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10 Ten acres of vineyard
    shall yield but one bath,[a]
And a homer of seed
    shall yield but an ephah.
11 [b]Ah! Those who rise early in the morning
    in pursuit of strong drink,
lingering late
    inflamed by wine,
12 Banqueting on wine with harp and lyre,
    timbrel and flute,(A)
But the deed of the Lord they do not regard,
    the work of his hands they do not see!(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 5:10 Ten acres: a field with ten times the surface area a yoke of oxen could plow in one day. Bath: a liquid measure equal to about twelve gallons. Homer: a dry measure equal to what a donkey can carry, calculated to be about ten bushels. Ephah: a dry measure of about one bushel. So small a harvest is the fruit of the land-grabbers’ greed.
  2. 5:11–13 An oracle against debauchery and indifference. Strong drink: the Hebrew word shekar means either beer or a type of wine, perhaps date wine, not distilled liquor.