English Standard Version

Berean Study 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 for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved 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 dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

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

3“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to 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 already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?

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 take away 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, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall 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 Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

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 you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone 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 Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.

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

10For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah 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 strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be 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 are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to 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 for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their 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 nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers!

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

15So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.

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

16But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

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

17Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.

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

18Woe to those who draw 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 and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so 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 turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.

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

21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

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

22Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing 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 the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and 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 anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

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 lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily 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 is 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 are strung. The hooves of their horses 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 that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away from deliverance.

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.

30In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the 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.

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