The prophet's watchtower

12.1: Is 21.8.I will take my stand to watch,

and station myself on the tower,

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

and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

2And the LORD answered me

“Write the vision;

make it plain upon tablets,

so he may run who reads it.

32.3: Heb 10.37.For still the vision awaits its time;

it hastens to the end — it will not lie.

If it seem slow, wait for it;

it will surely come, it will not delay.

42.4: Rom 1.17; Gal 3.11; Heb 10.38-39.Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail,2.4 Cn: Heb is puffed up

but the righteous shall live by his faith.2.4 Or faithfulness

5Moreover, wine is treacherous;

the arrogant man shall not abide.2.5 The Hebrew of these two lines is obscure

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.”

6Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, in scoffing derision of 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 booty for them.

8Because you have plundered many nations,

all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,

for the blood of men and violence to the earth,

to cities and all who dwell therein.

9Woe 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 to 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.

12Woe 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 labour only for fire,

and nations weary themselves for naught?

142.14: Is 11.9.For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea.

15Woe to him who makes his neighbours drink

of the cup of his wrath,2.15 Cn: Heb joining to your wrath and makes them drunk,

to gaze on their shame!

16You will be sated with contempt instead of glory.

Drink, yourself, and stagger!2.16 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb be uncircumcised

The cup in the LORD's right hand

will come around to you,

and shame will come upon your glory!

17The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you;

the destruction of the beasts will terrify you,2.17 Gk Syr: Heb them

for the blood of men and violence to the earth,

to cities and all who dwell therein.

18What profit is an idol

when its maker has shaped it,

a metal image, a teacher of lies?

For the workman trusts in his own creation

when he makes dumb idols!

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

to a dumb stone, Arise!

Can this give revelation?

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

and there is no breath at all in it.

202.20: Zeph 1.7; Zech 2.13.But the LORD is in his holy temple;

let all the earth keep silence before him.