Habakkuk 2:12

THE MESSAGE

"Who do you think you are— building a town by murder, a city with crime? Don't you know that God -of-the-Angel-Armies makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes, Makes sure the harder you work at that kind of thing, the less you are? Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God 's glory as the waters cover the sea.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshedand founds a town with injustice!

Hebrew Names Version
Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!

King James Version (1611)
Woe to him that buildeth a towne with blood, and stablisheth a citie by iniquitie.

King James Version
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

English Standard Version
"Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!

New American Standard Bible
"Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed, And founds a town with violence!

New Century Version
"How terrible it will be for the nation that kills people to build a city, that wrongs others to start a town.

Amplified Bible
"Woe (judgment is coming) to him who builds a city with bloodshed And establishes a town by violence!

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wo vnto him that buildeth a towne with blood, and erecteth a citie by iniquitie.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence!

Legacy Standard Bible
"Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshedAnd founds a town with injustice!

Berean Standard Bible
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!

Contemporary English Version
You're doomed! You built a city on crime and violence.

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘Woe to him who builds a city with blood and founds a town on injustice,

Darby Translation
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by unrighteousness!

Easy-to-Read Version
"Look at them! They kill people to build their city and do wicked things to make their walled city strong.

George Lamsa Translation
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!

Good News Translation
You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder.

Lexham English Bible
Woe to him who builds a city by bloodguilt, and who founds a city by wickedness!

Literal Translation
Woe to him who builds a town with blood and establishes a city by iniquity!

American Standard Version
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

Bible in Basic English
A curse on him who is building a place with blood, and basing a town on evil-doing!

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wo vnto him that buyldeth a towne with blood, and erecteth a citie by iniquitie.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Woe to him that builds a city with blood, and establishes a city by unrighteousness.

English Revised Version
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

World English Bible
Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wo to hym that bildith a citee in bloodis, and makith redi a citee in wickidnesse.

Update Bible Version
Woe to him that builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!

Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

New English Translation
The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead— he who starts a town by unjust deeds.

New King James Version
"Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity!

New Living Translation
"What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption!

New Life Bible
"It is bad for him who builds a city with blood, and builds a town with wrong-doing!

New Revised Standard
"Alas for you who build a town by bloodshed, and found a city on iniquity!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Alas! for him who buildeth a city with deeds of blood, - and establisheth a town with perversity.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and prepareth a city by iniquity.

Revised Standard Version
Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and founds a city on iniquity!

Young's Literal Translation
Wo [to] him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wo vnto him, yt buyldeth the towne with bloude, and maynteneth ye cite with vnrightuousnes.

