³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.^(F)
4 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)
5 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)
6 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.”

⁷ 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)

“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.

⁴ “Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!^(I)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
⁵ So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”

“Cut down the trees^(J)
    and build siege ramps^(K) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.^(L)
7 As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence^(M) and destruction^(N) resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
⁸ Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away^(O) from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”

“Let them glean the remnant^(P) of Israel
    as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
    like one gathering grapes.”

¹⁰ To whom can I speak and give warning?
    Who will listen^(Q) to me?
Their ears are closed^[a](R)
    so they cannot hear.^(S)
The word^(T) of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
¹¹ But I am full of the wrath^(U) of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.^(V)

“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men^(W) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.^(X)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,^(Y)
    together with their fields and their wives,^(Z)
when I stretch out my hand^(AA)
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
¹³ “From the least to the greatest,
    all^(AB) are greedy for gain;^(AC)
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(AD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.^(AE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.^(AF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish^(AG) them,”
says the Lord.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,^(AH)
ask where the good way^(AI) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest^(AJ) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
¹⁷ I appointed watchmen^(AK) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’^(AL)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’^(AM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
¹⁹ Hear, you earth:^(AN)
    I am bringing disaster^(AO) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,^(AP)
because they have not listened to my words^(AQ)
    and have rejected my law.^(AR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba^(AS)
    or sweet calamus^(AT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;^(AU)
    your sacrifices^(AV) do not please me.”^(AW)

“I will put obstacles before this people.
    Parents and children alike will stumble^(AX) over them;
    neighbors and friends will perish.”

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;^(AY)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.^(AZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.^(BA)
They sound like the roaring sea^(BB)
    as they ride on their horses;^(BC)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.^(BD)”

²⁴ We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.^(BE)
Anguish^(BF) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(BG)
25 Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.^(BH)
26 Put on sackcloth,^(BI) my people,
    and roll in ashes;^(BJ)
mourn with bitter wailing^(BK)
    as for an only son,^(BL)
for suddenly the destroyer^(BM)
    will come upon us.

²⁷ “I have made you a tester^(BN) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
²⁸ They are all hardened rebels,^(BO)
    going about to slander.^(BP)
They are bronze and iron;^(BQ)
    they all act corruptly.
²⁹ The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining^(BR) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
³⁰ They are called rejected silver,^(BS)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”^(BT)