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I shall sing for my darling the song of mine uncle’s son, of his vineyard. A vinery was made to my darling, in the horn, that is, in an high place and excellent, in the son of oil, that is, in a place full of olives, of whose fruit is wrung out oil. (I shall sing for my darling the song of my darling’s vineyard. A vineyard was made for my darling in the horn, that is, in a high and an excellent place, in the son of oil, that is, in a place full of olives, where oil is wrung out of the fruit.)

And he hedged it, and chose (the) stones thereof, and planted a chosen vinery; and he builded a tower in the midst thereof, and reared (up) a (wine)press therein; and he abode, that it should make grapes, and it made wild grapes (and he waited, for it to yield sweet new grapes, but only sour wild grapes grew there).

Now therefore, ye dwellers of Jerusalem, and ye men of Judah, deem between me and my vinery. (And so now, ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and ye people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.)

What is it that I ought to do more to my vinery, and I did not to it? whether that I abode, that it should make grapes, and it made wild grapes? (What more could I have done for my vineyard, that I did not do for it? but why, when I waited for it to yield sweet grapes, did it instead bring forth only sour wild grapes?)

And now I shall show to you, what I shall do to my vinery. I shall take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be into ravishing (and it shall be eaten up); I shall cast down the wall thereof, and it shall be into defouling;

and I shall set it deserted, either forsaken. It shall not be cut, and it shall not be digged, and briars and thorns shall grow upon it; and I shall command to [the] clouds, that they rain not rain on it.

Forsooth the vinery of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah be the delightable burgeoning of him. I abode, that it shall make doom, and lo! wickedness; and that it should do rightfulness, and lo! cry. (And the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah be his delightful burgeoning. I waited for them to yield justice, but lo! wickedness; and that they should do righteousness, or do what is right, but lo! cries of distress/cries for justice.)

Woe to you that join house to house, and couple field to field, till to the end of (the) place. Whether ye alone shall dwell in the midst of the land? (Woe to you who join house to house, and couple field to field, until the end of the place. Shall ye live alone in the midst of the land, with no room for anyone else?)

These things be in the ears of me, (yea,) the Lord of hosts (hath said); If many houses be not forsaken, great and fair, without dweller (If many houses be not abandoned, yea, large and beautiful, but with no inhabitants), believe ye not to me.

10 For why ten acres of vines shall make one pottle, and thirty bushels of seed shall make three bushels.

11 Woe to you that rise altogether early to follow drunkenness, and to drink till to eventide, that ye burn with wine. (Woe to you who rise up early to follow drunkenness, and drink until the evening, so that ye burn with wine.)

12 Harp, and gittern, and tympan, and pipe, and wine be in your feasts; and ye behold not the work of the Lord, neither ye behold the works of his hands. (Harp, and lute, and drum, or tambourine, and pipe, and wine be at your feasts; but ye do not see the work of the Lord, nor do ye see the works of his hands.)

13 Therefore my people is led captive, either prisoner, for it had not knowing; and the noblemen thereof perished in hunger, and the multitude thereof was dry in thirst. (And so my people be led away as prisoners, for they had no knowledge, or no understanding; and their noble people perished from hunger, and their multitude were dry with thirst.)

14 Therefore hell hath alarged his soul, and opened his mouth without any end (And so hell hath enlarged itself, and opened its mouth wide); and the strong men thereof, and the people thereof, and the high men (thereof), and the glorious men thereof, shall go down (in)to it.

15 And a man shall be bowed down, and a man of age shall be made low; and the eyes of high men shall be pressed down.

16 And the Lord of hosts shall be enhanced in doom, and [the] holy God shall be hallowed in rightfulness. (And the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgement, and the Holy God shall be consecrated in righteousness.)

17 And lambs shall be fed by their order, and comelings shall eat (of the) desert places turned into plenty.

18 Woe to you that draw wickedness in the cords of vanity, and draw sin as the bond of a wain; (Woe to you who draw along wickedness with the cords of emptiness and futility, and draw along sin as if it were the rope of a cart;)

19 and ye say, The work of him hasten, and come soon, that we see (it); and the counsel of the Holy (One) of Israel (draw) nigh, and come, and we shall know it.

20 Woe to you that say evil good, and good evil; and put darknesses light, and light darknesses; and put bitter thing into sweet, and sweet thing into bitter. (Woe to you who say that evil is good, and that good is evil; and turn darkness into light, and light into darkness; and make a bitter thing sweet, and a sweet thing bitter.)

21 Woe to you that be wise men in your eyes, and be prudent before yourselves. (Woe to you who be wise in your own eyes, and think yourselves to be prudent.)

22 Woe to you that be mighty to drink wine, and be strong to meddle drunkenness; (Woe to you who be mighty to drink wine, and be strong to mix up drunkenness;)

23 and ye justify a wicked man for gifts, and ye take away the rightfulness of a just man from him. (and ye acquit the wicked for gifts, or for bribes, and ye deny justice for the righteous.)

