1 N ow let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On 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 H e dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But 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 “ And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between 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 more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring 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, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled 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 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on 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 the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. Impending Judgment on Excesses

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 to those who join house to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may 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 my hearing the Lord of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, 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 one 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 to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames 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 T he harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider 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 have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up 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 has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall 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 P eople shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be 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 the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed 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 the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

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

18 W oe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if 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 and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near 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 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!

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 to those who 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 to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,

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

23 W ho justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!

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 fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord 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 the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were 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 H e will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely 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 o one will be weary or stumble among them, No one will slumber or sleep; Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals 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’ hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like 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 will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will 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 I n that day they will roar against them Like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds.

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.