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Isaiah 5:8-30
English Standard Version
Isaiah 5:8-30
English Standard Version
Woe to the Wicked
8 Woe to those who (A)join house to house,
who add field to field,
until there is no more room,
and you are made to dwell alone
in the midst of the land.
9 The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
(B)“Surely many houses shall be desolate,
large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
10 (C)For ten acres[a] of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
and a (D)homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”[b]
11 Woe to those who (E)rise early in the morning,
that they may run after strong drink,
who tarry late into the evening
as wine inflames them!
12 (F)They have lyre and harp,
tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
(G)but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,
or see the work of his hands.
13 Therefore my people go into exile
(H)for lack of knowledge;[c]
their (I)honored men go hungry,[d]
and their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has (J)enlarged its appetite
and opened (K)its mouth beyond measure,
and the nobility of Jerusalem[e] and her multitude will go down,
her revelers and he who (L)exults in her.
15 (M)Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,
and the eyes of the haughty[f] are brought low.
16 (N)But the Lord of hosts is exalted[g] in justice,
and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs graze (O)as in their pasture,
and (P)nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with (Q)cords of falsehood,
who draw sin as with cart ropes,
19 who say: (R)“Let him be quick,
let him speed his work
that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
and let it come, that we may know it!”
20 Woe to (S)those who call evil good
and good evil,
(T)who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (U)wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are (V)heroes at drinking wine,
and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 who (W)acquit the guilty for a bribe,
and deprive the innocent of his right!
24 Therefore, (X)as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so (Y)their root will be (Z)as rottenness,
and their blossom go up like dust;
for they have (AA)rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
and have (AB)despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore (AC)the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,
and (AD)the mountains quaked;
and their corpses were (AE)as refuse
in the midst of the streets.
(AF)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
26 He will (AG)raise a signal for nations far away,
and (AH)whistle for them (AI)from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
27 (AJ)None is weary, none stumbles,
none slumbers or sleeps,
not a waistband is loose,
not a sandal strap broken;
28 (AK)their arrows are sharp,
all their bows bent,
their horses' hoofs seem like flint,
and their wheels (AL)like the whirlwind.
29 Their roaring is like a lion,
like young lions they roar;
they growl and (AM)seize their prey;
they carry it off, and none can rescue.
30 They will growl over it on that day,
like the growling of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
behold, (AN)darkness and distress;
and the light is darkened by its clouds.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:10 Hebrew ten yoke, the area ten yoke of oxen can plow in a day
- Isaiah 5:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters; a homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters; an ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
- Isaiah 5:13 Or without their knowledge
- Isaiah 5:13 Or die of hunger
- Isaiah 5:14 Hebrew her nobility
- Isaiah 5:15 Hebrew high
- Isaiah 5:16 Hebrew high
Isaiah 5:8-30
New International Version
Isaiah 5:8-30
New International Version
Woes and Judgments
8 Woe(A) to you who add house to house
and join field to field(B)
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
9 The Lord Almighty(C) has declared in my hearing:(D)
“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(E)
the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine;
a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”(F)
11 Woe(G) to those who rise early in the morning
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.(H)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes(I) and timbrels(J) and wine,
but they have no regard(K) for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.(L)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(M)
for lack of understanding;(N)
those of high rank(O) will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.(P)
14 Therefore Death(Q) expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;(R)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revelers.(S)
15 So people will be brought low(T)
and everyone humbled,(U)
the eyes of the arrogant(V) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(W) by his justice,(X)
and the holy God will be proved holy(Y) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(Z)
lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe(AA) to those who draw sin along with cords(AB) of deceit,
and wickedness(AC) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten(AD) his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(AE) of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”(AF)
20 Woe(AG) to those who call evil good(AH)
and good evil,(AI)
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,(AJ)
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.(AK)
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(AL)
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(AM)
and champions at mixing drinks,(AN)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(AO)
but deny justice(AP) to the innocent.(AQ)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(AR) lick up straw(AS)
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(AT)
and their flowers blow away like dust;(AU)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word(AV) of the Holy One(AW) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(AX) burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(AY)
and the dead bodies(AZ) are like refuse(BA) in the streets.(BB)
26 He lifts up a banner(BE) for the distant nations,
he whistles(BF) for those at the ends of the earth.(BG)
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(BH) or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(BI) is loosened at the waist,(BJ)
not a sandal strap is broken.(BK)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(BL)
all their bows(BM) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(BN) seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(BO)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(BP)
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(BQ) their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.(BR)
30 In that day(BS) they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.(BT)
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness(BU) and distress;(BV)
even the sun will be darkened(BW) by clouds.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.