24 For this thing, as the tongue of fire devoureth stubble, and the heat of flame burneth, so the root of them shall be as a dead spark, and the seed of them shall ascend as dust; for they casted away the law of the Lord of hosts, and blasphemed the speech of the Holy of Israel (for they threw away the Law of the Lord of hosts, and blasphemed the word of the Holy One of Israel).

25 Therefore the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth against his people, and he stretched forth his hand on it, and smote it (and he stretched forth his hand against them, and struck them down); and (the) hills were troubled, and the dead bodies of them were made as a turd in the midst of streets. In all these things the strong vengeance of him was not turned away, but yet his hand was stretched forth.

26 And he shall raise [up] a sign among nations afar, and he shall hiss to him from the ends of [the] earth; and lo! he shall hasten, and shall come swiftly. (And he shall raise up a sign among the nations far away, and he shall whistle for them to come from the ends of the earth; and lo! they shall make haste, and shall swiftly come.)

27 None is failing neither travailing in that host; he shall not nap, neither sleep, neither the girdle of his reins shall be undone, neither the lace of his shoe shall be broken. (No one is failing, or stumbling, in that army; no one is napping, or sleeping, nor is the girdle of his loins undone, nor is his shoe lace broken.)

28 His arrows be sharp, and all his bows be bent; the hoofs of his horses be as flint, and his wheels be as the fierceness of tempest. (Their arrows be sharp, and all their bows be bent; the hooves of their horses be like flint, and their wheels be like the fierceness of a tempest.)

29 His roaring shall be as of a lion; he shall roar as the whelps of lions; and he shall gnash, and shall hold prey, and shall embrace, and none shall be, that shall deliver. (Their roaring is like that of a lion; yea, they shall roar like the whelps of lions; and they shall gnash, and shall take hold of their prey, and shall not let it go, and there shall be no one who can rescue, or who can take, it from them.)

30 And he shall sound on it in that day, as doeth the sound of the sea; we shall behold into the earth, and lo! darknesses of tribulation, and light is made dark in the darkness thereof. (And they shall sound against it on that day, like the sound of the sea; and we shall behold the earth, and lo! the darkness of tribulation, yea, even the light is made dark in its darkness.)

The Song of the Vineyard

I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.(B)
He built a watchtower(C) in it
    and cut out a winepress(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.(E)

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.(F)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?(G)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?(H)
Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;(I)
I will break down its wall,(J)
    and it will be trampled.(K)
I will make it a wasteland,(L)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns(M) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain(N) on it.”

The vineyard(O) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,(P) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,(Q) but heard cries of distress.(R)

Woes and Judgments

Woe(S) to you who add house to house
    and join field to field(T)
till no space is left
    and you live alone in the land.

The Lord Almighty(U) has declared in my hearing:(V)

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(W)
    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.”(X)

11 Woe(Y) 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.(Z)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
    pipes(AA) and timbrels(AB) and wine,
but they have no regard(AC) for the deeds of the Lord,
    no respect for the work of his hands.(AD)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(AE)
    for lack of understanding;(AF)
those of high rank(AG) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.(AH)
14 Therefore Death(AI) expands its jaws,
    opening wide its mouth;(AJ)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
    with all their brawlers and revelers.(AK)
15 So people will be brought low(AL)
    and everyone humbled,(AM)
    the eyes of the arrogant(AN) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(AO) by his justice,(AP)
    and the holy God will be proved holy(AQ) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(AR)
    lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.

18 Woe(AS) to those who draw sin along with cords(AT) of deceit,
    and wickedness(AU) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten(AV) his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(AW) of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”(AX)

20 Woe(AY) to those who call evil good(AZ)
    and good evil,(BA)
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,(BB)
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.(BC)

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(BD)
    and clever in their own sight.

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(BE)
    and champions at mixing drinks,(BF)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(BG)
    but deny justice(BH) to the innocent.(BI)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(BJ) lick up straw(BK)
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(BL)
    and their flowers blow away like dust;(BM)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word(BN) of the Holy One(BO) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(BP) burns against his people;
    his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(BQ)
    and the dead bodies(BR) are like refuse(BS) in the streets.(BT)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(BU)
    his hand is still upraised.(BV)

26 He lifts up a banner(BW) for the distant nations,
    he whistles(BX) for those at the ends of the earth.(BY)
Here they come,
    swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(BZ) or stumbles,
    not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(CA) is loosened at the waist,(CB)
    not a sandal strap is broken.(CC)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(CD)
    all their bows(CE) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(CF) seem like flint,
    their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(CG)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(CH)
    they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(CI) their prey
    and carry it off with no one to rescue.(CJ)
30 In that day(CK) they will roar over it
    like the roaring of the sea.(CL)
And if one looks at the land,
    there is only darkness(CM) and distress;(CN)
    even the sun will be darkened(CO) by clouds.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
  2. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
  3. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  4. Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 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 nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.