1I will go up to the lookout tower.
I’ll station myself on the city wall.
I’ll wait to see how the Lord will reply to me.
Then I’ll try to figure out how his reply answers what I’ve complained about.
The Lord Replies to Habakkuk
2The Lord replies,
“Write down the message I am giving you.
Write it clearly on the tablets you use.
Then a messenger can read it
and run to announce it.
3The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.
4“The Babylonians are very proud.
What they want is not good.
“But the person who is godly
will live by his faithfulness.
5“Wine makes the Babylonians do foolish things.
They are proud. They never rest.
Like the grave, they are always hungry for more.
Like death, they are never satisfied.
They gather all the nations to themselves.
They take all those people away as prisoners.
6“Won’t those people laugh at the Babylonians? Won’t they make fun of them? They will say to them,
“ ‘How terrible it will be for you
who pile up stolen goods!
You get rich by cheating others.
How long will this go on?’
7Those you owe money to will suddenly rise up.
They will wake up
and make you tremble with fear.
Then they will take away
everything you have.
8You have robbed many nations.
So the nations that are left will rob you.
You have spilled human blood.
You have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.
9“How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They build their kingdom with money
that they gained by cheating others.
They have tried to make the kingdom
as secure as possible.
After all, they did not want to be destroyed.
10They have planned to wipe out many nations.
But they have brought shame on their own kingdom.
So they must pay with their own lives.
11The stones in the walls of their homes will cry out.
And the wooden beams will echo that cry.
12“How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They build cities by spilling the blood of others.
They establish towns by doing what is wrong.
13I am the Lord who rules over all.
Human effort is no better than wood that feeds a fire.
So the nations wear themselves out for nothing.
14The oceans are full of water.
In the same way, the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of my glory.
15“How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They give drinks to their neighbors.
They pour the drinks from wineskins
until their neighbors are drunk.
They want to look at their naked bodies.
16But the Babylonians will be filled
with shame instead of glory.
So now it is their turn to drink
and be stripped of their clothes.
The cup of anger in my powerful right hand
is going to punish them.
They will be covered with shame instead of glory.
17The harm they have done to Lebanon
will bring them down.
Because they have killed so many animals,
animals will terrify them.
They have spilled human blood.
They have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.
18“If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth?
What value is there in a god
that teaches lies?
The one who trusts in this kind of god
worships his own creation.
He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.
19How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They say to a wooden god, ‘Come to life!’
They say to a stone god, ‘Wake up!’
Can those gods give advice?
They are covered with gold and silver.
They can’t even breathe.”
20The Lord is in his holy temple.
Let the whole earth be silent in front of him.
12:1 Thab 48:13; Ezek 3:17Nĩngũrũgama handũ hakwa ha kũrangĩra,
na njikare o hau rũthingo igũrũ.
Njetereire njigue ũrĩa ekũnjĩĩra,
nĩguo menye ũrĩa ingĩcookia nĩ ũndũ wa iteta rĩĩrĩ.
Icookia rĩa Jehova
22:2 Jer 36:2; Kũg 1:19Nake Jehova akĩnjookeria atĩrĩ,
“Andĩka ũguũrio ũyũ,
ũwandĩke wega ihengere-inĩ na ndemwa nene,
nĩgeetha ũthomeke wega,
o na mũndũ angĩkorwo atengʼerete.
32:3 Ezek 12:25; Dan 8:17Nĩgũkorwo ũguũrio ũyũ wetereire ihinda rĩrĩa rĩtuĩtwo;
waragia ũhoro wa matukũ ma mũthia,
na ndũngĩtuĩka wa maheeni.
O na ũngĩikara mũno-rĩ, weterere.
Ti-itherũ nĩũkahingio, na ndũgatĩĩrio.
42:4 Arom 1:17; Agal 3:11“Atĩrĩrĩ, mũndũ mwĩtĩĩi-rĩ,
merirĩria maake ti marũngĩrĩru;
no mũndũ ũrĩa mũthingu
agatũũra muoyo nĩ ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia gwake;
52:5 Thim 20:1; Hab 1:9ti-itherũ, mũndũ ũcio mwĩtĩĩi nĩakunyanagĩrwo nĩ ndibei;
nĩ mwĩtĩĩi na ndarĩ hĩndĩ ahurũkaga.
Tondũ akorokete ta mbĩrĩra,
na o ta ũrĩa gĩkuũ gĩtaiganagia,
o nake ndaiganagia;
acookanagĩrĩria ndũrĩrĩ ciothe harĩ we,
na agataha andũ a ndũrĩrĩ ciothe.
