עַל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּי אֶעֱמֹדָה וְאֶתְיַצְּבָה עַל־מָצוֹר וַאֲצַפֶּה לִרְאוֹת מַה־יְּדַבֶּר־בִּי ה' וּמָה אָשִׁיב עַל־תּוֹכַחְתִּי

After posing his questions to God, the prophet awaits a response: Upon my watch I will stand, and I will station myself upon the fortification [matzor]. Some maintain that matzor means a narrow [tzar] place. I will look out to see what He will speak through me and what I will respond to my rebuke. I will see what I will answer myself with regard to my claim.

וַיַּעֲנֵנִי ה' וַיֹּאמֶר כְּתֹב חָזוֹן וּבָאֵר עַל־הַלֻּחוֹת לְמַעַן יָרוּץ קוֹרֵא בוֹ

The Lord answered me, and He said: Write the following vision and explain on the tablets, as an inscription on hide or paper is often unclear; so that one may read it swiftly.

כִּי עוֹד חָזוֹן לַמּוֹעֵד וְיָפֵחַ לַקֵּץ וְלֹא יְכַזֵּב אִם־יִתְמַהְמַהּ חַכֵּה־לוֹ כִּי־בֹא יָבֹא לֹא יְאַחֵר

For there is yet a vision, a prophecy, that is for the appointed time, and it speaks, testifies, of the end, the appointed time, and does not deceive; if it tarries, wait for it, as it will come; it will not delay.

הִנֵּה עֻפְּלָה לֹא־יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ וְצַדִּיק בּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה

Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him is conceited [uppela], or is insatiable, or feels faint. But the righteous one, whose soul is upright, will live by his faith and witness the fulfillment of the prophecy.

וְאַף כִּי הַיַּיִן בֹּגֵד גֶּבֶר יָהִיר וְלֹא יִנְוֶה אֲשֶׁר הִרְחִיב כִּשְׁאוֹל נַפְשׁוֹ וְהוּא כַמָּוֶת וְלֹא יִשְׂבָּע וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֵלָיו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם וַיִּקְבֹּץ אֵלָיו כָּל־הָעַמִּים

Indeed, wine is treacherous, as one who is drunk becomes confident about unfounded matters, so a haughty man will not find repose, he will not live in peace. Haughtiness, like wine, betrays and robs a person of his peace, security, and stability. He, this individual in question, is one who broadens his soul like the netherworld, and he, like death, will not be satisfied no matter how much he swallows. He gathers to him all the nations and assembles to him all the peoples to take control of the entire world.

הֲלוֹא־אֵלֶּה כֻלָּם עָלָיו מָשָׁל יִשָּׂאוּ וּמְלִיצָה חִידוֹת לוֹ וְיֹאמַר הוֹי הַמַּרְבֶּה לֹּא־לוֹ עַד־מָתַי וּמַכְבִּיד עָלָיו עַבְטִיט

Won’t all of them, these nations, ultimately take up a derisive parable against him and a lyrical riddle concerning him, saying: Woe! He amasses that which is not his? Until when does he burden himself with thick mud? This verse likely refers to Babylonia’s debt to the foreign armies that provided aid for its conquests, specifically manpower. Just as a person covered in thick mud appears larger than he actually is, and his true dimensions are only revealed when the mud is washed off, so too, Babylonia appears to have great power, but this is only an illusion, as the nation relies on others for its strength. The foreign nations that support Babylonia will eventually abandon it, and it will return to its true, diminished, power.

הֲלוֹא פֶתַע יָקוּמוּ נֹשְׁכֶיךָ וְיִקְצוּ מְזַעְזְעֶיךָ וְהָיִיתָ לִמְשִׁסּוֹת לָמוֹ

Won’t those who will bite you [noshekhekha], the nations that you have annexed and have thus far submitted to you, arise suddenly to exact interest [neshekh] of you, in addition to the principal amount you owe them? And those who will shake you, those nations, will awaken, or destroy you. You will be plunder for them.

כִּי־אַתָּה שַׁלּוֹתָ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים יְשָׁלּוּךָ כָּל־יֶתֶר עַמִּים מִדְּמֵי אָדָם וחֲמַס־אֶרֶץ קִרְיָה וְכָל־יֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ

Because you despoiled many nations, all the remnants of the peoples will despoil you, for your greatness was established by the spilling of men’s blood, and villainy to the land, the city, and all its inhabitants, which you plundered.

הוֹי בֹּצֵעַ בֶּצַע רָע לְבֵיתוֹ לָשׂוּם בַּמָּרוֹם קִנּוֹ לְהִנָּצֵל מִכַּף־רָע

Woe! He gains evil, illicit, profit for his house, to place his nest on high, expecting to be rescued from the harmful hand. You erroneously assume that by becoming wealthy your life will be better and more secure.

