New King James Version

English Standard Version

1Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.

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

2He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.

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.

3“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

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

4What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?

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?

5And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

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.

6I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.”

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.

7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

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!

8Woe to those who join house to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!

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.

9In my hearing the LORD of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.

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

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

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

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!

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!

12The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the LORD, Nor consider the operation of His hands.

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.

13Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.

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

14Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself And opened its mouth beyond measure; Their glory and their multitude and their pomp, And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.

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.

15People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

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

16But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

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

17Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture, And in the waste places of the fat ones strangers shall eat.

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

18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

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

19That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know it.”

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!”

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 put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

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

22Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,

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

23Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!

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

24Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

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.

25Therefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

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.

26He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.

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!

27No one will be weary or stumble among them, No one will slumber or sleep; Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;

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

28Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind.

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

29Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.

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.

30In that day they will roar against them Like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds.

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.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

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.