Habakkuk 2:13

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Is it not from the Lord of Armiesthat the peoples labor only to fuel the fireand countries exhaust themselves for nothing?

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, isn't it of the LORD of Hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

King James Version (1611)
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hostes, that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shal wearie themselues for very vanitie?

King James Version
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

English Standard Version
Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?

New American Standard Bible
"Is it not indeed from the LORD of armies That peoples labor merely for fire, And nations become weary for nothing?

New Century Version
The Lord All-Powerful will send fire to destroy what those people have built; all the nations' work will be for nothing.

Amplified Bible
"Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts That peoples labor [only] for the fire [that will destroy their work], And nations grow weary for nothing [that is, things which have no lasting value]?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Beholde, is it not of the Lorde of hostes that the people shal labour in ye very fire? the people shall euen weary themselues for very vanitie.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?

Legacy Standard Bible
Is it not, behold, from Yahweh of hostsThat peoples toil for fire,And nations grow weary for nothing?

Berean Standard Bible
Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain?

Contemporary English Version
But the Lord All-Powerful sends up in flames what nations and people work so hard to gain.

Complete Jewish Bible
so that people toil for what will be burned up, and nations exhaust themselves to no purpose. Isn't all this from Adonai -Tzva'ot?

Darby Translation
Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

Easy-to-Read Version
But the Lord All-Powerful has decided that a fire will destroy everything that those people worked to build. All their work will be for nothing.

George Lamsa Translation
All these things are from the LORD of hosts that the people shall labor in fire, and the nations shall labor in vain.

Good News Translation
The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The Lord Almighty has done this.

Lexham English Bible
Look! Is it not from Yahweh of hosts that people labor for mere fire, and nations exhaust themselves for mere vanity?

Literal Translation
Behold, is it not for Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only for fire? Yea, nations weary themselves only for vanity.

American Standard Version
Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Bible in Basic English
See, is it not the pleasure of the Lord of armies that the peoples are working for the fire and using themselves up for nothing?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hoastes that the people shall labour in the very fire? the people shall euen weery them selues for very vanitie.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Are not these things of the Lord Almighty? surely many people have been exhausted in the fire, and many nations have fainted.

English Revised Version
Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

World English Bible
Behold, isn't it of Yahweh of Hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether not these thingis ben of the Lord of oostis? For puplis schulen trauele in myche fier, and folkis in veyn, and thei schulen faile.

Update Bible Version
Look, is it not of Yahweh of hosts that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, [is it] not from the LORD of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

New English Translation
Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed: The nations' efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing.

New King James Version
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hostsThat the peoples labor to feed the fire, [fn] And nations weary themselves in vain?

New Living Translation
Has not the Lord of Heaven's Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain!

New Life Bible
Is it not the will of the All-powerful Lord that people work for what will burn up and nations make themselves tired for nothing?

New Revised Standard
Is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor only to feed the flames, and nations weary themselves for nothing?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lo! is it not from Yahweh of hosts - that peoples labour for fire, and, populations, for emptiness, weary themselves?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Are not these things from the Lord of hosts? for the people shall labour in a great fire: and the nations in vain, and they shall faint.

Revised Standard Version
Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor only for fire, and nations weary themselves for nought?

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Shal not the LORDE of hoostes bringe this to passe, that the laboures of the people shal be brent with a greate fyre, and that the thinge wher vpon the people haue weeried them selues, shall be lost?

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

is it: Genesis 11:6-9, 2 Samuel 15:31, Job 5:13, Job 5:14, Psalms 39:6, Psalms 127:1, Psalms 127:2, Proverbs 21:30, Isaiah 41:5-8, Isaiah 50:11, Isaiah 55:2, Jeremiah 51:58, Jeremiah 51:64, Malachi 1:4

for very vanity: or, in vain

Reciprocal: Leviticus 26:20 - your strength Job 28:3 - searcheth Job 39:16 - her labour Proverbs 16:27 - diggeth Ecclesiastes 1:3 - profit Ecclesiastes 2:11 - behold Ecclesiastes 5:11 - what Isaiah 44:12 - he is Isaiah 47:13 - wearied Isaiah 57:10 - wearied Jeremiah 9:5 - weary Jeremiah 12:13 - put Ezekiel 24:12 - wearied Habakkuk 2:6 - ladeth John 6:27 - the meat 1 Thessalonians 2:1 - in vain James 1:13 - no man

Cross-References

Genesis 10:6
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.

Isaiah 11:11
Also on that day, the Master for the second time will reach out to bring back what's left of his scattered people. He'll bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Sinar, Hamath, and the ocean islands.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, [is it] not of the Lord of hosts?.... That which follows; the judgments of God upon the bloody city, which they that labour to prevent labour in vain. So the Targum,

"lo, strong and mighty blows or judgments come from the Lord of hosts;''

the mighty God, the Lord of armies, whose hand when stretched out none can turn back; he does what he pleases, and none can hinder him; when the decree is gone forth from him, it is in vain to attempt to stop it:

that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? words of the same import, and expressed in much the same language, were used of the destruction of literal Babylon by fire, and of the vain attempts of the Chaldeans in labouring and wearying themselves to quench it, Jeremiah 51:58 and here of mystical Babylon, and the vanity of the people of it, in labouring to support it by their wars, for recovering the holy land from the Turks, and against the Waldenses, Hussites, and Bohemians; for, notwithstanding all their successes, and the vast number of persons slain by them, yet they could never prevail so as to root out the kingdom and interest of Christ: and their city and state shall fall, and they will not be able to uphold it; and a considerable blow and shock it received at the time of the Reformation; and this great city Babylon will be destroyed by fire, which its best friends cannot prevent; even the ten kings that have given their kingdom to the beast will hate the whore, and burn her with fire; and those antichristian kings that will continue friends to her, when they see her burning, will find it in vain to attempt to help her, and will stand afar off lamenting her case, Revelation 17:16. Kimchi begins here to see that this section and paragraph does not belong to Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, but to the times of the Messiah; and interprets it of the vengeance of God that shall come upon all the nations that come along with Gog against Jerusalem in the latter day; but he is mistaken: it designs what will come on mystical Babylon; so Abarbinel owns, that, from Habakkuk 2:12, what is said belongs to the Roman empire, which he calls the kingdom of Edom.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that (the) people (nations) shall labor - ^o

In (for) the very fire - literally, to suffice the fire? By God’s appointment, the end of all their labor is for the fire, what may suffice it to consume. This is the whole result of their labor; and so it is as if they had toiled for this; they built ceiled palaces and gorgeous buildings, only for the fire to consume them.

And the peoples shall weary themselves for very vanity - They wearied themselves, and what was their reward? What had they to suffice and fill them? “Emptiness.” This is “from the Lord of hosts,” whom all the armies of heaven obey and all creatures stand at His command against the ungodly, and in whose Hand are all the hosts of earth, and so the oppressor’s also, to turn as He wills.

Near upon the first stage of the fulfillment, Jeremiah reinforces the words with the name of Babylon; Jeremiah 51:58 : “Thus saith the Lord of hosts! The broad walls of Babylon, shall be utterly destroyed, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain (for vanity), and the folk in (for) the fire, and they shall be weary.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 2:13. The people shall labour in the very fire — All these superb buildings shall be burnt down. See the parallel passage, Jeremiah 51:58, and the note there.

Shall weary themselves for very vanity? — For the gratification of the wishes of ambition, and in buildings which shall be brought to naught.