1 L et 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.

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 H e 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.

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 “ And now, O people living in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My grape-field.

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

4 W hat 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?

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 N ow 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.

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 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.”

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 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

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 I t 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.

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

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

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

11 I t 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!

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 T hey 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.

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 S o 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.

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 S o 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

19 w ho 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!”

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 I t 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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

24 S o, 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.

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 B ecause 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.

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 H e 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.

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

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

29 T heir 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.

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 I n 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.

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.