THE BOOK OF ISAIAH

Isaiah Chapter 5

1 ¶ Now let me sing about one I love concerning his vineyard. My loved one has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill:

2 And he fenced it, and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines, and built a tower in the middle of it, and made a winepress in it: and he waited for it to produce grapes, and it produced wild grapes.

3 Now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could have been done for my vineyard, that I did not do for it? why, when I expected it to produce grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?

5 And now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up; and break down its wall, and it will be trampled down:

6 And I will lay it waste: it will not be pruned, or hoed; but briers and thorns will come up: I will also order the clouds not to rain on it.

7 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 justice, but found bloodshed; for righteousness, but found cries of distress.

8 ¶ Woe to those who join house to house, and field to field, until there is no more room, that they may dwell alone in the midst of the earth!

9 I heard the LORD of hosts say, Of a truth many houses will be deserted, grand and lovely ones, without anyone living there.

10 For, ten acres of vineyard will only produce a few gallons, and ten measures of seed will only produce one measure.

11 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, so that they may pursue strong drink; who continue into the evening, inflamed by wine!

12 At their feasts they have harps, lutes, tambourines, flutes, and wine: but they do not perceive what the LORD is doing, or consider the work of his hands.

13 Therefore my people will go into captivity, because they are ignorant: their honored men will be starving, and their whole population parched with thirst.

14 This is why the grave has enlarged its appetite, and opened its mouth beyond measure: so her splendor, her crowds, her pomp, and those who are jubilant in her, will descend into it.

15 And the people will be brought down, and the mighty will be humbled, and the eyes of the proud will be brought low:

16 But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in justice, and God who is holy will be sanctified in righteousness.

17 Then will the lambs feed as in their own pasture, and strangers will eat among the ruins of the rich.

18 ¶ Woe to those who drag wickedness with cords of deceit, and pull sin along with cart ropes:

19 Who say, Let him hurry up, and do his work quickly, so that we may see it: and let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place, so that we may know it!

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and think they are shrewd!

22 Woe to those who think it is manly to drink wine, and they are brave to mix strong drink:

23 Who exonerate the wicked for a bribe, and take the rights of the righteous away from him!

24 Therefore as fire devours straw, and dry grass is consumed by the flame, so their root will become like something rotten, and their blossom will blow away like dust: for they have cast aside the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 For that reason the anger of the LORD is kindled against his people, and he has stretched out his hand against them, and has struck them: and the hills trembled, and their dead bodies were like garbage in the middle of the streets. Despite all this he will not cease being angry, but his hand is stretched out still.

26 And he will raise up an ensign for the nations far away, and will whistle for each of them from the distant parts of the earth: and they will come very fast:

27 None of them will get tired or stumble; none will slumber or sleep; the belt on their waists will not be loosened, or the strings on their sandals broken:

28 Their arrows will be sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs will be like flint, and their chariot wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring will be like a lion, they will roar like young lions: yea, they will roar, and seize their prey, and will carry it safely away, and there will be no one to rescue it.

30 On that day they will growl at the prey like the roaring of the sea: and if someone looked at the land, he would see only darkness and sorrow, the light being darkened by the clouds.