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.
Eziriro ra Muhona ku Habakuk
1 Ami me rondo koruhungu rwandje romatjeverero nu mbi ka undje imbi Muhona mbi me ndji tjivisa otja eziriro komaunaunino wandje.
2 Muhona we ndji pa eziriro ndi: “Tjanga nawa oukahu kovitjangero imbi oviṋa mbi me ku vandururire, kokutja ovyo vi sore okuresewa tjimanga. 3 Oviṋa mbi mo sokuvitjanga, orondu oruveze mu mavi sokuyenenisiwa karuye ya. Nungwari oruveze maru ya tjimanga, nu imbi ami mbi me ku raisire mavi yenenisiwa. Mape munika aayo ovyo mavi wombo okuya, nungwari vi undja uri; ovyo, tjiri, mavi yenenisiwa nu kavi nokuwombisiwa. 4 Nu ombuze oyo ndji: ‘Imba ovanauvi kave nokuhupa; nungwari imba ovasemba mave hupu motjimbe tjongamburiro mu Ndjambi.’ ”
Osengiro kovahasemba
5 Outumbe u wovisa. Overitongamise kave kowa. Mominenetima vya wo kave hirimana, kave kowa oparukaze tjimuna onḓiro oini, owo opu ve zokurihuurira omihoko avihe. 6 Ovahuurwa mave nyekerere ovevehuure amave ve tara nonyengo. Owo mave tja nai: “Eṋe mu kambura imbi mbi he ri ovyeṋu, nungwari eṋe mwa sengwa! Mamu kara pokutumba nai nga ruṋe mokuṋiṋikiza imba mbe nozondjo zeṋu kutja ve ze sute?”
7 Nungwari ngunda amu hiya tjiwa otjiṋa hi tjandje eṋe oveni mbu mwa huura ovakweṋu varwe mamu kara nozondjo, nu mamu ṋiṋikiziwa okusuta ovihohe. Ovanavita mave ya ave mu urumisa. Owo mave mu pundu oviṋa! 8 Eṋe mwa punda ovandu vomihoko omingi, nungwari nambano omihoko mbi mbya hupa mavi mu pundu mena romazepero ngu mwa tjita na mena rozondjito zeṋu zoutwe nḓu mwa tjita mouye na kovihuro na kovature vavyo.
9 Owee ku eṋe! Eṋe mwa tumbisa ovazamumwe veṋu noviṋa, mbi mwa kambura momasa, nu mwa kondja kutja ozonganda zeṋu aze ha munu ovipo nomaumba! 10 Nungwari ozondyero zeṋu za eta ohoṋi komaṱunḓu weṋu; mokuyandeka omihoko omingi eṋe mwe riyetera onyoneno porwayo. 11 Nandarire omawe womakuma wondjuwo maye mu pirukire, nomiti vyondjuwo vyokomututu mavi kara norupa momapirukiro nga.
12 Owee ku eṋe mbu mu tunga otjihuro nomatirahiro wombinḓu namu ryamene ko okutjitunga nozondjito zoutwe. 13 Omihoko mbi mwa huura vye ripungarisa ovini noviungura vyomungandjo, nu avihe mbya tungwa i omihoko mbi mavi pi momuriro. Muhona Omunamasaaehe ongwa tjita otjiṋa hi. 14 Tjiri, ehi mari ura nondjiviro younene wa Muhona tjimuna okuvare tji kwe ura nomeva.
15 Owee ku eṋe mbu mwa yamburura namu ṱisa ovararanganda veṋu ohoṋi, mwe ve ṋiṋikiza okupurukisiwa i omavinu kokutja mu mune omuzu wa wo. 16 Eṋe oveni mamu ṱohoṋi moruveze rwokumuna ondengero. Eṋe oveni mamu purukisiwa i omavinu namu teratera. Muhona me mu nwisa otjinwino tjomberero yeṋu oveni, nondengero yeṋu mai runduruka okurira ondjambu. 17 Eṋe mwa ka omahwa wa Libanon, nambano eṋe mamu kerwa pehi! Mwa zepa ovipuka vyomahwa nga, nambano ovipuka mbi mavi mu tirisa. Ihi matji tjitwa mena romazepero ngu mwa tjita na mena rozondjito zoutwe nḓu mwa tjita mouye na kovihuro na kovature vavyo.
18 Omukuru wotjisenginina u nohepero yatjike? Eye otjisenginina tji tja ungurwa i omundu, nu ke notjiṋa tje mu serekarera posi yovizeze porwavyo. Pe nohepero yatjike komuute we okuriyameka ku ye; eye omukuru uriri ngu ha sora nandarire okuhungira! 19 Owee ku eṋe mbu mu tja nai kotjitimbu tjomuti: “Penduka!” na kewe: “Sekama!” Omukuru wotjisenginina hapo u sora okumuvandururira otjiṋa ngamwa are? Tjiri, eye ma yenene okutuwa ko osilveri nongoldo, nungwari tjandje mu ye kamu nomuinyo.
20 Nungwari Muhona u ri mondjuwo ye ondjapuke; auhe mouye nga kare kumwi momurungu we.
