# General Information:

Yahweh continues to answer Habakkuk and to speak of the Chaldeans as if they were one man. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Woe to the one who builds a city with blood, and who establishes a town in iniquity

These two phrases are saying the same thing in different ways. AT: "A warning to the Chaldeans who built their cities with what they have stolen from the people they have killed" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# the one who builds a city with blood

Here the word "blood" is a metonym for murder. It is implicit that the person builds a city by means of the goods that he stole from those whom he has killed. AT: "the one who kills people and steals their goods in order to build a city" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# who establishes a town in iniquity

It is implicit that the person builds a city by means of the goods that he stole from those whom he has killed. Here the word "establishes" means "to begin." AT: "who starts a town by means of the profit that he has acquired through evil behavior" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# Is it not from Yahweh of hosts that peoples labor for fire and all the other nations weary themselves for nothing?

This negative rhetorical question emphasizes the positive answer that it anticipates. The two clauses share similar meanings that the work that people do will not last. The question can be translated as a statement. AT: "Yahweh is the one who has determined that the things that people work hard to build will be destroyed by fire and result in nothing." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# peoples labor for fire

This means that the things that people labor to build are ultimately destined to be fuel for fire. AT: "peoples labor to build things that will be used as fuel for fire" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# the land will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea

This simile compares the way in which people everywhere will know of Yahweh's glory with how water fills every part of the sea. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# the land will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh

The word "knowledge" can be translated with a verbal phrase. This can be stated in active form. AT: "people throughout the land will know the glory of Yahweh" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])