6“Githĩ andũ othe matikamũthekerera makĩmũnyũrũragia, na mamũnyarare, makiugaga atĩrĩ,
“ ‘Kaĩ mũndũ ũrĩa wĩigagĩra indo cia ũici,
na agetongia na indo cia ũtunyani arĩ na haaro-ĩ!
Egũtũũra ekaga ũguo nginya-rĩ?’
72:7 Thim 29:1Andũ arĩa ũrĩ na thiirĩ wao githĩ matigagũũkĩrĩra o rĩmwe?
Githĩ matikaarahũka, na matũme ũinaine,
macooke makũnyamarie?
82:8 Isa 33:1; Obad 1:15; Ezek 39:10Tondũ nĩũtahĩte ndũrĩrĩ nyingĩ indo ciao,
matigari ma ndũrĩrĩ icio, nĩmagagũtaha indo o nawe.
Nĩ ũndũ nĩũitĩte thakame ya andũ,
na ũkaananga mabũrũri, na matũũra manene, o na arĩa othe marĩ kuo.
92:9 Jer 22:13; Ayub 39:27“Mũndũ ũrĩa wakaga wathani wake,
na agetongia na uumithio ũtarĩ wa kĩhooto,
nĩgeetha aake nyũmba yake handũ igũrũ
nĩguo ehonokie ndakanyiitwo nĩ mwanangĩko,
kaĩ arĩ na haaro-ĩ!
102:10 Jer 26:19Wee wanaciirĩra kũniinwo kwa ndũrĩrĩ nyingĩ,
ũgaconorithia nyũmba yaku mwene,
na ũkoorwo nĩ muoyo waku.
112:11 Josh 24:27; Luk 19:40Mahiga ma rũthingo nĩmakanĩrĩra,
na mĩgamba ya mbaũ nĩĩkamũkĩria.
122:12 Mik 3:10; Ezek 22:2“Mũndũ ũrĩa wakithagia itũũra inene na ũiti wa thakame,
na akahaanda itũũra na njĩra cia ũmaramari, kaĩ arĩ na haaro-ĩ!
13Githĩ Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe ndatuĩte
atĩ wĩra wa andũ no ngũ cia gwakĩrĩria mwaki,
na atĩ ndũrĩrĩ ciĩnogagia o tũhũ?
142:14 Isa 11:9Nĩgũkorwo thĩ nĩĩkaiyũrwo nĩ ũmenyo wa riiri wa Jehova,
o ta ũrĩa maaĩ maiyũrĩte iria-inĩ.
15“Mũndũ ũrĩa ũheaga andũ a itũũra rĩake njoohi,
akamatahĩria mondo-inĩ ya rũũa ya ndibei nginya makarĩĩo,
nĩgeetha erorere njaga yao, kaĩ arĩ na haaro-ĩ!
162:16 Maca 4:21; Thab 16:5Ũkaiyũrwo nĩ thoni, handũ ha kũgĩa na riiri.
Rĩĩrĩ nĩrĩo ihinda rĩaku!
Nyua, ũrĩĩo,
nayo njaga yaku yoneke!
Gĩkombe kuuma guoko-inĩ kwa ũrĩo kwa Jehova
nĩkĩragũkora, na njono nĩikũhumbĩra riiri waku.
172:17 Jer 51:35Haaro ĩrĩa ũrutĩire Lebanoni-rĩ, nĩĩgakũhubĩkania,
na wanangi waku wa nyamũ-rĩ, nĩũgakũmakia mũno.
Nĩ ũndũ nĩũitĩte thakame ya andũ,
na ũkaananga mabũrũri, na matũũra manene, na arĩa othe marĩ kuo.
182:18 1Sam 12:21; Alaw 26:1“Mũhianano mũicũhie nĩ wa bata ũrĩkũ mũndũ aarĩkia kũwacũhia?
O naguo mũhianano wa gũtwekio ũrĩa ũtũmaga andũ maheeneke nĩ wa bata ũrĩkũ?
Nĩgũkorwo ũrĩa ũũthondekaga ehokaga kĩrĩa ombĩte;
athondekaga mĩhianano ĩtaaragia.
192:19 1Akor 12:2; 1Ath 18:27; Hos 4:12Mũndũ ũrĩa wĩraga rũbaũ atĩrĩ, ‘Gĩa na muoyo!’
Kana akeera ihiga rĩtarĩ muoyo atĩrĩ, ‘Arahũka!’ Kaĩ arĩ na haaro-ĩ!
Indo ta icio ciakĩhota kuonia mũndũ njĩra?
Ihumbĩtwo thahabu na betha;
no itirĩ na mĩhũmũ thĩinĩ wacio.
20No rĩrĩ, Jehova arĩ hekarũ-inĩ yake theru;
thĩ yothe nĩĩkire ki ĩrĩ mbere yake.”
