^aappointed future timeIt hurries toward the goal of fulfillment; it will not fail.Even though it delays, ^bwait patiently for it,Because it will certainly come; it ^cwill not delay. Heb 10:37, 38

4 “Look at the ^aproud one,His soul is not right within him,But the ^brighteous will live by his faith in the true God. Rom 1:17; Gal 3:115 “Moreover, ^awine is treacherous and betrays the ^barrogant man,So that he does not ^cstay at home.^dHis appetite is large like Sheol,And he is like death, never satisfied.He gathers to himself all nationsAnd collects to himself all peoples as if he owned them.

6 “Will all these victims of his greed not ^atake up a taunting song against him,And in mocking derision against himSay, ‘¹^bWoe (judgment is coming) to him who increases that which is not his—How long will he possess it?And woe to him who makes himself wealthy with loans.’7 “Will your creditors not ^arise up suddenly,And those who collect from you awaken?Then you will become plunder for them.8 “Because you king of Babylon have ^alooted many nations,All peoples who are left will loot you—Because of human bloodshed and for the violence done to the land,To the city and all its inhabitants.

9 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who obtains ^awicked gain for his house and thinks by so doingTo ^bset his nest on high,That he may be rescued from the hand of evil.10 “You have devised a ^ashameful thing for your houseBy cutting off and putting an end to many peoples;So you are ^bsinning against your own life and forfeiting it.11 “For the ^astone will cry out from the wall to accuse you—built in sin!And the rafter will answer it out of the woodwork.

12 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who ^abuilds a city with bloodshedAnd establishes a town by violence!13 “Is it not indeed from the LORD of hostsThat peoples ^alabor only for the fire that will destroy their work,And nations grow weary for nothing that is, things which have no lasting value?14 “But the time is coming when the earth shall be ^afilledWith the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,As the waters cover the sea. Is 11:9

15 “Woe (judgment is coming) to you who make your neighbors drink,Who mix in your venom to make them drunkSo that you may look at their nakedness!16 “You will be filled with disgrace instead of honor.^aNow drink and expose your own nakedness!The ^bcup of wrath in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you O destroyer,And ^cutter disgrace will be on your own glory. Rev 16:1917 “For the ^aviolence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you;The destruction of the animals will terrify you^bOn account of human bloodshed and the ^cviolence done to the land,To the city and all its inhabitants.

18 “What ^aprofit is the carved image when its maker has formed it?It is only a cast image, and a ^bteacher of lies.For its maker ^ctrusts in his own creation as his godWhen he makes speechless idols.19 “Woe (judgment is coming) to him who ^asays to the wooden image, ‘^bAwake!’And to the speechless stone, ‘Arise!’And that is your teacher?Look, it is overlaid with ^cgold and silver,And there is ^dno breath at all inside it.20 “But the ^aLORD is in His holy temple.Let all the earth ^bhush and be silent before Him.” Zeph 1:7; Zech 2:13

The Righteous Will Live by His Faith

I will ^astand on my guard postAnd station myself on the fortification;And I will ^bkeep watch to see ^cwhat He will speak to meAnd how I may respond ¹when I am reproved.2 Then Yahweh answered me and said,“^aWrite down the visionAnd write it on tablets distinctly,That ¹the one who ²reads it may run.3 “For the vision is yet for the ^aappointed time;It pants toward its end, and it will not ¹lie.Though it tarries, ^bwait for it;For it will certainly come; it ^cwill not delay.

4 “Behold, as for the ^aproud one,His soul is not right within him;But the ^brighteous will live by his ¹faith.5 “And indeed, ^awine betrays the ^bhaughty manSo that he does not ^cstay at home.He ^denlarges his appetite like Sheol,And he is like death, never satisfied.He also gathers to himself all nationsAnd assembles to himself all peoples.

6 “Will not all of these ^alift up a taunt-song against him,Even satire and riddles against himAnd say, ‘^bWoe to him who increases what is not his—For how long—And makes himself ¹rich with loans?’7 “Will not ¹your creditors ^arise up suddenly,And those who make you tremble awaken?Indeed, you will become spoil for them.8 “Because you have ^ataken many nations as spoil,All that is left of the peoples will take you as spoil—Because of human bloodshed and violence ¹done to the land,To the town and all its inhabitants.

9 “Woe to him who is greedy for ^aevil gain for his houseTo ^bput his nest on high,To be delivered from the hand of evil!10 “You have counseled a ^ashameful thing for your houseBy cutting off many peoples;So you are ^bsinning against your own soul.11 “Surely the ^astone will cry out from the wall,And the rafter will answer it from the ¹framework.

12 “Woe to him who ^abuilds a city with bloodshedAnd founds a town with injustice!13 “Is it not, behold, from Yahweh of hostsThat peoples ^atoil for fire,And nations grow weary for nothing?14 “For the earth will be ^afilledWith the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh,As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to you who make ¹your neighbors drink,Who mix in your venom even to make them drunkSo as to look on their nakedness!16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than glory.Now you yourself ^adrink and ¹expose your own nakedness.The ^bcup in Yahweh’s right hand will come around to you,And ^cutter disgrace will come upon your glory.17 “For the ^aviolence ¹done to Lebanon will cover you,And the devastation of its beasts ²by which you terrified them,^bBecause of human bloodshed and ^cviolence ³done to the land,To the town and all its inhabitants.

18 “What ^aprofit is the graven image when its maker has engraved it,Or a molten image, a ^bteacher of ¹lies?For its maker ^ctrusts in his own makingWhen he fashions speechless idols.19 “Woe to him who ^asays to a piece of wood, ‘^bAwake!’To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’And that is your teacher?Behold, it is overlaid with ^cgold and silver,And there is ^dno breath at all inside it.20 “But ^aYahweh is in His holy temple.¹Let all the earth ^bbe silent before Him.”