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 for my well beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My 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.

He dug it up, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the middle of it, and also cut out a wine press therein. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

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

“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge 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 could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to yield grapes, 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.

Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall of it, and it will be trampled 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.”

I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned nor hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on 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 Yahweh of Armies 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 of distress.

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, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle 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, Yahweh of Armies says: “Surely many houses will be desolate, even great and beautiful, unoccupied.

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 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 to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who stay late into the night, until 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.

The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered 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 for lack of knowledge. Their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes 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 has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, 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.

So man is brought low, mankind is humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant ones 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 Yahweh of Armies is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.

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

Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat the ruins of the rich.

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 iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope;

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 make speed, let him 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!”

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 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 to drink wine, and champions at mixing 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 acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!

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 as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Yahweh of Armies, 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 Yahweh’s anger burns against his people, and he has stretched out his hand against them, and has struck them. The mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the middle 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.

He will lift up a banner to the nations from far, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come speedily and 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.

No one shall be weary nor stumble among them; no one shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the belt of their waist be untied, nor the strap of their sandals be 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.

whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent. Their horses’ hoofs will be 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 will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one 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.

They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds.