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,

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 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 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 A nd now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, Judge, I pray you, 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 -- 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 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, 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.

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 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 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 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 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 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!

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 B y the weapons of Jehovah of Hosts Do not many houses a desolation become? Great and good 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 do yield one bath, And an homer of seed yieldeth an 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 o those rising early in the morning, Strong drink they pursue! Tarrying in twilight, wine inflameth 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 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.

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 removed without knowledge, And its honourable ones are famished, And its multitude dried up of 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 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.

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

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 A nd Jehovah of Hosts is high in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified 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 A nd fed have lambs according to their leading, And waste places of the fat ones Do sojourners consume.

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

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

It is bad for those who pull sin along with ropes of lies, who pull wrong-doing as with a wagon 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.'

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 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.

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 o the wise in their own eyes, And -- before their own faces -- intelligent!

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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 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!

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 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 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 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.

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

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 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 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 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 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.