Isaiah 5

The Song About the Vineyard

1 Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard:My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.2 He dug it up, removed its stones,planted it with the choicest vines,built a watchtower in it,and made a winepress in it.Then he waited for it to produce good grapes,but it produced only sour, wild grapes.3 Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah,judge between me and my vineyard!4 What more could have been done for my vineyardthan what I have already done for it?When I waited for it to produce good grapes,why did it produce only sour, wild grapes?5 Now then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard.I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devouredand tear down its wall so that it can be trampled.6 I will make it a wasteland.It will never be pruned or hoed.Thorns and weeds will grow in it,and I will command the clouds not to rain on it.7 The vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the nation of Israel,and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight.He hoped for justice but saw only slaughter,for righteousness but heard only cries of distress.

Six Sins Condemned

8 How horrible it will be for youwho acquire house after house and buy field after fielduntil there’s nothing leftand you have to live by yourself in the land.9 With my own ears I heard the Lord of Armies say,“Many houses will become empty.Large, beautiful houses will be without people to live in them.10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine,and two quarts of seed will produce only four quarts of grain.”11 How horrible it will be for thosewho get up early to look for a drink,who sit up late until they are drunk from wine.12 At their feasts there are lyres and harps,tambourines and flutes, and wine.Yet, they don’t pay attention to what the Lord is doingor see what his hands have done.13 “My people will go into exilebecause they don’t understand what I’m doing.Honored men will starve,and common people will be parched with thirst.”14 That is why the grave’s appetite increases.It opens its mouth very wideso that honored people and common people will go down into it.Those who are noisy and joyous will go down into it.15 People will be brought down. Everyone will be humbled.And the eyes of arrogant people will be humbled.16 The Lord of Armies will be honored when he judges.The holy God will show himself to be holy when he does what is right.17 Then lambs will graze as if they were in their own pasture,and foreigners will eat among the ruins of the rich.18 How horrible it will be for thosewho string people along with lies and empty promises,whose lives are sinful.19 They say,“Let God hurry and quickly do his workso that we may see what he has in mind.Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen quicklyso that we may understand what he is doing.”20 How horrible it will be for thosewho call evil good and good evil,who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,who turn what is bitter into something sweetand what is sweet into something bitter.21 How horrible it will be for thosewho think they are wiseand consider themselves to be clever.22 How horrible it will be for thosewho are heroes at drinking wine,who are champions at mixing drinks,23 who declare the guilty innocent for a bribe,who take away the rights of righteous people.

The Lord Will Use Another Nation to Punish His People

24 As flames burn up strawand dry grass shrivels in flames,so their roots will rot,and their blossoms will blow away like dust.They have rejected the teachings of the Lord of Armiesand have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.25 That’s why the anger of the Lord burns hot against his people,and he is ready to use his power to strike them down.The hills tremble,and dead bodies lie like garbage in the streets.Even after all this, his anger has not disappeared,and he is still ready to use his power.26 The Lord raises up a flag for the nations far away.With a whistle he signals those at the ends of the earth.Look, they are coming very quickly!27 None of them grow tired or stumble.None of them slumber or sleep.The belts on their waists aren’t looseor their sandal straps broken.28 Their arrows are sharpened; all their bows are ready to shoot.Their horses’ hoofs are as hard as flint.Their chariot wheels are as quick as the wind.29 They roar like a lioness.They growl like a young lion.They growl as they snatch their preyand carry it off to where no one can rescue it.30 On that day they will roar over their preyas the sea roars.If they look at the land,they will see only darkness and distress.Even the light will be darkened by thick clouds.

Isaiah 5

A Love Song Gone Sour

1 It will sing to my love –
a song to my lover about his vineyard.s
My love had a vineyard
on a fertile hill.t

2 He built a hedge around it,t removed its stones,
and planted a vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it,
and constructed a winepress.
He waited for it to produce edible grapes,
but it produced sour ones instead.ts

3 So now, residents of Jerusalem,s
peoplet of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard!

4 What more can I do for my vineyard
beyond what I have already done?
When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,
why did it produce sour ones instead?

5 Now I will inform you
what I am about to do to my vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture,t
I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there.t

6 I will make it a wasteland;
no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground,t
and thorns and briers will grow there.
I will order the clouds
not to drop any rain on it.

7 Indeedt Israelt is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,
the peoplet of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience!t
He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help!t

Disaster is Coming

8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead,t
those who also accumulate landed propertyts
until there is no land left,t
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land.t

9 The Lord who commands armies told me this:t
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.t

10 Indeed, a large vineyardt will produce just a few gallons,t
and enough seed to yield several bushelst will produce less than a bushel.”t

11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead,t
those who keep drinking long after dark
until they are intoxicated with wine.ts

12 They have stringed instruments,t tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about.t

13 Therefore mys people will be deportedt
because of their lack of understanding.
Theirt leaders will have nothing to eat,t
theirt masses will have nothing to drink.t

14 So Deatht will open up its throat,
and open wide its mouth;ts
Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,
including those who revel and celebrate within her.t

15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low.t

16 The Lord who commands armies will be exaltedt when he punishes,t
the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.ts

17 Lambst will graze as if in their pastures,
amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze.ss

18 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead,s
who pull sin as with cart ropes.s

19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly,t
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israels take shapet and come to pass,
then we will know it!”

20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead,t
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.s

21 Those who think they are wise are as good as dead,t
those who think they possess understanding.ts

22 Those who are championst at drinking wine are as good as dead,t
who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,
they ignore the just cause of the innocent.ts

24 Therefore, as flaming firet devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust.s
For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,
they have spurned the commandst of the Holy One of Israel.s

25 So the Lord is furioust with his people;
he liftst his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manuret in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.t

26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation,s
he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.
Look, theyt come quickly and swiftly.

27 None tire or stumble,
they don’t stop to nap or sleep.
They don’t loosen their belts,
or unstrap their sandals to rest.t

28 Their arrows are sharpened,
and all their bows are prepared.t
The hooves of their horses are hard as flint,t
and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm.s

29 Their roar is like a lion’s;
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey;
they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.

30 At that timet they will growl over their prey,t
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks.t
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness.ts