English Standard Version ESV
Common English Bible CEB
1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
1
Let me sing for my loved one a love song for his vineyard. My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
2 He 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.
2
He dug it, cleared away its stones, planted it with excellent vines, built a tower inside it, and dug out a wine vat in it. He expected it to grow good grapes— but it grew rotten grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
3
So now, you who live in Jerusalem, you people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard:
4 What 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?
4
What more was there to do for my vineyard that I haven't done for it? When I expected it to grow good grapes, why did it grow rotten grapes?
5 And 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.
5
Now let me tell you what I'm doing to my vineyard. I'm removing its hedge, so it will be destroyed. I'm breaking down its walls, so it will be trampled.
6 I 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.
6
I'll turn it into a ruin; it won't be pruned or hoed, and thorns and thistles will grow up. I will command 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 are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
7
The vineyard of the LORD of heavenly forces is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the plantings in which God delighted. God expected justice, but there was bloodshed; righteousness, but there was a cry of distress!
8 Woe 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.
8
Doom to those who acquire house after house, who annex field to field until there is no more space left and only you live alone in the land.
9 The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: "Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
9
I heard the LORD of heavenly forces say this: Many houses will become total ruins, large, fine houses, with no one living in them.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah."
10
Ten acres of vineyard will produce just one bath, and a homer of seed will produce only an ephah.
11 Woe 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!
11
Doom to those who wake up early in the morning to run after beer, to those who stay up late, lit up by wine.
12 They 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.
12
They party with lyre and harp, tambourine, flute, and wine; but they ignore the LORD's work; they can't see what God is doing.
13 Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.
13
Therefore, my people go into exile since they didn't understand— their officials are dying of hunger; so many of them are dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore 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.
14
Therefore, the grave opens wide its jaws, opens its mouth beyond all bounds, and the splendid multitudes will go down, with all their uproar and cheering.
15 Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.
15
Humanity will be humiliated; each person laid low, the eyes of the exalted laid low.
16 But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
16
But the LORD of heavenly forces will be exalted in justice, and the holy God will show himself holy in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.
17
Lambs will graze as if in their pasture; young goats will feed among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes,
18
Doom to those who drag guilt along with cords of fraud, and haul sin as if with cart ropes,
19 who 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!"
19
who say, "God should hurry and work faster so we can see; let the plan of Israel's holy one come quickly, so we can understand 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!
20
Doom to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!
21
Doom to those who consider themselves wise, who think of themselves as clever.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
22
Doom to the wine-swigging warriors, mighty at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
23
who spare the guilty for bribes, and rob the innocent of their rights.
24 Therefore, 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.
24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire devours stubble, and as hay shrivels in a flame, so their roots will rot, and their blossoms turn to dust, for they have rejected the teaching of the LORD of heavenly forces, and have despised the word of Israel's holy one.
25 Therefore 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.
25
This is why the LORD's anger burned against the people: he extended his hand to strike them, the mountains trembled, and their corpses lay in the middle of the streets like dung. Even then God's anger didn't turn away; God's hand was still extended.
26 He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
26
God will raise a signal to a nation from far away and whistle to them from the end of the earth— now look—hurrying, swiftly they come!
27 None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistband is loose, not a sandal strap broken;
27
Not one is tired; not one stumbles; they don't rest or sleep; no belt is loose; no sandal broken;
28 their arrows are sharp, all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like the whirlwind.
28
their arrows are sharp; all their bows drawn; their horses' hooves are like flint; their wheels like the whirlwind.
29 Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.
29
Their roaring is like the lion; they roar like young lions; they growl, seize their prey, and carry it off, with no one to rescue.
30 They 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.
30
On that day, they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks toward the land, there's darkness. Tyre and the Nile will be darkened by the clouds.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible