Daily Bible Reading

1I will take my stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the tower,

and look out to see what he will say to me,

and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith

2And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so he may run who reads it.

3For still the vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

4“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but the righteous shall live by his faith.

5“Moreover, wine is a traitor,

an arrogant man who is never at rest.

His greed is as wide as Sheol;

like death he has never enough.

He gathers for himself all nations

and collects as his own all peoples.”

Woe to the Chaldeans

6Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—

for how long?—

and loads himself with pledges!”

7Will not your debtors suddenly arise,

and those awake who will make you tremble?

Then you will be spoil for them.

8Because you have plundered many nations,

all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,

for the blood of man and violence to the earth,

to cities and all who dwell in them.

9“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,

to set his nest on high,

to be safe from the reach of harm!

10You have devised shame for your house

by cutting off many peoples;

you have forfeited your life.

11For the stone will cry out from the wall,

and the beam from the woodwork respond.

12“Woe to him who builds a town with blood

and founds a city on iniquity!

13Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts

that peoples labor merely for fire,

and nations weary themselves for nothing?

14For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

15“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—

you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,

in order to gaze at their nakedness!

16You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.

Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!

The cup in the Lord’s right hand

will come around to you,

and utter shame will come upon your glory!

17The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,

as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,

for the blood of man and violence to the earth,

to cities and all who dwell in them.

18“What profit is an idol

when its maker has shaped it,

a metal image, a teacher of lies?

For its maker trusts in his own creation

when he makes speechless idols!

19Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;

to a silent stone, Arise!

Can this teach?

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

and there is no breath at all in it.

20But the Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth keep silence before him.”

1I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what he will say to me,

and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

The Lord’s Answer

2Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

so that a herald may run with it.

3For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

it will certainly come

and will not delay.

4“See, the enemy is puffed up;

his desires are not upright—

but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

5indeed, wine betrays him;

he is arrogant and never at rest.

Because he is as greedy as the grave

and like death is never satisfied,

he gathers to himself all the nations

and takes captive all the peoples.

6“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods

and makes himself wealthy by extortion!

How long must this go on?’

7Will not your creditors suddenly arise?

Will they not wake up and make you tremble?

Then you will become their prey.

8Because you have plundered many nations,

the peoples who are left will plunder you.

For you have shed human blood;

you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

9“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,

setting his nest on high

to escape the clutches of ruin!

10You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,

shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.

11The stones of the wall will cry out,

and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed

and establishes a town by injustice!

13Has not the Lord Almighty determined

that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,

that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?

14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

15“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,

pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,

so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!

16You will be filled with shame instead of glory.

Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed!

The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,

and disgrace will cover your glory.

17The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,

and your destruction of animals will terrify you.

For you have shed human blood;

you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?

Or an image that teaches lies?

For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;

he makes idols that cannot speak.

19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’

Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’

Can it give guidance?

It is covered with gold and silver;

there is no breath in it.”

20The Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth be silent before him.