Contextual Overview

⁵"Note well: Money deceives. The arrogant rich don't last. They are more hungry for wealth than the grave is for cadavers. Like death, they always want more, but the ‘more' they get is dead bodies. They are cemeteries filled with dead nations, graveyards filled with corpses. Don't give people like this a second thought. Soon the whole world will be taunting them: "‘Who do you think you are— getting rich by stealing and extortion? How long do you think you can get away with this?' Indeed, how long before your victims wake up, stand up and make you the victim? You've plundered nation after nation. Now you'll get a taste of your own medicine. All the survivors are out to plunder you, a payback for all your murders and massacres. "Who do you think you are— recklessly grabbing and looting, Living it up, acting like king of the mountain, acting above it all, above trials and troubles? You've engineered the ruin of your own house. In ruining others you've ruined yourself. You've undermined your foundations, rotted out your own soul. The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you. The woodwork will step forward with evidence. "Who do you think you are— building a town by murder, a city with crime? Don't you know that God -of-the-Angel-Armies makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes, Makes sure the harder you work at that kind of thing, the less you are? Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God 's glory as the waters cover the sea. "Who do you think you are— inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties, Giving them too much to drink, roping them into your sexual orgies? You thought you were having the time of your life. Wrong! It's a time of disgrace. All the time you were drinking, you were drinking from the cup of God's wrath. You'll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over— hung over from Lebanon violence, Hung over from animal massacres, hung over from murder and mayhem, From multiple violations of place and people. "What's the use of a carved god so skillfully carved by its sculptor? What good is a fancy cast god when all it tells is lies? What sense does it make to be a pious god-maker who makes gods that can't even talk? Who do you think you are— saying to a stick of wood, ‘Wake up,' Or to a dumb stone, ‘Get up'? Can they teach you anything about anything? There's nothing to them but surface. There's nothing on the inside. "But oh! God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!" ⁷ class="poetry"> What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. "Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive. "Note well: Money deceives. The arrogant rich don't last. They are more hungry for wealth than the grave is for cadavers. Like death, they always want more, but the ‘more' they get is dead bodies. They are cemeteries filled with dead nations, graveyards filled with corpses. Don't give people like this a second thought. Soon the whole world will be taunting them: "‘Who do you think you are— getting rich by stealing and extortion? How long do you think you can get away with this?' Indeed, how long before your victims wake up, stand up and make you the victim? You've plundered nation after nation. Now you'll get a taste of your own medicine. All the survivors are out to plunder you, a payback for all your murders and massacres. "Who do you think you are— recklessly grabbing and looting, Living it up, acting like king of the mountain, acting above it all, above trials and troubles? You've engineered the ruin of your own house. In ruining others you've ruined yourself. You've undermined your foundations, rotted out your own soul. The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you. The woodwork will step forward with evidence. "Who do you think you are— building a town by murder, a city with crime? Don't you know that God -of-the-Angel-Armies makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes, Makes sure the harder you work at that kind of thing, the less you are? Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God 's glory as the waters cover the sea. "Who do you think you are— inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties, Giving them too much to drink, roping them into your sexual orgies? You thought you were having the time of your life. Wrong! It's a time of disgrace. All the time you were drinking, you were drinking from the cup of God's wrath. You'll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over— hung over from Lebanon violence, Hung over from animal massacres, hung over from murder and mayhem, From multiple violations of place and people. "What's the use of a carved god so skillfully carved by its sculptor? What good is a fancy cast god when all it tells is lies? What sense does it make to be a pious god-maker who makes gods that can't even talk? Who do you think you are— saying to a stick of wood, ‘Wake up,' Or to a dumb stone, ‘Get up'? Can they teach you anything about anything? There's nothing to them but surface. There's nothing on the inside. "But oh! God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!" ⁸ class="poetry"> What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. "Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive. "Note well: Money deceives. The arrogant rich don't last. They are more hungry for wealth than the grave is for cadavers. Like death, they always want more, but the ‘more' they get is dead bodies. They are cemeteries filled with dead nations, graveyards filled with corpses. Don't give people like this a second thought. Soon the whole world will be taunting them: "‘Who do you think you are— getting rich by stealing and extortion? How long do you think you can get away with this?' Indeed, how long before your victims wake up, stand up and make you the victim? You've plundered nation after nation. Now you'll get a taste of your own medicine. All the survivors are out to plunder you, a payback for all your murders and massacres. ⁹"Who do you think you are— recklessly grabbing and looting, Living it up, acting like king of the mountain, acting above it all, above trials and troubles? You've engineered the ruin of your own house. In ruining others you've ruined yourself. You've undermined your foundations, rotted out your own soul. The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you. The woodwork will step forward with evidence. ¹²"Who do you think you are— building a town by murder, a city with crime? Don't you know that God -of-the-Angel-Armies makes sure nothing comes of that but ashes, Makes sure the harder you work at that kind of thing, the less you are? Meanwhile the earth fills up with awareness of God 's glory as the waters cover the sea.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

him: Genesis 4:11-17, Joshua 6:26, 1 Kings 16:34, Jeremiah 22:13-17, Ezekiel 24:9, Daniel 4:27-31, Micah 3:10, Nahum 3:1, John 11:47-50, Revelation 17:6

blood: Heb. bloods, Habakkuk 2:8

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 21:19 - Hast thou killed 2 Chronicles 21:13 - hast slain Isaiah 10:1 - Woe James 1:13 - no man

Cross-References

Exodus 39:13
Fourth row: beryl, onyx, jasper. The stones were mounted in a gold filigree. The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve names engraved as on a seal, one for each of the twelve tribes.

