The Lord's Answer to Habakkuk
1 I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer he will give to my complaint.
2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”
Doom on the Unrighteous
5 Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless—like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. 6 The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, “You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?”
7 But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! 8 You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
9 You are doomed! You have made your family rich with what you took by violence, and have tried to make your own home safe from harm and danger! 10 But your schemes have brought shame on your family; by destroying many nations you have only brought ruin on yourself. 11 Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry.
12 You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder. 13 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. 14 But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water.
15 You are doomed! In your fury you humiliated and disgraced your neighbors; you made them stagger as though they were drunk. 16 You in turn will be covered with shame instead of honor. You yourself will drink and stagger. The Lord will make you drink your own cup of punishment, and your honor will be turned to disgrace. 17 You have cut down the forests of Lebanon; now you will be cut down. You killed its animals; now animals will terrify you. This will happen because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it—a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” or to a block of stone, “Get up!” Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.
20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.
1 Ndowotatha ngadzi yangu,
ama pezhugwi kwayo,
ndowolindila kubona tjabanowondidwa
ne dabilo yandinowopa nge kung'ong'ola kwangu.
Dabilo ya Yahwe
2 Yahwe bakandidabila beti,
“Kwala mbono
itjeneseke mu zwileiti
ndizo abale akalabuka.
3 Ngoti mbono imilile tjibaka tjakabigwa,
inoleba ngekwe bhelelo
aingabe manyepkhwa.
Kene inonoka uimilile,
nge malebeswa inowozha aitowononoka.
4 “Bona, iye unozwikudza,
njemulo dzidze adzizolulwama,
koga nlulwami unowotjila nge kugalamoyo kukwe.
5 Nge malebeswa nkumbi we zhambi unonlasha,
unozwikudza aatodzikama.
Hwulo dzidze dzakaashama se ikumbu,
unonga lufu aatotongo guta.
Unokubunganyila zwitjaba zose kunli
ebe etapa bathu bose.
6 “Apa bose ibaba bathu abatowonkuwelela bendadila benlengudza beti,
‘Yee mme wee ku kuli iwe unozwikubunganyila thundu yakwibiwa
uzwithama nfumi nge kutjebela!
Kowotola tjibaka tjingapani ikoku kushingikala?’
7 Apa baunokolota abatomilika tjinyolotjo kene?
Apa abatowomilika bakathama kuti uteteme kene?
Ipapo unowobe wabe tjabhakhwa ndibo.
8 Ngoti iwe wakatapila zwitjaba zwinjinji,
bathu bose bakasala banowokutapila.
Kana wakatebula malopa,
wakakolomodza shango ne mizi
ne mmwe ne mmwe muili.
9 “Yee mme wee ku kuli iwe unobaka bushe gugo nge zwe butjebeli
ubaka magalo awo se shaka pezhugwizhugwi
kutizha mbatsha dzingakuwila.
10 Wakalukila gwanga kulobesa bathu banjinji,
ubhatisa shoni ng'umba iyo uzwitenganyila tjibuya nge tjibiibi.
11 Mabgwe akabaka guma anowomimila,
ngono mbalilo dzowodabila.
12 “Yee mme wee, kuna unobaka nzi nkulu ngotebula malopa,
ebe ebumba nzi nge jinyo.
13 Apa akutodwa muna Yahwe Masimbawose
kuti nshingo we maboko e bathu ube tjinothutidza moto kene?
Kuti zwitjaba zozwinyadzila suli kene?
14 Koga shango inowozhala zibo ye gudzo la Yahwe
se vula yakadzinga gungwa.
15 “Yee mme wee, iwe unopa babakidzani babo tjing'o,
ubadilila kuswikila belaladza
kuti ndizo ulinge mbujo dzabo.
16 Unowobe ne shoni dze kulingigwa pasi pana kuti ukudziwe.
Tjing'wa iwe ulaladze utshatsharike.
Bhepe limu luboko gwe luji gwa Yahwe
laswika ku kuli ngono shoni dzowombadza gudzo lilo.
17 Ngoti thapatapa yawakathamila Lebanoni inowokukulila
ne kubulaya phuka kwawakathama kowozhisa kutja mukuli.
Ngoti wakatebula malopa e bathu,
wakakolomodza shango ne mizi mikulu ukabulaya mmwe ne mmwe muili.
18 Apa ifano tjina nshingo weni se kuli kuthu kwakathamiwa nge nthu?
Kene ifano tjinodiya manyepkhwa tjobhatsha ngeni kene?
Kana watjithama unogalabgwe muna tjaathama iye,
nenguba tjaathama tjili ifano koga tjisingake tjikalebeleka.
19 “Yee mme wee, kuna unodwa lukuni eti, ‘Muka!’
Kene edwa bgwe lisingatjile eti, ‘Milika!’
Apa tjingalaya kene?
Tjakadzulugwa nge golide ne siliva,
akuna meya ye kufema mutjili.
20 Koga Yahwe bamu Ng'umba yabo yakayengemala,
shango yose ngainyalale mbeli kwabo.”