Let me singnow for my belovedA song of my beloved about His vineyard.My belovedhad a avineyard on 1a fertilehill.Lit horn, a son of fatnessPs 80:8; Jer 12:10; Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1; Luke 20:92 He dug it allaround, cleared it ofstones,And planted it with 1the achoicestvine.And He built a tower in the middle of it,And alsocarvedout a 2winevat in it;Then He bexpectedit to producegoodgrapes,But it producedonly3worthlessones.Lit a bright red grapeOr wine pressOr unripeJer 2:21Matt 21:19; Mark 11:13; Luke 13:6
3 “And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,aJudgebetween Me and My vineyard.Matt 21:404 “aWhatmore was there to do for My vineyard1that I have not done in it?Why, when I expectedit to producegoodgrapes did it produce2worthlessones?Lit and I have not doneOr unripe2 Chr 36:16; Jer 2:5; 7:25, 26; Mic 6:3; Matt 23:375 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:I will aremove its hedge and it will be consumed;I will bbreakdown its wall and it will becomectrampledground.Ps 89:40Ps 80:12Is 10:6; 28:18; Lam 1:15; Luke 21:24; Rev 11:26 “I will alay it waste;It will not be pruned nor hoed,But briars and thorns will comeup.I will also command the clouds not to brain on it.”2 Chr 36:19-21; Is 7:19-25; 24:1, 3; Jer 25:111 Kin 8:35; 17:1; Jer 14:1-22
7 For the avineyard of the LORD of armies is the house of Israel,And the people of Judah are His delightfulplant.So He waited for justice, but behold, therewasbbloodshed;For righteousness, but behold, a cryforhelp.Ps 80:8-11Is 3:14, 15; 30:12; 59:13
Woes for the Wicked
8 Woe to those who aattachhouse to houseandjoinfield to field,Until there is nomoreroom,And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!Jer 22:13-17; Mic 2:2; Hab 2:9-129 In my ears the LORD of armieshassworn, “aManyhouses shall certainlybecomebdesolate,Evengreat and fineones, withoutoccupants.Is 6:11, 12Matt 23:3810 “For atenacres of vineyard will yieldonlyone1bathofwine,And a 2bhomer of seed will yieldonly an 3ephah of grain.”About 6 gallons or 23 litersAbout 7.7 cubic feet or 0.22 cubit meters or moreAbout 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic metersLev 26:26; Is 7:23; Hag 1:6; 2:16Ezek 45:1111 Woe to those who riseearly in the morning so that they may pursueaintoxicatingdrink,Who stayuplate in the evening so that wine may inflame them!Prov 23:29, 30; Eccl 10:16, 17; Is 5:22; 22:13; 28:1, 3, 7, 812 Their banquets are accompaniedbylyre and aharp, bytambourine and flute, and bywine;But they bdo not payattention to the deeds of the LORD,Nor do they consider the work of His hands.Amos 6:5, 6Job 34:27; Ps 28:5
13 Therefore My peoplegointoexile for their alack of knowledge;And their 1bnobles are famished,And their multitude is parched with thirst.Lit glory is men of famineIs 1:3; 27:11; Hos 4:6Is 3:314 ThereforeaSheol has enlarged its 1throat and opened its mouthbeyondmeasure;And 2Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her noiseofrevelry, and the jubilant within her, descendintoit.Or appetiteLit herProv 30:16; Hab 2:515 So thecommonpeople will be humbled and thepersonofimportancebroughtlow,aThe eyes of the haughty also will be broughtlow.Is 2:11; 10:3316 But the aLORD of armies will be bexalted in judgment,And the holyGod will show Himself choly in righteousness.Is 28:17; 30:18; 61:8Is 2:11, 17; 33:5, 10Is 8:13; 29:23; 1 Pet 3:1517 aThen the lambs will graze as in their pasture,And strangers will eat in the ruins of the 1wealthy.Lit fatIs 7:25; Mic 2:12; Zeph 2:6
18 Woe to those who dragawrongdoing with the cords of 1deceit,And sin as if with cartropes;Or worthlessnessIs 59:4-8; Jer 23:10-1419 aWho say, “Let Him hurry, let Him do His workquickly, sothat we may seeit;And let the plan of the HolyOne of IsraelapproachAnd come to pass, so that we may knowit!”Ezek 12:22; 2 Pet 3:420 Woe to those who acallevilgood, and goodevil;Who 1bsubstitutedarkness for light and light for darkness;Who 2substitutebitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!Lit setProv 17:15; Amos 5:7Job 17:12; Matt 6:22, 23; Luke 11:34, 3521 Woe to those who are awise in their own eyesAnd 1clever in their own sight!Lit discerningProv 3:7; Rom 12:16; 1 Cor 3:18-2022 aWoe to those who are heroes in drinkingwine,And valiantmen in mixingintoxicatingdrink,Prov 23:20; Is 5:11; 56:12; Hab 2:1523 aWho declare the wickedinnocent for a bribe,And btakeaway the 1rights of the ones who are intheright!Lit justiceEx 23:8; Is 1:23; 10:1, 2; Mic 3:11; 7:3Ps 94:21; James 5:6
