Online Bible

I will ^astand at my guard postAnd station myself on the watchtower;And I will ^bkeep watch to see ^cwhat He will say to me,And how I may reply ¹when I am reprimanded.2 Then the LORD answered me and said,“^aWrite down the visionAnd inscribe it clearly on tablets,So that one who ¹reads it may run.3 “For the vision is yet for the ^aappointed time;It ¹hurries toward the goal and it will not ²fail.Though it delays, ^bwait for it;For it will certainly come, it ^cwill not delay long.

4 “Behold, as for the ^aimpudent one,His soul is not right within him;But the ^brighteous one will live by his ¹faith.5 “Furthermore, ^awine betrays an ^barrogant man,So that he does not ^cachieve his objective.He ^denlarges his appetite like Sheol,And he is like death, never satisfied.He also gathers to himself all the nationsAnd collects to himself all the peoples.

6 “Will all of these not ^atake up a song of ridicule against him,Even a saying and insinuations against himAnd say, ‘^bWoe to him who increases what is not his—For how long—And makes himself ¹rich with debts!’7 “Will ¹your creditors not ^arise up suddenly,And those who ²collect from you awaken?Indeed, you will become plunder for them.8 “Since you have ^alooted many nations,All the rest of the peoples will loot you—Because of human bloodshed and violence ¹done to the land,To the town and all its inhabitants.

9 “Woe to him who makes ^aevil profit for his household,To ^bput his nest on high,To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!10 “You have planned a ^ashameful thing for your houseBy bringing many peoples to an end;So you are ^bsinning against yourself.11 “For 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 bloodshed,And founds a town with ¹violence!13 “Is it not indeed from the LORD of armiesThat peoples ^alabor merely for fire,And nations become weary for nothing?14 “For the earth will be ^afilledWith the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;¹To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,So as to look at their genitalia!16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.^aDrink, you yourself, and ¹expose your own foreskin!The ^bcup in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you,And ^cutter disgrace will come upon your glory.17 “For the ^aviolence ¹done to Lebanon will ²overwhelm you,And the devastation of its animals ³by which you terrified them,^bBecause of human bloodshed and ^cviolence ⁴done to the land,To the town and all its inhabitants.

18 “What ^abenefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,Or a cast metal image, a ^bteacher of falsehood?For its maker ^ctrusts in his own handiworkWhen he fashions speechless idols.19 “Woe to him who ^asays to a piece of wood, ‘^bAwake!’To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’That is your teacher?Behold, it is overlaid with ^cgold and silver,Yet there is ^dno breath at all inside it.20 “But the ^aLORD is in His holy temple.¹Let all the earth ^bbe silent before Him.”