יָעַצְתָּ בֹּשֶׁת לְבֵיתֶךָ קְצוֹת עַמִּים רַבִּים וְחוֹטֵא נַפְשֶׁךָ

However, you have actually devised and caused shame for your house in eliminating many peoples and sinning against your soul.

כִּי־אֶבֶן מִקִּיר תִּזְעָק וְכָפִיס מֵעֵץ יַעֲנֶנָּה

For the stone itself will cry from the wall of your palace, proclaiming the injustices and thefts you employed in the palace’s construction, and the beam from the wood in the building will answer it, responding to the cry of the stone, and they will rise up against you.

הוֹי בֹּנֶה עִיר בְּ דָמִים וכוֹנֵן קִרְיָה בְּעַוְלָה

Woe! He builds a city with the spilling of blood and establishes a city with iniquity.

הֲלוֹא הִנֵּה מֵאֵת ה' צְבָאוֹת וְיִיגְעוּ עַמִּים בְּדֵי־אֵשׁ וּלְאֻמִּים בְּדֵי־רִיק יִעָפוּ

Behold, isn’t it a punishment from the Lord of hosts that peoples weary themselves laboring for you, or building up your cities, only for the fire to consume the fruits of their labor? And the nations that have joined you, likewise tire for nothing.

כִּי תִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ לָדַעַת אֶת־כְּבוֹד ה' כַּמַּיִם יְכַסּוּ עַל־יָם

For the earth will ultimately be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, like water covers the sea. Habakkuk alludes here to Isaiah 11:9.

הוֹי מַשְׁקֵה רֵעֵהוּ מְסַפֵּחַ חֲמָתְךָ וְאַף שַׁכֵּר לְמַעַן הַבִּיט עַל־מְעוֹרֵיהֶם

Woe! He forcibly gives drink to his neighbor, adds your venom, and intoxicates him, so that you may look upon their nakedness. The verse is referring to a great king, identified by the Sages as Nebuchadnezzar, who would bring together the rulers and ministers of other nations in order to degrade and humiliate them.

שָׂבַעְתָּ קָלוֹן מִכָּבוֹד שְׁתֵה גַם־אַתָּה וְהֵעָרֵל תִּסּוֹב עָלֶיךָ כּוֹס יְמִין ה'וְקִיקָלוֹן עַל־כְּבוֹדֶךָ

You are ultimately satiated with shame more than glory; you too drink from the poisonous cup and are revealed as uncircumcised; the cup of the Lord’s right hand, His anger and punishment, will be turned upon you, and the vomit of shame [kikalon], a combination of the words ki, “vomit,” and kalon, “shame,” will be upon your glory. You sought to be an emperor who abuses all his subjects, but the shame will eventually return and fall upon you.

כִּי־חֲמַס לְבָנוֹן יְכַסֶּךָּ וְשֹׁד בְּהֵמוֹת יְחִיתַן מִדְּמֵי אָדָם וַחֲמַס־אֶרֶץ קִרְיָה וְכָל־יֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ

For the villainy, the destruction that you brought, against the forests of Lebanon, as described in the book of Isaiah, will come back to cover and overwhelm you, and the looting of animals will break you as well, due to the blood of man and the villainy to land, city, and all its inhabitants. As in verses 8 and 12, blood and theft are mentioned together.

מָה־הוֹעִיל פֶּסֶל כִּי פְסָלוֹ יֹצְרוֹ! מַסֵּכָה ומוֹרֶה שָּׁקֶר כִּי־בָטַח יֹצֵר יִצְרוֹ עָלָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת אֱלִילִים אִלְּמִים

The prophet now adds a general prophecy against idolatry and idol-makers, between the stanzas of his verse: What use is an idol, that its maker carves it? What good is the cast image and teacher of falsehood, from whom worshippers expect to be taught truth, but instead are told lies, that the maker trusts his passion to it, making mute gods? The one who fashioned the idol trusts it to help him, but it is a lifeless, powerless object.

הוֹי אֹמֵר לָעֵץ הָקִיצָה! עוּרִי! לְאֶבֶן דּוּמָם הוּא יוֹרֶה! הִנֵּה־הוּא תָּפוּשׂ זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וְכָל־רוּחַ אֵין בְּקִרְבּוֹ

Woe! He, an idol worshipper, says to wood: Awaken; to the mute stone: Arise. Will it, his idol, instruct? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, decorated with expensive materials and jewelry, and there is no spirit in it at all. It is futile to expect the idol to rise to life and speak.

ו ה' בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ הַס מִפָּנָיו כָּל־הָאָרֶץ

But the Lord, by contrast, is in His holy Sanctuary; let all the earth be silent before Him and listen to Him. The prophet calls out here to all the nations, who will witness the collapse of the great empire that trusted in its idols.