Let me sing now
for my well-beloved
A song
of my beloved
concerning His vineyard
. My well-beloved
had
a avineyard
on 1a fertile
hill
.
He dug it all around
, removed
its stones
, And planted
it with 1the achoicest
vine
. And He built
a tower
in the middle
of it And also
hewed
out a 2wine
vat
in it; Then He bexpected
it to produce
good grapes
, But it produced
only 3worthless
ones
.
"And now, O inhabitants
of Jerusalem
and men
of Judah
, aJudge
between
Me and My vineyard
.
" aWhat more
was there to do
for My vineyard
1that I have not done
in it? Why
, when I expected
it to produce
good grapes
did it produce
2worthless
ones
?
"So now let Me tell
you what
I am going to do
to My vineyard
: I will aremove
its hedge
and it will be consumed
; I will bbreak
down
its wall
and it will become
ctrampled
ground
.
"I will alay it waste
; It will not be pruned
or hoed
, But briars
and thorns
will come
up. I will also charge
the clouds
to brain
no
rain
on it."
For the avineyard of the LORD
of hosts
is the house
of Israel
And the men
of Judah
His delightful
plant
. Thus He looked
for justice
, but behold
, bbloodshed
; For righteousness
, but behold
, a cry
of distress
.
Woe to those who aadd
house
to house
and join
field
to field
, Until
there is no
more
room
, So that you have to live
alone
in the midst
of the land
!
In my ears the LORD
of hosts
has sworn, "Surely
, amany
houses
shall become
bdesolate
, Even great
and fine
ones
, without
occupants
.
"For aten acres
of vineyard
will yield
only one
1bath
of wine, And a bhomer
of seed
will yield
but an 2ephah
of grain."
Woe to those who rise
early
in the morning
that they may pursue
astrong
drink
, Who stay
up late
in the evening
that wine
may inflame
them!
Their banquets are accompanied by lyre
and aharp
, by tambourine
and flute
, and by wine
; But they bdo not pay
attention
to the deeds
of the LORD
, Nor
do they consider
the work
of His hands
.
Therefore My people
go
into exile
for their alack
of knowledge
; And 1their bhonorable
men
are famished
, And their multitude
is parched
with thirst
.
Therefore aSheol
has enlarged
its 1throat
and opened
its mouth
without
measure
; And 2Jerusalem's splendor
, her multitude
, her din
of revelry and the jubilant
within her, descend
into it.
So the common man will be humbled
and the man
of importance abased
, aThe eyes
of the proud
also will be abased
.
But the aLORD of hosts
will be bexalted
in judgment
, And the holy
God
will show
Himself choly
in righteousness
.
aThen the lambs will graze
as in their pasture
, And strangers
will eat
in the waste
places
of the 1wealthy
.
Woe to those who drag
ainiquity
with the cords
of 1falsehood
, And sin
as if with cart
ropes
;
aWho say, "Let Him make
speed
, let Him hasten
His work
, that we may see
it; And let the purpose
of the Holy
One
of Israel
draw
near
And come
to pass
, that we may know
it!"
Woe to those who acall
evil
good
, and good
evil
; Who 1 bsubstitute
darkness
for light
and light
for darkness
; Who 1substitute
bitter
for sweet
and sweet
for bitter
!
Woe to those who
are awise
in their own eyes
And clever
in their own sight
!
aWoe to those who are heroes
in drinking
wine
And valiant
men
in mixing
strong
drink
,
aWho justify the wicked
for a bribe
, And btake
away
the 1rights
of the ones who
are in the right
!
Therefore, aas a tongue
of fire
consumes
stubble
And dry
grass
collapses
into the flame
, So their broot
will become
clike rot
and their blossom
1blow
away
as dust
; For they have drejected
the law
of the LORD
of hosts
And despised
the word
of the Holy
One
of Israel
.
On this account
the aanger
of the LORD
has burned
against His people
, And He has stretched
out His hand
against
them and struck
them down
. And the bmountains
quaked
, and their ccorpses
1lay
like refuse
in the middle
of the streets
. dFor all
this
His anger
2is not spent
, But His ehand
is still
stretched
out.
He will also lift up a astandard
to the 1distant
nation
, And will bwhistle
for it cfrom the ends
of the earth
; And behold
, it will dcome
with speed
swiftly
.
aNo one
in it is weary
or stumbles
, None
slumbers
or sleeps
; Nor
is the bbelt
at its waist
undone
, Nor
its sandal
strap
broken
.
1 aIts arrows are sharp
and all
its bows
are bent
; The hoofs
of its horses
2seem
like flint
and its chariot bwheels
like a whirlwind
.
Its aroaring is like a lioness
, and it roars
like young
lions
; It growls
as it bseizes
the prey
And carries
it off
with cno
one
to deliver
it.
And it will agrowl over
it in that day
like the roaring
of the sea
. If one blooks
to the land
, behold
, there is darkness
and distress
; Even the light
is darkened
by its clouds
.