葡萄園之歌

我要為我所愛的歌唱,唱一首有關他葡萄園的歌:

我所愛的在肥美的山岡上有一個葡萄園。
他鬆土,清除石頭,
栽種了上好的葡萄,
在園中建了一座瞭望塔,
鑿了榨酒池。
他期望收穫好葡萄,
得到的卻是壞葡萄。

他說,「耶路撒冷和猶大的居民啊,
請你們在我和葡萄園之間評評理。
我不遺餘力地料理葡萄園,
希望得到好葡萄,
為什麼得到的只是壞葡萄呢?

「現在,我告訴你們我會怎樣處理這葡萄園,
我要除去籬笆,任它被毀壞;
我要拆毀圍牆,任它被踐踏。
我不再修剪,不再鋤地,
也不再降雨,
任由它荒廢,長滿荊棘和蒺藜。」

萬軍之耶和華的葡萄園就是以色列,
祂所喜愛的葡萄樹就是猶大人。
祂希望看到公平,
卻只看見殺戮;
指望看到公義,
卻只聽見冤聲。

以色列的罪惡

那些不斷建房置田、佔光土地、
獨居其中的人有禍了!
我親耳聽到萬軍之耶和華說:
「許多富麗堂皇的房屋必荒廢,無人居住。
10 三十畝葡萄園只產二十升酒,
二百公斤種子只產二十公斤糧食。」

11 那些從清早到深夜貪杯好酒,
喝到酩酊大醉的人有禍了!
12 席上,他們在琴、瑟、鼓、笛聲中飲酒作樂,
卻毫不理會耶和華的作為。

13 所以,我的子民必因無知而被擄。
他們的貴族無餅充饑,
民眾無水解渴。
14 陰間必食慾膨脹,
張開大口吞噬耶路撒冷的首領、群眾和宴樂之人。
15 世人遭貶,降為卑下,
狂妄者眼目低垂。
16 唯有萬軍之耶和華因祂的公正而受尊崇,
聖潔的上帝藉公義彰顯自己的聖潔。
17 那時,羊群在那裡吃草,
如在自己的草場,
寄居者在富人的荒場上進食。

18 那些用虛假作繩子扯來罪惡,
用套繩拉來邪惡的人有禍了!
19 他們說:「讓上帝快點完成祂的工作,
好讓我們看看;
讓以色列的聖者早點實現祂的計劃,
好讓我們知道。」
20 那些善惡不分、黑白顛倒、
甜苦不辨的人有禍了!
21 那些自以為聰明、睿智的人有禍了!
22 那些以豪飲稱霸、善於調酒的人有禍了!
23 他們貪贓枉法,坑害無辜。

24 他們的根必朽爛,
花朵如飛塵飄落,
就像火焰吞滅禾稭,燒盡乾草,
因為他們厭棄以色列之聖者的訓誨,
藐視萬軍之耶和華的言語。
25 耶和華向祂的子民發怒,
伸手擊打他們。
山嶺震動,
他們橫屍街頭,猶如糞土。
然而,祂的怒氣還沒有止息,
祂降罰的手沒有收回。
26 祂必豎起旗幟召集遠方的國家,
吹哨叫來地極的人。
看啊,他們必飛速而來!
27 他們無人疲倦,無人踉蹌,
無人打盹,無人睡覺,
都腰帶緊束,鞋帶未斷。
28 他們的利箭上弦,引弓待發;
他們的馬蹄堅如岩石,
車輪快如旋風。
29 他們吼叫如獅子,
像猛獅般咆哮著捕食,
將獵物叼走,無人能救。
30 那日,他們必向以色列咆哮,
如怒海澎湃。
人若觀看大地,
只見黑暗和艱難,
光明被密雲遮蓋。

葡萄园之歌

我要为我所爱的歌唱,唱一首有关他葡萄园的歌:

我所爱的在肥美的山冈上有一个葡萄园。
他松土,清除石头,
栽种了上好的葡萄,
在园中建了一座瞭望塔,
凿了榨酒池。
他期望收获好葡萄,
得到的却是坏葡萄。

他说,“耶路撒冷和犹大的居民啊,
请你们在我和葡萄园之间评评理。
我不遗余力地料理葡萄园,
希望得到好葡萄,
为什么得到的只是坏葡萄呢?

“现在,我告诉你们我会怎样处理这葡萄园,
我要除去篱笆,任它被毁坏;
我要拆毁围墙,任它被践踏。
我不再修剪,不再锄地,
也不再降雨,
任由它荒废,长满荆棘和蒺藜。”

万军之耶和华的葡萄园就是以色列,
祂所喜爱的葡萄树就是犹大人。
祂希望看到公平,
却只看见杀戮;
指望看到公义,
却只听见冤声。

以色列的罪恶

那些不断建房置田、占光土地、
独居其中的人有祸了!
我亲耳听到万军之耶和华说:
“许多富丽堂皇的房屋必荒废,无人居住。
10 三十亩葡萄园只产二十升酒,
二百公斤种子只产二十公斤粮食。”

11 那些从清早到深夜贪杯好酒,
喝到酩酊大醉的人有祸了!
12 席上,他们在琴、瑟、鼓、笛声中饮酒作乐,
却毫不理会耶和华的作为。

13 所以,我的子民必因无知而被掳。
他们的贵族无饼充饥,
民众无水解渴。
14 阴间必食欲膨胀,
张开大口吞噬耶路撒冷的首领、群众和宴乐之人。
15 世人遭贬,降为卑下,
狂妄者眼目低垂。
16 唯有万军之耶和华因祂的公正而受尊崇,
圣洁的上帝借公义彰显自己的圣洁。
17 那时,羊群在那里吃草,
如在自己的草场,
寄居者在富人的荒场上进食。

