Isaiah 5 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Let me sing for the one I love — a song of my about his vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a and
He dug it up, cleared out every stone, and planted it with the vines. He built a watchtower in its center and carved out a wine press too. Then he waited for sweet grapes — but it grew only
"And now, people of Jerusalem, residents of — judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard that I haven't already done? When I waited for sweet grapes, why did it grow only sour, worthless fruit?
Now let me tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedge and it will be devoured. I will break through its wall and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland — not pruned, not weeded, and thorns and briars will take it over. I will the clouds to send it no rain.
Because the vineyard of of Armies is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the he in. He waited for — but only bloodshed. For — but only of
is to those who to house and join field to field until there's no space left and you live alone in the middle of the land.
Yahweh of Armies has sworn in my hearing: "Many great and beautiful houses will become ruins, empty, with no one living in them.
of vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine, and bushels of seed will yield only one bushel of grain."
Disaster is coming to those who rise early in the morning chasing liquor, who stay up late into the night until wine them on
Their feasts have lyres and harps, tambourines, flutes, and wine — but they never notice what Yahweh is doing and never see the of
So my people will go into exile because they have no understanding. Their honored leaders will starve and their crowds will be parched with thirst.
So the has opened wide its throat, stretched its mouth beyond all limits — and down go their splendor and their crowds, their noise and their revelers.
Humanity will be brought low, everyone humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant will be brought down.
But Yahweh of Armies will be lifted high through justice, and the will show himself set apart through
Then lambs will graze as in their own pasture, and will eat among the ruins of the rich.
Disaster is coming to those who drag behind them with ropes of deception, and haul along as if with cart cables —
who say, "Let him hurry up! Let him speed up what he's doing so we can see it! Let the plan of the of Israel hurry up and happen so we can know what it is!"
Disaster is coming to those who call good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who make bitter taste sweet and sweet taste bitter.
Disaster is coming to those who are in their own eyes and clever in their own estimation.
Disaster is coming to those who are at drinking wine and experts at mixing strong drinks,
who let the guilty go free for a bribe and deny to the innocent.
So — as a tongue of fire devours dry grass and as hay shrivels in the flame — their roots will rot away and their blossoms scatter like dust. Because they rejected the of Yahweh of Armies and despised the of the Set-Apart One of Israel.
This is why Yahweh's anger burns against people. He has and struck them; the mountains trembled, and their corpses lay like garbage in the streets. Even after all this, anger has not turned away — his is to
He raises a for a distant nation, he for them from the ends of the earth — and look, here they come, swift and fast.
None of them are tired, none of them stumble. None of them drowse or sleep. Not a belt on their waist comes loose, not a sandal strap breaks.
Their arrows are sharpened, all their bows are strung. Their horses' hooves are hard as flint, their chariot wheels spin like a whirlwind.
Their roar is like a lioness; they growl like young lions. They snarl and seize their prey and carry it off where no one can rescue it.
On that day they will growl over their prey like the growling of the sea. And if anyone looks out over the land — only and distress, and the light is swallowed by thick clouds.