English Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

1I will sing about the one I love, a song about my loved one's vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

2He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.

3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

3So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

4What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

4What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes?

5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

5Now I will tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.

6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

6I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it.

7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

7For the vineyard of the LORD of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness, but heard cries of despair.

8Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.

8Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field until there is no more room and you alone are left in the land.

9The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

9I heard the LORD of Armies say: Indeed, many houses will become desolate, grand and lovely ones without inhabitants.

10For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”

10For a ten-acre vineyard will yield only six gallons of wine, and ten bushels of seed will yield only one bushel of grain.

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of beer, who linger into the evening, inflamed by wine.

12They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands.

12At their feasts they have lyre, harp, tambourine, flute, and wine. They do not perceive the LORD's actions, and they do not see the work of his hands.

13Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.

13Therefore my people will go into exile because they lack knowledge; her dignitaries are starving, and her masses are parched with thirst.

14Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her.

14Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion's dignitaries, her masses, her crowds, and those who celebrate in her!

15Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.

15Humanity is brought low, each person is humbled, and haughty eyes are humbled.

16But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.

16But the LORD of Armies is exalted by his justice, and the holy God shows that he is holy through his righteousness.

17Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.

17Lambs will graze as if in their own pastures, and resident aliens will eat among the ruins of the rich.

18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes,

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

19who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!”

19to those who say: "Let him hurry up and do his work quickly so that we can see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place so that we can know it!"

20Woe 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!

20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

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

21Woe to those who consider themselves wise and judge themselves clever.

22Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,

22Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, who are champions at pouring beer,

23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!

23who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.

24Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

24Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will become like something rotten and their blossoms will blow away like dust, for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Armies, and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

25Therefore the LORD's anger burned against his people. He raised his hand against them and struck them; the mountains quaked, and their corpses were like garbage in the streets. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike.

26He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!

26He raises a signal flag for the distant nations and whistles for them from the ends of the earth. Look--how quickly and swiftly they come!

27None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistband is loose, not a sandal strap broken;

27None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap broken.

28their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind.

28Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows strung. Their horses' hooves are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

29Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.

29Their roaring is like a lion's; they roar like young lions; they growl and seize their prey and carry it off, and no one can rescue it.

30They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.

30On that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. When one looks at the land, there will be darkness and distress; light will be obscured by clouds.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.