24 Therefore, aas a tongue of fireconsumesstubble,And drygrasscollapses in the flame,So their broot will becomeclike rot, and their blossom1blowaway like dust;For they have drejected the Law of the LORD of armies,And discarded the word of the HolyOne of Israel.Lit ascendIs 9:18, 19; Joel 2:5Job 18:16Hos 5:12Is 8:6; 30:9, 12; Acts 13:4125 For thisreason the aanger of the LORD has burned against His people,And He has stretchedout His handagainst them and struck them.And the bmountainsquaked, and their ccorpses1lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.dDespite allthis, His anger2is not spent,But His ehand is stillstretchedout.Lit wereLit has not turned away2 Kin 22:13, 17; Is 66:15Ps 18:7; Is 64:3; Jer 4:24; Nah 1:52 Kin 9:37; Is 14:19; Jer 16:4Is 9:12, 17, 19, 21; 10:4; Jer 4:8; Dan 9:16Ex 7:19; Is 23:11
26 He will also liftup a aflag to the distant1nation,And bwhistle for it cfrom the ends of the earth;And behold, it will dcome with speedswiftly.Lit nations; prob. AssyriaIs 13:2, 3Is 7:18; Zech 10:8Deut 28:49Is 13:4, 527 aNoone in it is tired or stumbles,No one slumbers or sleeps;Nor is the bundergarment at his waistloosened,Nor his sandalstrapbroken.Joel 2:7, 8Job 12:1828 1aIts arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;The hoofs of its horses2seem like flint, and its chariotbwheels like a stormwind.Lit Which, its arrowsLit are regarded asPs 7:12, 13; 45:5; Is 13:18Is 21:1; Jer 4:1329 Its aroaring is like a lioness, and it roars like younglions;It growls as it bseizes the preyAnd carriesitoff with cnoone to saveit.Jer 51:38; Zeph 3:3; Zech 11:3Is 10:6; 49:24, 25; Mic 5:8Is 42:2230 And it will aroaragainst it on that day like the roaring of the sea.If one blooksacross to the land, behold, there is darknessanddistress;Even the light is darkened by its clouds.Is 17:12; Jer 6:23; Luke 21:25Is 8:22; Jer 4:23-28; Joel 2:10; Luke 21:25, 26
Let me singnow for my well-belovedA song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.My well-belovedhad a avineyard on 1a fertilehill.Lit a horn, the son of fatnessPs 80:8; Jer 12:10; Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1; Luke 20:92 He dug it allaround, removed its stones,And planted it with 1the achoicestvine.And He built a tower in the middle of itAnd alsohewed out a 2winevat in it;Then He bhoped for it to producegoodgrapes,But it producedonly3worthlessones.Lit a bright red grapeOr wine pressOr wild grapesJer 2:21Matt 21:19; Mark 11:13; Luke 13:6
3 “So now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,aPleasejudgebetween Me and My vineyard.Matt 21:404 “aWhatmore was there to do for My vineyard1that I have not done in it?Why, when I hoped for it to producegoodgrapes did it produce2worthlessones?Lit and I have not doneOr wild grapes2 Chr 36:16; Jer 2:5; 7:25, 26; Mic 6:3; Matt 23:375 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:I will aremove its hedge, and it will be consumed;I will bbreakdown its wall, and it will becomectrampledground.Ps 89:40Ps 80:12Is 10:6; 28:18; Lam 1:15; Luke 21:24; Rev 11:26 “I will alay it waste;It will not be pruned or hoed,But briars and thorns will comeup.I will also command the clouds to brainnorain on it.”2 Chr 36:19-21; Is 7:19-25; 24:1, 3; Jer 25:111 Kin 8:35; 17:1; Jer 14:1-22
7 For the avineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of IsraelAnd the men of Judah His delightfulplant.Thus He hoped for justice, but behold, bbloodshed;For righteousness, but behold, a cryofdistress.Ps 80:8-11Is 3:14, 15; 30:12; 59:13
Woes to Those Who Call Evil Good