18 那些用虚假作绳子扯来罪恶,
用套绳拉来邪恶的人有祸了!
19 他们说:“让上帝快点完成祂的工作,
好让我们看看;
让以色列的圣者早点实现祂的计划,
好让我们知道。”
20 那些善恶不分、黑白颠倒、
甜苦不辨的人有祸了!
21 那些自以为聪明、睿智的人有祸了!
22 那些以豪饮称霸、善于调酒的人有祸了!
23 他们贪赃枉法,坑害无辜。

24 他们的根必朽烂,
花朵如飞尘飘落,
就像火焰吞灭禾秸,烧尽干草,
因为他们厌弃以色列之圣者的训诲,
藐视万军之耶和华的言语。
25 耶和华向祂的子民发怒,
伸手击打他们。
山岭震动,
他们横尸街头,犹如粪土。
然而,祂的怒气还没有止息,
祂降罚的手没有收回。
26 祂必竖起旗帜召集远方的国家,
吹哨叫来地极的人。
看啊,他们必飞速而来!
27 他们无人疲倦,无人踉跄,
无人打盹,无人睡觉,
都腰带紧束,鞋带未断。
28 他们的利箭上弦,引弓待发;
他们的马蹄坚如岩石,
车轮快如旋风。
29 他们吼叫如狮子,
像猛狮般咆哮着捕食,
将猎物叼走,无人能救。
30 那日,他们必向以色列咆哮,
如怒海澎湃。
人若观看大地,
只见黑暗和艰难,
光明被密云遮盖。

Israel, God’s Special Field

Now I will sing a song to my friend. This song is about his vineyard.

My friend had a vineyard
    on a hill with very rich soil.
He dug and cleared the field of stones.
    He planted the best grapevines there.
And he built a tower in the middle of it.
    He cut out a winepress as well.
He hoped good grapes would grow there.
    But only bad grapes grew.

My friend says, “You people living in Jerusalem,
    and you men of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard?
    I did everything I could.
I hoped for good grapes to grow.
    But why were there only bad grapes?
Now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard:
I will remove the hedge,
    and it will be burned.
I will break down the stone wall,
    and it will be walked on.
I will ruin my field.
    It will not be trimmed or hoed.
    Weeds and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain on it.”

The vineyard belonging to the Lord of heaven’s armies
    is the nation of Israel.
The garden that the Lord loves
    is the men of Judah.
The Lord looked for justice, but there was only killing.
    The Lord hoped for right living, but there were only cries of pain.

How terrible it will be for you who add more houses to your houses
    and more fields to your fields.
Finally there is no room left for other people.
    Then you are left alone in the land.

The Lord of heaven’s armies said this to me:

“The fine houses will be destroyed.
    The large and beautiful houses will be left empty.
10 At that time a ten-acre vineyard will make only six gallons of wine.
    And ten bushels of seed will grow only half a bushel of grain.”

11 How terrible it will be for people who rise early in the morning
    to look for strong drink.
They stay awake late at night,
    becoming drunk with wine.
12 At their parties they have lyres, harps,
    tambourines, flutes and wine.
They don’t see what the Lord has done.
    They don’t notice the work of his hands.
13 So my people will be captured and taken away
    because they don’t really know me.
All the great men will die of hunger.
    The common people will die of thirst.
14 So the place where the dead are wants more and more people.
    It opens its mouth wide.
Jerusalem’s important men will go down into it.
    And the common people will go down into it.
15 So the common people and the great people will be humbled.
    Those who are proud will be humbled.
16 The Lord of heaven’s armies will receive glory by judging fairly.
    The holy God will show himself holy by doing what is right.
17 Then the sheep will go anywhere they want.
    Lambs will feed on the land that rich people once owned.

18 How terrible it will be for those people!
    They pull their guilt and sins behind them
    as people pull wagons with ropes.
19 They say, “Let’s see God hurry.
    Let’s see him do his work soon.
    We want to see it.
Let’s see the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon.
    Then we would know what it really is.”

20 How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad
    and bad things good.
They think darkness is light
    and light is darkness.
They think sour is sweet
    and sweet is sour.

21 How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise.
    They think they are clever.

22 How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine.
    They are champions at mixing drinks.
23 They take money to set the guilty free.
    But they don’t allow good people to be judged fairly.
24 They will be destroyed
    just as fire burns straw or dry grass.
They will be destroyed
    like a plant whose roots rot
and whose flower dies and blows away like dust.
They have refused to obey the teachings of the Lord of heaven’s armies.
    They hated the message from the Holy God of Israel.
25 So the Lord has become very angry with his people.
    And he has raised his hand to punish them.
Even the mountains are frightened.
    Dead bodies lie in the streets like garbage.

But the Lord is still angry.
    His hand is still raised to strike down the people.

26 God raises a banner for the nations far away.
    He is whistling to call those people.
The enemy comes quickly!
27 Not one of them becomes tired or falls down.
    Not one of them gets sleepy and falls asleep.
Their weapons are close at hand.
    Their sandal straps are not broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp.
    All of their bows are ready to shoot.
The horses’ hooves are hard as rock.
    Their chariot wheels move like a whirlwind.
29 Their shout is like the roar of a lion.
    It is loud like a young lion.
The enemy growls as they grab their captives.
    There is no one to stop them from taking their captives away.
30 On that day they will roar
    like the waves of the sea.
And when people look at the land,
    they will see only darkness and pain.
    All light will become dark in this thick cloud.

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