Numbers 11:7
Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin. The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.

Ezekiel 28:13
The Money Has Gone to Your Head God's Message came to me, "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God , the Master, says: "‘Your heart is proud, going around saying, "I'm a god. I sit on God's divine throne, ruling the sea"— You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god. Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you. Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks. You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head! "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says: "‘Because you're acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations. They'll pull their swords and make hash of your reputation for knowing it all. They'll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea. Will you protest to your assassins, "You can't do that! I'm a god"? To them you're a mere mortal. They're killing a man, not a god. You'll die like a stray dog, killed by strangers— Because I said so. Decree of God , the Master.'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God , the Master: "You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God's garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise. By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes. All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can't have happened! This has happened!'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God , the Master: "‘Look! I'm against you, Sidon. I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.' They'll know that I am God when I set things right and reveal my holy presence. I'll order an epidemic of disease there, along with murder and mayhem in the streets. People will drop dead right and left, as war presses in from every side. Then they'll realize that I mean business, that I am God . "No longer will Israel have to put up with their thistle-and-thorn neighbors Who have treated them so contemptuously. And they also will realize that I am God ." God , the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God ."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!] This is what the stone and beam should say, if others were silent. The town and city are the church of Rome, mystical Babylon, the great city, called spiritually Egypt and Sodom; the builder of this is the pope of Rome, the bishops of it in succession, who built it with blood: the pope of Rome received his title as head of the church from Phocas, that murdered the emperor Mauritius; the foundation of the church of Rome is the blood of the saints, shed in persecutions and wars; hence she is said to be drunk with the blood of them, and to have the blood of prophets and saints found in her, Revelation 17:5 and it is established by unjust exactions of tribute from all countries subject to it, and by indulgences, processions, and various methods taken to extort money from the people, to support its pageantry, pomp, and grandeur; but there is a "woe" denounced against such that are concerned herein, and which will take place in due time, nor can it be awarded, as follows:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity! - Nebuchadnezzar “encircled the inner city with three walls and the outer city also with three, all of burnt brick. And having fortified the city with wondrous works, and adorned the gates like temples, he built another palace near the palace of his fathers, surpassing it in height and its great magnificence.” He seemed to strengthen the city, and to establish it by outward defenses. But it was built through cruelty to conquered nations, and especially God’s people, and by oppression, against His holy Will. So there was an inward rottenness and decay in what seemed strong and majestic, and which imposed on the outward eye; it would not stand, but fell. Babylon, which had stood since the flood, being enlarged contrary to the eternal laws of God, fell in the reign of his son. Such is all empire and greatness, raised on the neglect of God’s laws, by unlawful conquests, and by the toil and sweat and hard service of the poor. Its aggrandizement and seeming strength is its fall. Daniel’s exhortation to Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 4:27, “Redeem thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy on the poor,” implies that oppressiveness had been one of his chief sins.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 2:12. Wo to him that buildeth a town with blood — At the expense of much slaughter. This is the answer of the beam to the stone. And these things will refer to the vast fortunes gained, and the buildings erected, by means of the slave-trade; where, to a considerate and humane mind, the walls appear as if composed of the bones of negroes, and cemented by their blood! But the towns or houses established by this iniquity soon come to ruin; and the fortunes made have, in most cases, become as chaff and dust before the whirlwind of God's indignation. But where are the dealers in the souls and bodies of men? Ask him who has them in his keeping. He can tell.