8 Woe to those who aaddhouse to houseandjoinfield to field,Until there is nomoreroom,So that you have to livealone in the midst of the land!Jer 22:13-17; Mic 2:2; Hab 2:9-129 In my earsYahweh of hostshassworn, “Surely, amanyhouses shall becomebdesolate,Evengreat and goodones, withoutinhabitants.Is 6:11, 12Matt 23:3810 “For aten1acres of vineyard will yieldonlyone2bathofwine,And a 3bhomer of seed will yieldbut an 4ephahofgrain.”One acre is what oxen could plow in one dayA bath was approx. 6 gal. or 23 lA homer was approx. 6.5 bu. or 230 lAn ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 lLev 26:26; Is 7:23; Hag 1:6; 2:16Ezek 45:11
11 Woe to those who riseearly in the morning that they may pursueastrongdrink,Who stayuplate in the evening that wine may inflame them!Prov 23:29, 30; Eccl 10:16, 17; Is 5:22; 22:13; 28:1, 3, 7, 812 And their banquets are accompanied by lyre and aharp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine;But they bdo not look upon the deeds of Yahweh,Nor do they see the work of His hands.Amos 6:5, 6Job 34:27; Ps 28:5
13 Therefore My peoplegointoexile for their alack of knowledge;And 1their bhonorablemen are famished,And their multitude is parched with thirst.Lit their glory are men of famineIs 1:3; 27:11; Hos 4:6Is 3:314 ThereforeaSheol has enlarged its 1throat and opened its mouthwithoutlimit;And 2Jerusalem’s majesty, her multitude, her rumbling, and the exultant within her, descendintoit.Or appetiteLit herProv 30:16; Hab 2:515 So the commonman will be boweddown and the man of importance will be madelow,aThe eyes of the lofty also will be madelow.Is 2:11; 10:3316 But aYahweh of hosts will be blofty in judgment,And the holyGod will show Himself choly in righteousness.Is 28:17; 30:18; 61:8Is 2:11, 17; 33:5, 10Is 8:13; 29:23; 1 Pet 3:1517 aThen the lambs will graze as in their pasture,And sojourners will eat in the wasteplaces of the 1wealthy.Lit fatIs 7:25; Mic 2:12; Zeph 2:6
18 Woe to those who dragainiquity with the cords of worthlessness,And sin as if with cartropes,Is 59:4-8; Jer 23:10-1419 aWho say, “Let Him hurry, let Him hasten His work, that we may seeit;And let the counsel of the HolyOne of IsraeldrawnearAnd come to pass, that we may knowit!”Ezek 12:22; 2 Pet 3:4
20 Woe to those who acallevilgood and goodevil,Who 1bsubstitutedarkness for light and light for darkness,Who 2substitutebitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!Lit setProv 17:15; Amos 5:7Job 17:12; Matt 6:22, 23; Luke 11:34, 3521 Woe to those who are awise in their own eyesAnd understanding in their own 1sight!Lit faceProv 3:7; Rom 12:16; 1 Cor 3:18-2022 aWoe to those who are mightymen in drinkingwineAnd valiantmen in mixingstrongdrink,Prov 23:20; Is 5:11; 56:12; Hab 2:1523 aWho 1declare the wickedrighteous for a bribe,And bremove the 2righteousstanding of the ones who are 3righteous!Or justify the wicked for a bribe, cf. 53:11Or justificationOr justifiedEx 23:8; Is 1:23; 10:1, 2; Mic 3:11; 7:3Ps 94:21; James 5:6
24 Therefore, aas a tongue of fireconsumesstubbleAnd drygrasscollapses into the flame,So their broot will becomeclike rot and their blossom1blowaway as dust;For they have drejected the law of Yahweh of hostsAnd the word of the HolyOne of Israel they have spurned.Lit ascendIs 9:18, 19; Joel 2:5Job 18:16Hos 5:12Is 8:6; 30:9, 12; Acts 13:4125 On thisaccount, the aanger of Yahweh has burned against His people,And He has stretchedout His handagainst them and struck them down.And the bmountainstrembled, and their ccorpses1lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.dFor allthis His angeris not turnedback,But His ehand is stillstretchedout.Lit were2 Kin 22:13, 17; Is 66:15Ps 18:7; Is 64:3; Jer 4:24; Nah 1:52 Kin 9:37; Is 14:19; Jer 16:4Is 9:12, 17, 19, 21; 10:4; Jer 4:8; Dan 9:16Ex 7:19; Is 23:11
26 He will also liftup a astandard to the 1distantnations,And will bwhistle for it cfrom the ends of the earth;And behold, it will dcome with speedswiftly.Probably AssyriaIs 13:2, 3Is 7:18; Zech 10:8Deut 28:49Is 13:4, 527 aNoone in it is weary or stumbles,Noneslumbers or sleeps;Nor is the bbelt at its waistundone,Nor its sandalstrapbroken.Joel 2:7, 8Job 12:1828 1aIts arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;The hoofs of its horses2seem like flint and its chariotbwheels like a whirlwind.Lit Which, its arrowsLit are regarded asPs 7:12, 13; 45:5; Is 13:18Is 21:1; Jer 4:1329 Its aroaring is like a lioness, and it roars like younglions;It growls and bseizes the preyAnd carriesitoff with cnoone to deliverit.Jer 51:38; Zeph 3:3; Zech 11:3Is 10:6; 49:24, 25; Mic 5:8Is 42:2230 And it will agrowlover it in that day like the roaring of the sea.If one blooks to the land, behold, there is darknessanddistress;Even the light is darkened by its clouds.Is 17:12; Jer 6:23; Luke 21:25Is 8:22; Jer 4:23-28; Joel 2:10; Luke 21:25, 26
