Hābāgǔshū 2

1 Wǒ yào zhàn zaì shǒu wàng suǒ , lì zaì wàng lóu shang guānkàn , kàn Yēhéhuá duì wǒ shuō shénme huà , wǒ kĕ yòng shénme huà xiàng tā sù yuān . ( xiàng tā sù yuān huò zuò huídá suǒ yí wèn de ) .

2 Tā duì wǒ shuō , jiāng zhè mò shì míng míng dì xiĕ zaì bǎn shang , shǐ dòu de rén róngyi dòu ( huò zuò suí paó suí dòu ) .

3 Yīnwei zhè mò shì yǒu yídéng de rìqī , kuaì yào yìngyàn , bìng bù xū huǎng . suīrán chíyán , hái yào dĕnghòu . yīnwei bìrán líndào , bú zaì chíyán .

4 Jiālèdǐ rén zì gāo zì dà , xīn bù zhèngzhí . wéi yì rén yīn xìn dé shēng .

5 Jiālèdǐ rén yīn jiǔ guǐzhà , kuángào , bù zhù zaì jiā zhōng , kuò chōng xīn yù , hǎoxiàng yīnjiān . tā rú sǐ bùnéng zhīzú , jùjí wàn guó , duījī wàn mín , dōu guī zìjǐ .

6 Zhèxie guó de mín , qǐbù dōu yào tí qǐ shīgē , bìng súyǔ jī cī tā , shuō , huò zāi , Jiālèdǐ rén , nǐ zēngtiān bù shǔ zìjǐ de cáiwù , duō duō qǔ rén de dāngtóu , yào dào jǐshí wéizhǐ ne .

7 Yǎo shāng nǐde qǐbù hūrán qǐlai , rǎo haì nǐde qǐbù xīngqǐ , nǐ jiù zuò tāmende lǔ wù ma .

8 Yīn nǐ qiǎngduó xǔduō de guó , shārén liúxuè , xiàng guóneì de chéng , bìng chéng zhōng yīqiè jūmín shīxíng qiángbào , suǒyǐ gè guó shèngxia de mín , dōu bì qiǎngduó nǐ .

9 Wèi bĕn jiā jīxù bù yì zhī cái , zaì gāo chù dā wō , zhǐwang miǎn zāi de yǒu huò le .

10 Nǐ tú móu jiǎnchú duō guó de mín , fàn le zuì , shǐ nǐde jiā méng xiū , zì haì jǐ méng .

11 Qiáng lǐ de shítou bì hūjiào , fáng neì de liàn liáng bì yìngshēng .

12 Yǐ rén xuè jiàn chéng , yǐ zuìniè lì yì de yǒu huò le .

13 Zhòng mín suǒ laólù dé lái de beì huǒ fùnshāo , liè guó yóu laó fá ér dé de , guīyú xū kōng, bù dōu shì chūyú wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá ma .

14 Rènshi Yēhéhuá róngyào de zhīshi , yào chōngmǎn biàn dì , hǎoxiàng shuǐ chōngmǎn yáng hǎi yìbān .

15 Gĕi rén jiǔ hē , yòu jiā shang dú wù , shǐ tā hē zuì , hǎokàn jiàn tā xiàtǐ de , yǒu huò le .

16 Nǐ mǎn shòu xiūrǔ , bùdé róngyào . nǐ yĕ hē ba , xiǎn chū shì wèi shòu gēlǐ de . Yēhéhuá yòushǒu de bēi , bì chuán dào nǐ nàli , nǐde róngyào , jiù biàn wèi dàdà dì xiūrǔ .

17 Nǐ xiàng Lìbānèn xíng qiángbào , yǔ cánhaì jīngxià yĕshòu de shì , bì zhēgaì nǐ . yīn nǐ shārén liúxuè , xiàng guóneì de chéng , bìng chéng zhōng yīqiè jūmín , shīxíng qiángbào .

18 Diāokè de ǒuxiàng , rén jiāng tā kè chūlai , yǒu shénme yìchu ne . zhùzào de ǒuxiàng , jiù shì xū huǎng de shīfu . zhìzào zhĕ yǐkào zhè yē bā ǒuxiàng , yǒu shénme yìchu ne .

19 Duì mùǒu shuō , xǐng qǐ , duì yē bā dàn/shí xiàng shuō , qǐlai , nà rén yǒu huò le . zhège hái néng jiàoxun rén ma . kàn nǎ , shì bāoguǒ jīn yín de , qízhōng haó wú qìxī .

