Revised Standard Version RSV
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
1
Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
2 He digged 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 up, removed its stones, planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in it, and made a winepress in it. Then he waited for it to produce good grapes, but it produced only sour, wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
3
Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and 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 could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it? When I waited for it to produce good grapes, why did it produce only sour, wild 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 then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devoured and tear down its wall so that it can 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 will make it a wasteland. It will never be pruned or hoed. Thorns and weeds will grow in it, and 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, a cry!
7
The vineyard of the LORD of Armies is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. He hoped for justice but saw only slaughter, for righteousness but heard only cries 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
How horrible it will be for you who acquire house after house and buy field after field until there's nothing left and you have to live by yourself 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
With my own ears I heard the LORD of Armies say, "Many houses will become empty. Large, beautiful houses will be without people to live in them.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah."
10
A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine, and two quarts of seed will produce only four quarts of grain."
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening till wine inflames them!
11
How horrible it will be for those who get up early to look for a drink, who sit up late until they are drunk from wine.
12 They have lyre and harp, timbrel 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
At their feasts there are lyres and harps, tambourines and flutes, and wine. Yet, they don't pay attention to what the LORD is doing or see what his hands have done.
13 Therefore my people go into exile for want of knowledge; their honored men are dying of hunger, and their multitude is parched with thirst.
13
"My people will go into exile because they don't understand what I'm doing. Honored men will starve, and common people will be parched with thirst."
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down, her throng and he who exults in her.
14
That is why the grave's appetite increases. It opens its mouth very wide so that honored people and common people will go down into it. Those who are noisy and joyous will go down into it.
15 Man is bowed down, and men are brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.
15
People will be brought down. Everyone will be humbled. And the eyes of arrogant people will be humbled.
16 But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
16
The LORD of Armies will be honored when he judges. The holy God will show himself to be holy when he does what is right.
17 Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, fatlings and kids shall feed among the ruins.
17
Then lambs will graze as if they were in their own pasture, and foreigners will eat 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
How horrible it will be for those who string people along with lies and empty promises, whose lives are sinful.
19 who say: "Let him make haste, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!"
19
They say, "Let God hurry and quickly do his work so that we may see what he has in mind. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen quickly so that we may understand what he is doing."
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
How horrible it will be for those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn what is bitter into something sweet and what is sweet into something bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!
21
How horrible it will be for those who think they are wise and consider themselves to be clever.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
22
How horrible it will be for those who are heroes at drinking wine, who are champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
23
who declare the guilty innocent for a bribe, who take away the rights of righteous people.
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
As flames burn up straw and dry grass shrivels in flames, so their roots will rot, and their blossoms will blow away like dust. They have rejected the teachings of the LORD of Armies and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and smote them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.
25
That's why the anger of the LORD burns hot against his people, and he is ready to use his power to strike them down. The hills tremble, and dead bodies lie like garbage in the streets. Even after all this, his anger has not disappeared, and he is still ready to use his power.
26 He will raise a signal for a nation afar off, and whistle for it from the ends of the earth; and lo, swiftly, speedily it comes!
26
The LORD raises up a flag for the nations far away. With a whistle he signals those at the ends of the earth. Look, they are coming very quickly!
27 None is weary, none stumbles, none slumbers or sleeps, not a waistcloth is loose, not a sandal-thong broken;
27
None of them grow tired or stumble. None of them slumber or sleep. The belts on their waists aren't loose or their sandal straps 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 sharpened; all their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses' hoofs are as hard as flint. Their chariot wheels are as quick as the wind.
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
They roar like a lioness. They growl like a young lion. They growl as they snatch their prey and carry it off to where no one can rescue it.
30 They will growl over it on that day, like the roaring of the sea. And if one look to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.
30
On that day they will roar over their prey as the sea roars. If they look at the land, they will see only darkness and distress. Even the light will be darkened by thick clouds.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.