1 L et me sing, I pray you, for my beloved, A song of my beloved as to his vineyard: My beloved hath a vineyard in a fruitful hill,

Now 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.

2 A nd he fenceth it, and casteth out its stones, And planteth it a choice vine, And buildeth a tower in its midst, And also a wine press hath hewn out in it, And he waiteth for the yielding of grapes, And it yieldeth bad ones!

He 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.

3 A nd now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

4 W hat -- to do still to my vineyard, That I have not done in it! Wherefore, I waited to the yielding of grapes, And it yieldeth bad ones!

What 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?

5 A nd now, pray, let me cause you to know, That which I am doing to my vineyard, To turn aside its hedge, And it hath been for consumption, To break down its wall, And it hath been for a treading-place.

And 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.

6 A nd I make it a waste, It is not pruned, nor arranged, And gone up have brier and thorn, And on the thick clouds I lay a charge, From raining upon it rain.

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.”

7 B ecause the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts the house of Israel, And the man of Judah His pleasant plant, And He waiteth for judgment, and lo, oppression, For righteousness, and lo, a cry.

For 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

8 W o those joining house to house, Field to field they bring near, till there is no place, And ye have been settled by yourselves In the midst of the land!

Woe 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!

9 B y the weapons of Jehovah of Hosts Do not many houses a desolation become? Great and good without inhabitant!

In my hearing the Lord of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.

10 F or ten acres of vineyard do yield one bath, And an homer of seed yieldeth an ephah.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, And a homer of seed shall yield one ephah.”

11 W o those rising early in the morning, Strong drink they pursue! Tarrying in twilight, wine inflameth them!

Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!

12 A nd harp, and psaltery, tabret, and pipe, And wine, have been their banquets, And the work of Jehovah they behold not, Yea, the work of His hands they have not seen.

The 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.

13 T herefore my people removed without knowledge, And its honourable ones are famished, And its multitude dried up of thirst.

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 T herefore hath Sheol enlarged herself, And hath opened her mouth without limit. And gone down hath its honour, and its multitude, And its noise, and its exulting one -- into her.

Therefore 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.

15 A nd bowed down is the low, and humbled the high, And the eyes of the haughty become low,

People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

16 A nd Jehovah of Hosts is high in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified in righteousness,

But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

17 A nd fed have lambs according to their leading, And waste places of the fat ones Do sojourners consume.

Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 W o those drawing out iniquity with cords of vanity, And as thick ropes of the cart -- sin.

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

19 W ho are saying, `Let Him hurry, Let Him hasten His work, that we may see, And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come, and we know.'

That 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. ”

20 W o those saying to evil `good,' And to good `evil,' Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, Putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for 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 W o the wise in their own eyes, And -- before their own faces -- intelligent!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

22 W o the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink.

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

23 D eclaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.

Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 T herefore, as a tongue of fire devoureth stubble, And flaming hay falleth, Their root is as muck, And their flower as dust goeth up. Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, And the saying of the Holy One of Israel despised.

Therefore, 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.

25 T herefore hath the anger of Jehovah burned among His people, And He stretcheth out His hand against it, And smiteth it, and the mountains tremble, And their carcase is as filth in the midst of the out-places. With all this His anger did not turn back, And still His hand is stretched out!

Therefore 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.

26 A nd He lifted up an ensign to nations afar off, And hissed to it from the end of the earth, And lo, with haste, swift it cometh.

He 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.

27 T here is none weary, nor stumbling in it, It doth not slumber, nor sleep, Nor opened hath been the girdle of its loins, Nor drawn away the latchet of its sandals.

No 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;

28 W hose arrows sharp, and all its bows bent, Hoofs of its horses as flint have been reckoned, And its wheels as a hurricane!

Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind.

29 I ts roaring like a lioness, It roareth like young lions, And it howleth, and seizeth prey, And carrieth away safely, and there is none delivering.

Their 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.

30 A nd it howleth against it in that day as the howling of a sea, And it hath looked attentively to the land, And lo, darkness -- distress, And light hath been darkened by its abundance!

In 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.