Parable of the Vineyard

Let me sing now for my beloved
A song of my beloved about His vineyard.
My beloved had a (A)vineyard on [a]a fertile hill.
He dug it all around, cleared it of stones,
And planted it with [b]the (B)choicest vine.
And He built a tower in the middle of it,
And also carved out a [c]wine vat in it;
Then He (C)expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only [d]worthless ones.

“And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
(D)Judge between Me and My vineyard.
(E)What more was there to do for My vineyard [e]that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce [f]worthless ones?
So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will (F)remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will (G)break down its wall and it will become (H)trampled ground.
I will (I)lay it waste;
It will not be pruned nor hoed,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also command the clouds not to (J)rain on it.”

For the (K)vineyard of the Lord of armies is the house of Israel,
And the people of Judah are His delightful plant.
So He waited for justice, but behold, there was (L)bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Woes for the Wicked

Woe to those who (M)attach house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room,
And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!
In my ears the Lord of armies has sworn, “(N)Many houses shall certainly become (O)desolate,
Even great and fine ones, without occupants.
10 For (P)ten acres of vineyard will yield only one [g]bath of wine,
And a [h](Q)homer of seed will yield only an [i]ephah of grain.”
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning so that they may pursue (R)intoxicating drink,
Who stay up late in the evening so that wine may inflame them!
12 Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and (S)harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine;
But they (T)do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord,
Nor do they consider the work of His hands.

13 Therefore My people go into exile for their (U)lack of knowledge;
And their [j](V)nobles are famished,
And their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore (W)Sheol has enlarged its [k]throat and opened its mouth beyond measure;
And [l]Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her noise of revelry, and the jubilant within her, descend into it.
15 So the common people will be humbled and the person of importance brought low,
(X)The eyes of the haughty also will be brought low.
16 But the (Y)Lord of armies will be (Z)exalted in judgment,
And the holy God will show Himself (AA)holy in righteousness.
17 (AB)Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture,
And strangers will eat in the ruins of the [m]wealthy.

18 Woe to those who drag (AC)wrongdoing with the cords of [n]deceit,
And sin as if with cart ropes;
19 (AD)Who say, “Let Him hurry, let Him do His work quickly, so that we may see it;
And let the plan of the Holy One of Israel approach
And come to pass, so that we may know it!”
20 Woe to those who (AE)call evil good, and good evil;
Who [o](AF)substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [p]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (AG)wise in their own eyes
And [q]clever in their own sight!
22 (AH)Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine,
And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,
23 (AI)Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe,
And (AJ)take away the [r]rights of the ones who are in the right!

24 Therefore, (AK)as a tongue of fire consumes stubble,
And dry grass collapses in the flame,
So their (AL)root will become (AM)like rot, and their blossom [s]blow away like dust;
For they have (AN)rejected the Law of the Lord of armies,
And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 For this reason the (AO)anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them.
And the (AP)mountains quaked, and their (AQ)corpses [t]lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
(AR)Despite all this, His anger [u]is not spent,
But His (AS)hand is still stretched out.