Now let me sing for my greatly Beloved LORDA song of my Beloved about His vineyard (His chosen people) .My greatly Beloved had a avineyard on a very fertile slope (the promised land, Canaan) . Song 6:3; Matt 21:33-40Ps 80:8; Jer 12:10; Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1; Luke 20:92 He dug it all around and cleared away its stones,And planted it with 1the achoicest vine (the people of Judah) .And He built a tower in the center of it;And also hewed out a 2wine vat in it.Then He bexpected it to produce the choicest grapes,But it produced only worthless ones.Lit a bright red grape.This was the lower of two hollowed-out reservoirs made in the soft rock, one above the other, connected by a channel that allowed the juice pressed out in the upper reservoir to flow to the lower.Jer 2:21Matt 21:19; Mark 11:13; Luke 13:6
3 “And now, saystheLORD, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,aJudge between Me and My vineyard (My people) .Matt 21:404 “aWhat more could have been done for My vineyard that I have not done in it?When I expected it to produce good grapes, why did it yield worthless ones?2 Chr 36:16; Jer 2:5; 7:25, 26; Mic 6:3; Matt 23:375 “So now let me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:I will atake away its thorn-hedge, and it will be burned up;I will bbreak down its 1stone wall and it will be ctrampled down by enemies.The wall was usually made up of loose stones that had been cleared from the field.Ps 89:40Ps 80:12Is 10:6; 28:18; Lam 1:15; Luke 21:24; Rev 11:26 “I will aturn it into a wasteland;It will not be pruned or cultivated,But briars and thorns will come up.I will also command the clouds not to brain on it.”2 Chr 36:19-21; Is 7:19-25; 24:1, 3; Jer 25:111 Kin 8:35; 17:1; Jer 14:1-22
7 For the avineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house (nation) of IsraelAnd the men of Judah are His delightful planting which He loves.So He looked for justice, but in fact, He sawbbloodshed and lawlessness;He looked for righteousness, but in fact, He heard a cry of distress and oppression.Ps 80:8-11Is 3:14, 15; 30:12; 59:13
Woes for the Wicked
8 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who ajoin house to house and join field to field to increase their holdings by depriving others,Until there is no more room for others,So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!Jer 22:13-17; Mic 2:2; Hab 2:9-129 In my ears the LORD of hosts said, “Be assured that amany houses will become bdesolate,Even great and beautiful ones will be unoccupied.Is 6:11, 12Matt 23:3810 “For aten 1acres of vineyard will yield only2one bath ofwine,And a bhomer (3six bushels) of seed will produce only one ephah of grain.”Lit teams of oxen, referring to the area of land that a team of oxen can plow in one day.This is only a very rough approximation. The basic Hebrew unit of volume was an egg, which varied greatly, and the estimation was significantly larger than an ordinary chicken egg. A bath was set at 432 eggs—six to eight gallons.The actual Hebrew measure was the volume of 4,320 eggs, and an ephah (like a bath, only a dry measure) was 432 eggs.Lev 26:26; Is 7:23; Hag 1:6; 2:16Ezek 45:1111 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who rise early in the morning to pursue aintoxicating drink,Who stay up late in the night till wine inflames them!Prov 23:29, 30; Eccl 10:16, 17; Is 5:22; 22:13; 28:1, 3, 7, 812 They have lyre and aharp, tambourine and flute, and wine at their feasts;But they bdo not regard nor even pay attention to the deeds of the LORD,Nor do they consider the work of His hands.Amos 6:5, 6Job 34:27; Ps 28:5
