Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5
A Song about the Lord's Vineyard

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard
My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill
He plowed the land, cleared its stones
And planted it with the best vines
In the middle he built a watchtower and
Carved a winepress in the nearby rocks
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes
But the grapes that grew were bitter

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah
You judge between me and my vineyard
What more could I have done for my
Vineyard that I have not already done?
When I expected sweet grapes, why did
My vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard
I will tear down its hedges, and let it be destroyed
I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it
I will make it a wild place, where the vines are not pruned and
The ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns
I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's Armies
The people of Judah are his pleasant garden
He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression
He expected to find righteousness
But instead he heard cries of violence
Judah's Guilt and Judgment

What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after
Field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land!
But I have heard the Lord of Heaven's Armies swear a solemn oath
Many houses will stand deserted
Even beautiful mansions will be empty
Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine
Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain

What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning
Looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings
Drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk!
They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand
Parties—lyre and harp, tambourine and flute— but they
Never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing

So my people will go into exile far away, because they do not know me
Those who are great and honored will starve
And the common people will die of thirst

The grave is licking its lips in anticipation, opening its mouth wide
The great and the lowly and all the drunken mob will be swallowed up
Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down
Even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation

But the Lord of Heaven's Armies will be exalted by his justice
The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness

In that day lambs will find good pastures, and fattened
Sheep and young goats will feed among the ruins

What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with
Ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!
They even mock God and say, "Hurry up and do something!
We want to see what you can do
Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his
Plan, for we want to know what it is."

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good
And good is evil, that dark is light and light is
Dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter!

What sorrow for those who are wise in their
Own eyes and think themselves so clever!

What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking
Wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold!

They take bribes to let the wicked go
Free, and they punish the innocent

Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels
In the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither
For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven's Armies
They have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel

That is why the Lord's anger burns against his people
And why he has raised his fist to crush them
The mountains tremble, and the corpses of
His people litter the streets like garbage
But even then, the Lord's anger is not satisfied
His fist is still poised to strike

He will send a signal to distant nations far away
And whistle to those at the ends of the earth
They will come racing toward Jerusalem
They will not get tired or stumble
They will not stop for rest or sleep
Not a belt will be loose, not a sandal strap broken
Their arrows will be sharp and their bows ready for battle
Sparks will fly from their horses' hooves, and the
Wheels of their chariots will spin like a whirlwind

They will roar like lions, like the strongest of lions
Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry
Them off, and no one will be there to rescue them
They will roar over their victims on that day
Of destruction like the roaring of the sea

If someone looks across the land, only
Darkness and distress will be seen
Even the light will be darkened by clouds