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.

I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard: My well-beloved had a vineyard upon a 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 it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine; and he built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but 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, 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 was there yet to do 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?—

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, let me tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trodden under foot;

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 make it a waste—it shall not be pruned nor cultivated, but there shall come up briars and thorns; and I will 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 Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah the plant of his delight: and he looked for justice, and behold, blood-shedding; for righteousness, and 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 unto them that add house to house, that join field to field, until there is no more room, and that ye dwell yourselves 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 mine ears Jehovah of hosts, Many houses shall assuredly become a desolation, great and excellent ones, 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.”

Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an ephah.

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 them that, rising early in the morning, run after strong drink; that linger till twilight, wine inflameth 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.

And harp and lyre, tambour and flute, and wine are in their banquets; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, nor do they see 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 are led away captive from lack of knowledge, and their nobility die of famine, and their multitude 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 doth Sheol enlarge its desire, and open its mouth without measure; and her splendour shall descend, and her multitude, and her tumult, and that is joyful within her.

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 mean man shall be bowed down, and the great man brought low, and the eyes of the lofty shall be brought low;

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.

and Jehovah of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and the holy God hallowed in righteousness.

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

And the lambs shall feed as on their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers 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 unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart-ropes!

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 him hasten, let him speed his work, that we may see; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh 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 unto them 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 unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own esteem!

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

Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink;

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 the wicked for a bribe, and turn away the righteousness of the 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 a tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and dry grass sinketh down in the flame, their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; for they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and 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 Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched out his hand against them and hath smitten them; and the mountains trembled, and their carcases are become as dung in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

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 banner to the nations afar off, and will hiss for one from the end of the earth; and behold, it will come rapidly lightly.

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 among them is weary, none stumbleth; they slumber not, nor sleep; none hath the girdle of his loins loosed, nor the thong of his sandals 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 are reckoned as the flint, and their wheels as 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 a lioness, they roar as the young lions; yea, they growl, and snatch the prey, and carry it away safe, and there is none to deliver;

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 they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. And if one look upon the earth, behold darkness distress, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.