26 He will also lift up a (AT)flag to the distant [v]nation,
And (AU)whistle for it (AV)from the ends of the earth;
And behold, it will (AW)come with speed swiftly.
27 (AX)No one in it is tired or stumbles,
No one slumbers or sleeps;
Nor is the (AY)undergarment at his waist loosened,
Nor his sandal strap broken.
28 [w](AZ)Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;
The hoofs of its horses [x]seem like flint, and its chariot (BA)wheels like a storm wind.
29 Its (BB)roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions;
It growls as it (BC)seizes the prey
And carries it off with (BD)no one to save it.
30 And it will (BE)roar against it on that day like the roaring of the sea.
If one (BF)looks across to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:1 Lit horn, a son of fatness
  2. Isaiah 5:2 Lit a bright red grape
  3. Isaiah 5:2 Or wine press
  4. Isaiah 5:2 Or unripe
  5. Isaiah 5:4 Lit and I have not done
  6. Isaiah 5:4 Or unripe
  7. Isaiah 5:10 About 6 gallons or 23 liters
  8. Isaiah 5:10 About 7.7 cubic feet or 0.22 cubit meters or more
  9. Isaiah 5:10 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  10. Isaiah 5:13 Lit glory is men of famine
  11. Isaiah 5:14 Or appetite
  12. Isaiah 5:14 Lit her
  13. Isaiah 5:17 Lit fat
  14. Isaiah 5:18 Or worthlessness
  15. Isaiah 5:20 Lit set
  16. Isaiah 5:20 Lit set
  17. Isaiah 5:21 Lit discerning
  18. Isaiah 5:23 Lit justice
  19. Isaiah 5:24 Lit ascend
  20. Isaiah 5:25 Lit were
  21. Isaiah 5:25 Lit has not turned away
  22. Isaiah 5:26 Lit nations; prob. Assyria
  23. Isaiah 5:28 Lit Which, its arrows
  24. Isaiah 5:28 Lit are regarded as

The Song of the Vineyard

I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.(B)
He built a watchtower(C) in it
    and cut out a winepress(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.(E)

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.(F)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?(G)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?(H)
Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;(I)
I will break down its wall,(J)
    and it will be trampled.(K)
I will make it a wasteland,(L)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns(M) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain(N) on it.”

The vineyard(O) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,(P) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,(Q) but heard cries of distress.(R)

Woes and Judgments

Woe(S) to you who add house to house
    and join field to field(T)
till no space is left
    and you live alone in the land.

The Lord Almighty(U) has declared in my hearing:(V)

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(W)
    the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine;
    a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”(X)

11 Woe(Y) to those who rise early in the morning
    to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
    till they are inflamed with wine.(Z)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
    pipes(AA) and timbrels(AB) and wine,
but they have no regard(AC) for the deeds of the Lord,
    no respect for the work of his hands.(AD)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(AE)
    for lack of understanding;(AF)
those of high rank(AG) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.(AH)
14 Therefore Death(AI) expands its jaws,
    opening wide its mouth;(AJ)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
    with all their brawlers and revelers.(AK)
15 So people will be brought low(AL)
    and everyone humbled,(AM)
    the eyes of the arrogant(AN) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(AO) by his justice,(AP)
    and the holy God will be proved holy(AQ) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(AR)
    lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.

18 Woe(AS) to those who draw sin along with cords(AT) of deceit,
    and wickedness(AU) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten(AV) his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(AW) of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”(AX)

20 Woe(AY) to those who call evil good(AZ)
    and good evil,(BA)
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,(BB)
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.(BC)

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

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(BE)
    and champions at mixing drinks,(BF)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(BG)
    but deny justice(BH) to the innocent.(BI)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(BJ) lick up straw(BK)
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(BL)
    and their flowers blow away like dust;(BM)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word(BN) of the Holy One(BO) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(BP) burns against his people;
    his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(BQ)
    and the dead bodies(BR) are like refuse(BS) in the streets.(BT)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(BU)
    his hand is still upraised.(BV)

26 He lifts up a banner(BW) for the distant nations,
    he whistles(BX) for those at the ends of the earth.(BY)
Here they come,
    swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(BZ) or stumbles,
    not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(CA) is loosened at the waist,(CB)
    not a sandal strap is broken.(CC)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(CD)
    all their bows(CE) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(CF) seem like flint,
    their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(CG)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(CH)
    they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(CI) their prey
    and carry it off with no one to rescue.(CJ)
30 In that day(CK) they will roar over it
    like the roaring of the sea.(CL)
And if one looks at the land,
    there is only darkness(CM) and distress;(CN)
    even the sun will be darkened(CO) by clouds.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
  2. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
  3. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  4. Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat

Jesus, the Example

12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s (A)rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s (B)run with (C)endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the [a](D)originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him (E)endured the cross, (F)despising the shame, and has (G)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For (H)consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary [b](I)and lose heart.

