1 Now will I
sing to my
wellbeloved a
song of my
beloved touching his
vineyard. My
wellbeloved hath a
vineyard in a very
fruitful ben#
hill:
2 And he
fenced it, and gathered out the
stones thereof, and
planted it with the choicest
vine, and
built a
tower in the
midst of it, and also
made a
winepress therein: and he
looked that it should bring
forth grapes, and it brought
forth wild
grapes.
3 And now, O
inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and
men of
Judah,
judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my
vineyard.
4 What could have been
done more to my
vineyard, that I have not
done in it?
wherefore, when I
looked that it should bring
forth grapes, brought it
forth wild
grapes?
5 And now go to; I will
tell you what I will
do to my
vineyard: I will take
away the
hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten
up; and break
down the
wall thereof, and it shall be trodden
down:
6 And I will
lay it
waste: it shall not be
pruned, nor
digged; but there shall come
up briers and
thorns: I will also
command the
clouds that they
rain no
rain upon it.
7 For the
vineyard of the
LORD of
hosts is the
house of
Israel, and the
men of
Judah his
pleasant plant: and he
looked for
judgment, but behold
oppression; for
righteousness, but behold a
cry.
8 Woe unto them that
join house to
house, that
lay field to
field, till there be
no place, that they may be
placed alone in the
midst of the
earth!
9 In mine
ears said the
LORD of
hosts, Of a
truth many houses shall be
desolate, even
great and
fair, without
inhabitant.
10 Yea,
ten acres of
vineyard shall
yield one bath, and the
seed of an
homer shall
yield an
ephah.
11 Woe unto them that rise up
early in the
morning, that they may
follow strong
drink; that
continue until
night, till
wine inflame them!
12 And the
harp, and the
viol, the
tabret, and
pipe, and
wine, are in their
feasts: but they
regard not the
work of the
LORD, neither
consider the
operation of his
hands.
13 Therefore my
people are gone into
captivity, because they have no
knowledge: and their
honourable men are
famished, and their
multitude dried
up with
thirst.
14 Therefore
hell hath
enlarged herself, and
opened her
mouth without
measure: and their
glory, and their
multitude, and their
pomp, and he that
rejoiceth, shall
descend into it.
15 And the mean
man shall be brought
down, and the mighty
man shall be
humbled, and the
eyes of the
lofty shall be
humbled:
16 But the
LORD of
hosts shall be
exalted in
judgment, and
God that is
holy shall be
sanctified in
righteousness.
17 Then shall the
lambs feed after their
manner, and the waste
places of the fat
ones shall
strangers eat.
18 Woe unto them that
draw iniquity with
cords of
vanity, and
sin as it were with a
cart rope:
19 That
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
nigh and
come, that we may
know it!
20 Woe unto them that
call evil good, and
good evil; that
put darkness for
light, and
light for
darkness; that
put bitter for
sweet, and
sweet for
bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are
wise in their own
eyes, and
prudent in their own
sight!
22 Woe unto them that are
mighty to
drink wine, and
men of
strength to
mingle strong
drink:
23 Which
justify the
wicked for reward, and take
away the
righteousness of the
righteous from him!
24 Therefore as the
fire devoureth the
stubble, and the
flame lashown#
consumeth the
chaff, so their
root shall be as
rottenness, and their
blossom shall go
up as
dust: because they have cast
away the
law of the
LORD of
hosts, and
despised the
word of the Holy
One of
Israel.
25 Therefore is the
anger of the
LORD kindled against his
people, and he hath stretched
forth his
hand against them, and hath
smitten them: and the
hills did
tremble, and their
carcases were
torn in the
midst of the
streets. For all this his
anger is not turned
away, but his
hand is stretched
out still.
26 And he will lift
up an
ensign to the
nations from
far, and will
hiss unto them from the
end of the
earth: and, behold, they shall
come with
speed swiftly:
27 None shall be
weary nor
stumble among them; none shall
slumber nor
sleep; neither shall the
girdle of their
loins be
loosed, nor the
latchet of their
shoes be
broken:
28 Whose
arrows are
sharp, and all their
bows bent, their
horses hoofs shall be
counted like
flint, and their
wheels like a
whirlwind:
29 Their
roaring shall be like a
lion, they shall
roar like young
lions: yea, they shall
roar, and lay
hold of the
prey, and shall carry it away
safe, and none shall
deliver it.
30 And in that
day they shall
roar against them like the
roaring of the
sea: and if one
look unto the
land, behold
darkness and
sorrow, and the
light is
darkened in the
heavens thereof.