1 L et me sing for my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

Let me sing for my loved one a love song about His grape-field: My loved one had a grape-field on a hill that grows much fruit.

2 a nd he digged 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 hewed out a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

He dug all around it and took away its stones, and planted it with the best vine. He built a tower in the center of it, and cut out a place in it for crushing grapes. Then He expected it to give good grapes, but it gave only 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 people living in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My grape-field.

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 was there to do for My grape-field that I have not done for it? When I expected it to give good grapes, why did it give wild grapes?

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

Now I will tell you what I am going to do to My grape-field. I will take away its fence and it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall and it will be crushed under foot.

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

I will make it a waste. It will not be taken care of, and thistles and thorns will come up. I will also tell the clouds not to rain on it.”

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

For the grape-field of the Lord of All is the people of Israel, and the men of Judah are the vines He planted. So He looked for what is right and fair, but He saw blood poured out. He looked for what is right and good, but He heard a cry of those in trouble. It Is Bad for the Sinful

8 W oe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!

It is bad for those who join house to house and field to field until there is no empty space, and you have to live alone in the land.

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

The Lord of All has sworn in my ears, “For sure, many houses will be laid waste. Large and beautiful houses will be empty.

10 F or ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.

For ten fields of vines will give only eleven large bottles of wine. And 110 jars of seed will give only eleven jars of grain.”

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

It is bad for those who get up early in the morning to run after strong drink! It is bad for those who stay up late in the evening that they may get drunk!

12 A nd the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.

They have harps, a noise-maker, a horn, and wine at their special suppers. But they do not think about the works of the Lord. They do not think of the work of His hands.

13 T herefore my people are gone into captivity for lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst.

So My people are taken away to strange lands because they have not been wise. Their men of honor are dying because they are hungry. Their people are dried up because they are thirsty.

14 T herefore Sheol hath enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, descend into it.

So the grave has become larger and has opened its mouth wide. And Jerusalem’s greatness, her people, her sounds of wild joy, and those who are happy with sin go down into it.

15 A nd the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled:

Man’s pride will be taken away. Important men will be put to shame. The eyes of the proud also will be put to shame.

16 b ut Jehovah of hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.

But the Lord of All will be honored in what is right and fair. The holy God will show Himself holy in what is right and good.

17 T hen shall the lambs feed as in their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers eat.

Then the lambs will eat as in their field. And strangers will eat in the waste places of the rich.

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

It is bad for those who pull sin along with ropes of lies, who pull wrong-doing as with a wagon rope,

19 t hat say, Let him make speed, let him 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 Him hurry. Let Him be quick to do His work, that we may see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel be done, 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!

It is bad for those who call what is sinful good, and good sinful, who say dark is light and light is dark, who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter!

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

It is bad for those who are wise in their own eyes, and who think they know a lot!

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

It is bad for those who are good at drinking wine, and are proud as they mix strong drink!

23 t hat justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

They take money in secret for saying that bad people are good. And they take away the rights of those who are not guilty.

24 T herefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

So, as fire destroys what is left of the cut grain and dry grass falls into the fire, so their root will waste away and their flower blow away like dust. For they have turned away from the Law of the Lord of All. They have hated the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 T herefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Because of this the anger of the Lord has burned against His people. He has put out His hand against them and destroyed them. The mountains shook. Their dead bodies lay like waste in the center of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away but His hand is still put out.

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

He will raise up flags as a sign to the nations far away. He will call for them from the ends of the earth, and they will hurry to come.

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:

Not one of them is tired or falls. No one sleeps. Not a belt is loosened at the waist, or a shoe string broken.

28 w hose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind:

Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The feet of their horses are like hard stone. And the wheels of their war-wagons are like a strong-wind.

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

Their noise is like that of a female lion. They sound like young lions. They make an angry noise as they take their food, and carry it away where no one can take it from them.

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

In that day they will make an angry noise over it like the noise of the sea. If one looks to the land, he will see darkness and trouble. Even the light is made dark by its clouds.