A Father’s Discipline

(J)You have not yet resisted [c](K)to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

(L)My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor (M)faint when you are punished by Him;
(N)For (O)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

It is for discipline that you endure; (P)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, (Q)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had [d]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we (R)respected them; shall we not much more be subject to (S)the Father of [e]spirits, and (T)live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, (U)so that we may share His holiness. 11 (V)For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the (W)peaceful fruit of righteousness.

12 Therefore, [f](X)strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and (Y)make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather (Z)be healed.

14 (AA)Pursue peace with all people, and the (AB)holiness without which no one will (AC)see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one (AD)comes short of the grace of God; that no (AE)root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become (AF)defiled; 16 that there be no (AG)sexually immoral or (AH)godless person like Esau, (AI)who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterward, (AJ)when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

18 (AK)For you have not come to (AL)a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the (AM)blast of a trumpet and the (AN)sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard (AO)begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not [g]cope with the command, “(AP)If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “(AQ)I am terrified and trembling.” 22 But (AR)you have come to Mount Zion and to (AS)the city of (AT)the living God, (AU)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to (AV)myriads of [h]angels, 23 to the general assembly and (AW)church of the firstborn who (AX)are enrolled in heaven, and to God, (AY)the Judge of all, and to the (AZ)spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the (BA)mediator of a new covenant, and to the (BB)sprinkled blood, which speaks better than (BC)the blood of Abel.

The Unshaken Kingdom

25 (BD)See to it that you do not refuse Him who is (BE)speaking. For (BF)if those did not escape when they (BG)refused him who (BH)warned them on earth, [i]much less will we escape who turn away from Him who (BI)warns us from heaven. 26 And (BJ)His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “(BK)Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes (BL)the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a (BM)kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s [j]show gratitude, by which we may (BN)offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for (BO)our God is a consuming fire.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:2 Or leader
  2. Hebrews 12:3 Lit fainting in your souls
  3. Hebrews 12:4 Lit as far as blood
  4. Hebrews 12:9 Lit fathers of our flesh
  5. Hebrews 12:9 Or our spirits
  6. Hebrews 12:12 Lit make straight
  7. Hebrews 12:20 Lit bear
  8. Hebrews 12:22 Or angels in festive gathering, and to the church
  9. Hebrews 12:25 Lit much rather we will not escape...
  10. Hebrews 12:28 Lit have

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run(A) with perseverance(B) the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,(C) the pioneer(D) and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,(E) scorning its shame,(F) and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.(G) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary(H) and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.(I) And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart(J) when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,(K)
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a](L)

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.(M) For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline(N)—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits(O) and live!(P) 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.(Q) 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace(R) for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.(S) 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”[b](T) so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.(U)

Warning and Encouragement

14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone(V) and to be holy;(W) without holiness no one will see the Lord.(X) 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God(Y) and that no bitter root(Z) grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral,(AA) or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.(AB) 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears,(AC) he could not change what he had done.

The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;(AD) 19 to a trumpet blast(AE) or to such a voice speaking words(AF) that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,(AG) 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c](AH) 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d](AI)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion,(AJ) to the city(AK) of the living God,(AL) the heavenly Jerusalem.(AM) You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn,(AN) whose names are written in heaven.(AO) You have come to God, the Judge of all,(AP) to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,(AQ) 24 to Jesus the mediator(AR) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood(AS) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.(AT)

25 See to it that you do not refuse(AU) him who speaks.(AV) If they did not escape when they refused him who warned(AW) them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?(AX) 26 At that time his voice shook the earth,(AY) but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e](AZ) 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken(BA)—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,(BB) let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,(BC) 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[f](BD)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:6 Prov. 3:11,12 (see Septuagint)
  2. Hebrews 12:13 Prov. 4:26
  3. Hebrews 12:20 Exodus 19:12,13
  4. Hebrews 12:21 See Deut. 9:19.
  5. Hebrews 12:26 Haggai 2:6
  6. Hebrews 12:29 Deut. 4:24