20 Wéi Yēhéhuá zaì tāde shèng diàn zhōng . quán dì de rén , dōu dāng zaì tā miànqián sù jìng jìngmò .

Hābāgǔshū 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

Habakkuk must wait in faith. (1-4) Judgments upon the Chaldeans. (5-14) Also upon drunkenness and idolatry. (15-20)

Verses 1-4 When tossed and perplexed with doubts about the methods of Providence, we must watch against temptations to be impatient. When we have poured out complaints and requests before God, we must observe the answers God gives by his word, his Spirit, and providences; what the Lord will say to our case. God will not disappoint the believing expectations of those who wait to hear what he will say unto them. All are concerned in the truths of God's word. Though the promised favour be deferred long, it will come at last, and abundantly recompense us for waiting. The humble, broken-hearted, repenting sinner, alone seeks to obtain an interest in this salvation. He will rest his soul on the promise, and on Christ, in and through whom it is given. Thus he walks and works, as well as lives by faith, perseveres to the end, and is exalted to glory; while those who distrust or despise God's all-sufficiency will not walk uprightly with him. The just shall live by faith in these precious promises, while the performance of them is deferred. Only those made just by faith, shall live, shall be happy here and for ever.

Verses 5-14 The prophet reads the doom of all proud and oppressive powers that bear hard upon God's people. The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men; and we find him that led Israel captive, himself led captive by each of these. No more of what we have is to be reckoned ours, than what we come honestly by. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those who travel through thick clay, are hindered and dirtied in their journey; so are those who go through the world in the midst of abundance of wealth. And what fools are those that burden themselves with continual care about it; with a great deal of guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which they must give another day! They overload themselves with this thick clay, and so sink themselves down into destruction and perdition. See what will be the end hereof; what is gotten by violence from others, others shall take away by violence. Covetousness brings disquiet and uneasiness into a family; he that is greedy of gain troubles his own house; what is worse, it brings the curse of God upon all the affairs of it. There is a lawful gain, which, by the blessing of God, may be a comfort to a house; but what is got by fraud and injustice, will bring poverty and ruin upon a family. Yet that is not the worst; Thou hast sinned against thine own soul, hast endangered it. Those who wrong their neighbours, do much greater wrong to their own souls. If the sinner thinks he has managed his frauds and violence with art and contrivance, the riches and possessions he heaped together will witness against him. There are not greater drudges in the world than those who are slaves to mere wordly pursuits. And what comes of it? They find themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in it; they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. By staining and sinking earthly glory, God manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the earth with the knowledge of it, as plentifully as waters cover the sea, which are deep, and spread far and wide.

Verses 15-20 A severe woe is pronounced against drunkenness; it is very fearful against all who are guilty of drunkenness at any time, and in any place, from the stately palace to the paltry ale-house. To give one drink who is in want, who is thirsty and poor, or a weary traveller, or ready to perish, is charity; but to give a neighbour drink, that he may expose himself, may disclose secret concerns, or be drawn into a bad bargain, or for any such purpose, this is wickedness. To be guilty of this sin, to take pleasure in it, is to do what we can towards the murder both of soul and body. There is woe to him, and punishment answering to the sin. The folly of worshipping idols is exposed. The Lord is in his holy temple in heaven, where we have access to him in the way he has appointed. May we welcome his salvation, and worship him in his earthly temples, through Christ Jesus, and by the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO HABAKKUK 2

This chapter contains an answer from the Lord to the expostulations, pleadings, and reasonings of the prophet, in the name of the people. The preparation of the prophet to receive this answer is described, Hab 2:1 then follows the answer itself, in which he is bid to write and make plain the vision he had, that it might be easily read, Hab 2:2 and a promise is made, that vision should still be continued to the appointed time, at which time the Messiah would come; and this the righteous man, in opposition to the vain and proud man, is encouraged to live in the faith of, Hab 2:3,4 and then the destruction of the enemies of the people of God is threatened for their pride, ambition, covetousness, oppression, and murder, Hab 2:5-12 which would be unavoidable, Hab 2:13 and issue in the spread of the knowledge of the glory of God in the world, Hab 2:14 and also the ruin of other enemies is threatened, for drawing men into apostasy, and for their violence and idolatry, Hab 2:15-19 upon which would follow an universal silence in the earth, Hab 2:20.