1 N ow will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

Let me sing of and for my greatly Beloved a tender song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My greatly Beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.

2 a nd he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

And He dug and trenched the ground and gathered out the stones from it and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and hewed out a winepress in it. And He looked for it to bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3 A nd now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard.

4 W hat could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

What more could have been done for My vineyard that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to bring forth grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

5 A nd now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten and burned up; and I will break down its wall, and it shall be trodden down.

6 a nd I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or cultivated, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7 F or the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant planting. And He looked for justice, but behold, oppression and bloodshed; for righteousness (for uprightness and right standing with God), but behold, a cry!

8 W oe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

Woe to those who join house to house and join field to field until there is no place for others and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

9 I n mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

In my ears the Lord of hosts said, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and beautiful ones shall be without inhabitant.

10 Y ea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield only about eight gallons, and ten bushels of seed will produce but one bushel.

11 W oe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Woe unto those who rise early in the morning, that they may pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the night till wine inflames them!

12 A nd the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, neither do they consider the operation of His hands.

13 T herefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Therefore My people go into captivity without knowing it and because they have no knowledge. And their honorable men are famished, and their common people are parched with thirst.

14 T herefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

Therefore Sheol (the unseen state, the realm of the dead) has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth without measure; and nobility and her multitude and her pomp and tumult and who exults in her descend into it.

15 A nd the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

And the common man is bowed down, and the great man is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.

16 b ut the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and God, the Holy One, shows Himself holy in righteousness and through righteous judgments.

17 T hen shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

Then shall the lambs feed as in their own pasture, and the desolate places of the rich shall sojourners and aliens eat.

18 W oe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

Woe to those who draw with cords of iniquity and falsehood, who bring punishment to themselves with a cart rope of wickedness,

19 t hat say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

Who say, Let make haste and speed His vengeance, that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!

20 W oe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

21 W oe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent and shrewd in their own sight!

22 W oe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

Woe to those who are mighty heroes at drinking wine and men of strength in mixing alcoholic drinks!—

23 w hich justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Who justify and acquit the guilty for a bribe, but take away the rights of the innocent and righteous from them!

24 T herefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be like rottenness and their blossom shall go up like fine dust—because they have rejected and cast away the law and the teaching of the Lord of hosts and have not believed but have treated scornfully and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 T herefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He has stretched forth His hand against them and has smitten them. And the mountains trembled, and their dead bodies were like dung and sweepings in the midst of the streets. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out.

26 A nd he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

And He will lift up a signal to call together a hostile people from afar, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth, and behold, they shall come with speed, swiftly!

27 n one shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

None is weary or stumbles among them, none slumbers or sleeps; nor is the girdle of their loins loosed or the latchet (thong) of their shoes broken;

28 w hose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

Their arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.

29 t heir roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Their roaring is like that of a lioness, they roar like young lions; they growl and seize their prey and carry it safely away, and there is none to deliver it.

30 A nd in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

And in that day they shall roar against like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; and the light will be darkened by the clouds of it.