Isaiah 5:8-30

8Woe to those who 1attach house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!9In my ears the Lord of armies has sworn, “2Many houses shall certainly become 3desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.10For 4ten acres of vineyard will yield only one 5bath of wine, And a 67homer of seed will yield only an 8ephah of grain.”11Woe to those who rise early in the morning so that they may pursue 9intoxicating drink, Who stay up late in the evening so that wine may inflame them!12Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and 10harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they 11do 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 12lack of knowledge; And their 1314nobles are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.14Therefore 15Sheol has enlarged its 16throat and opened its mouth beyond measure; And 17Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her noise of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it.15So the common people will be humbled and the person of importance brought low, 18The eyes of the haughty also will be brought low.16But the 19Lord of armies will be 20exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself 21holy in righteousness.1722Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, And strangers will eat in the ruins of the 23wealthy.

18Woe to those who drag 24wrongdoing with the cords of 25deceit, And sin as if with cart ropes;1926Who say, “Let Him hurry, let Him do His work quickly, so that we may see it; And let the plan of the Holy One of Israel approach And come to pass, so that we may know it!”20Woe to those who 27call evil good, and good evil; Who 2829substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who 30substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!21Woe to those who are 31wise in their own eyes And 32clever in their own sight!2233Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,2334Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe, And 35take away the 36rights of the ones who are in the right!

24Therefore, 37as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, And dry grass collapses in the flame, So their 38root will become 39like rot, and their blossom 40blow away like dust; For they have 41rejected the Law of the Lord of armies, And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.25For this reason the 42anger of the Lord has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them. And the 43mountains quaked, and their 44corpses 45lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. 46Despite all this, His anger 47is not spent, But His 48hand is still stretched out.

26He will also lift up a 49flag to the distant 50nation, And 51whistle for it 52from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will 53come with speed swiftly.2754No one in it is tired or stumbles, No one slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the 55undergarment at his waist loosened, Nor his sandal strap broken.285657Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent; The hoofs of its horses 58seem like flint, and its chariot 59wheels like a storm wind.29Its 60roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it 61seizes the prey And carries it off with 62no one to save it.30And it will 63roar against it on that day like the roaring of the sea. If one 64looks across to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.