13 Therefore My people go into exile because they alack knowledge of God;And their bhonorable men are famished,And their common people are parched with thirst.Is 1:3; 27:11; Hos 4:6Is 3:314 Therefore aSheol (the realm of the dead) has increased its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure;And 1Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her boisterous uproar and her drunken revelers descend intoit.Lit her.Prov 30:16; Hab 2:515 So the common man will be bowed down and the man of importance degraded,And athe eyes of the proud (arrogant) will be degraded.Is 2:11; 10:3316 But the aLORD of hosts will be bexalted in justice,And God, the Holy One, will show Himself choly in righteousness through His righteous judgments.Is 28:17; 30:18; 61:8Is 2:11, 17; 33:5, 10Is 8:13; 29:23; 1 Pet 3:1517 aThen the lambs will graze among the ruins as in their own pasture,And strangers will eat in the desolate places of the exiled wealthy.Is 7:25; Mic 2:12; Zeph 2:6
18 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who drag along awickedness with cords of falsehood,And sin as if with cart ropes towing their own punishment;Is 59:4-8; Jer 23:10-1419 aWho say, “Let Him move speedily, let Him expedite His work His promised vengeance, so that we may see it;And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel approachAnd come to pass, so that we may know it!”Ezek 12:22; 2 Pet 3:420 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who acall evil good, and good evil;Who bsubstitute darkness for light and light for darkness;Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!Prov 17:15; Amos 5:7Job 17:12; Matt 6:22, 23; Luke 11:34, 3521 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are awise in their own eyesAnd clever and shrewd in their own sight!Prov 3:7; Rom 12:16; 1 Cor 3:18-2022 aWoe (judgment is coming) to those who are heroes at drinking wineAnd men of strength in mixing intoxicating drinks,Prov 23:20; Is 5:11; 56:12; Hab 2:1523 aWho justify the wicked and acquit the guilty for a bribe,And btake away the rights of those who are in the right!Ex 23:8; Is 1:23; 10:1, 2; Mic 3:11; 7:3Ps 94:21; James 5:6
24 Therefore, aas the tongue of fire consumes the stubble from strawAnd the dry grass collapses into the flame,So their broot will become clike rot and their blossom blow away like fine dust;Because they have drejected the law of the LORD of hostsAnd despised and discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.Is 9:18, 19; Joel 2:5Job 18:16Hos 5:12Is 8:6; 30:9, 12; Acts 13:4125 Therefore the aanger of the LORD has burned against His people,And He has stretched out His hand against them and has struck them down.And the bmountains trembled, and their cdead bodies lay like rubbish in the middle of the streets.dIn spiteof all this God’s anger is not turned away,But His ehand is still stretched out in judgment.2 Kin 22:13, 17; Is 66:15Ps 18:7; Is 64:3; Jer 4:24; Nah 1:52 Kin 9:37; Is 14:19; Jer 16:4Is 9:12, 17, 19, 21; 10:4; Jer 4:8; Dan 9:16Ex 7:19; Is 23:11
26 He will lift up a aflag to call the distant nations to bring His judgment on Judah,And will bwhistle for them cfrom the ends of the earth;And indeed, they will dcome with great speed swiftly.Is 13:2, 3Is 7:18; Zech 10:8Deut 28:49Is 13:4, 527 aNo one among them is weary or stumbles,No one slumbers or sleeps;Nor is the bbelt at their waist undone as if unprepared for action,Nor is the strap of their sandal broken.Joel 2:7, 8Job 12:1828 aTheir arrows are sharp and all their bows are strung and bent;Their horses’ hoofs seem like flint and their chariotbwheels like a whirlwind.Ps 7:12, 13; 45:5; Is 13:18Is 21:1; Jer 4:1329 Their aroaring is like a lioness, they roar like young lions;They growl and bseize their preyAnd carry it off and there is cno one to save it.Jer 51:38; Zeph 3:3; Zech 11:3Is 10:6; 49:24, 25; Mic 5:8Is 42:2230 And in that day they will aroar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea.And if one blooks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress;Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.Is 17:12; Jer 6:23; Luke 21:25Is 8:22; Jer 4:23-28; Joel 2:10; Luke 21:25, 26