Isaiah 5

Parable of the Vineyard

1Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a 1vineyard on 2a fertile hill.2He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with 3the 4choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a 5wine vat in it; Then He 6expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only 7worthless ones.

3“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, 8Judge between Me and My vineyard.49What more was there to do for My vineyard 10that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce 11worthless ones?5So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will 12remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will 13break down its wall and it will become 14trampled ground.6I will 15lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to 16rain no rain on it.”

7For the 17vineyard 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, 18bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

Woes for the Wicked

8Woe to those who 19add 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!9In my ears the Lord of hosts has sworn, “Surely, 20many houses shall become 21desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.10For 22ten acres of vineyard will yield only one 23bath of wine, And a 24homer of seed will yield but an 25ephah of grain.”11Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue 26strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!12Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and 27harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they 28do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Nor do they consider the work of His hands.

13Therefore My people go into exile for their 29lack of knowledge; And 30their 31honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.14Therefore 32Sheol has enlarged its 33throat and opened its mouth without measure; And 34Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.15So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased, 35The eyes of the proud also will be abased.16But the 36Lord of hosts will be 37exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself 38holy in righteousness.1739Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, And strangers will eat in the waste places of the 40wealthy.

18Woe to those who drag 41iniquity with the cords of 42falsehood, And sin as if with cart ropes;1943Who 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!”20Woe to those who 44call evil good, and good evil; Who 4546substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who 47substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!21Woe to those who are 48wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!2249Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink,2350Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And 51take away the 52rights of the ones who are in the right!

24Therefore, 53as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their 54root will become 55like rot and their blossom 56blow away as dust; For they have 57rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.25On this account the 58anger of the Lord has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the 59mountains quaked, and their 60corpses 61lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. 62For all this His anger 63is not spent, But His 64hand is still stretched out.

26He will also lift up a 65standard to the 66distant nation, And will 67whistle for it 68from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will 69come with speed swiftly.2770No one in it is weary or stumbles, None slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the 71belt at its waist undone, Nor its sandal strap broken.287273Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent; The hoofs of its horses 74seem like flint and its chariot 75wheels like a whirlwind.29Its 76roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it 77seizes the prey And carries it off with 78no one to deliver it.30And it will 79growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one 80looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.