Add parallel Print Page Options

The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard

I will sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.(A)
He dug it and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded rotten grapes.(B)

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and people of Judah,
judge between me
    and my vineyard.(C)
What more was there to do for my vineyard
    that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield rotten grapes?(D)

And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.(E)
I will make it a wasteland;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.(F)

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are his cherished garden;
he expected justice
    but saw bloodshed;
righteousness
    but heard a cry!(G)

Read full chapter

The Song of the Vineyard

Let me sing for my beloved
    a song of my love concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard[a] on a fertile hill.[b]
And he dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and he planted it with choice vines,[c]
and he built a watchtower in the middle of it,
    and he even hewed out a wine vat in it,
and he waited for it to yield grapes—
    but it yielded wild grapes.
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and men[d] of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?
    Why did I hope for it to yield grapes, and it yielded wild grapes?

And now let me tell you what I myself am about to do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge, and it shall become a devastation.
    I will break down its wall, and it shall become a trampling.
And I will make it a wasteland;
    it shall not be pruned and hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers[e] and thornbushes.[f]
    And concerning the clouds, I will command them not to send[g] rain down upon it.
For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of Israel,
    and the man[h] of Judah is the plantation of his delight.
And he waited for justice,[i]
    but look! Bloodshed![j]
For righteousness,[k]
    but look! A cry of distress![l]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:1 Literally “A vineyard was for my beloved”
  2. Isaiah 5:1 Literally “a horn of a son of olive oil.” The Hebrew for horn, qeren, sounds like the Hebrew for vineyard, kerem
  3. Isaiah 5:2 Hebrew “vine”
  4. Isaiah 5:3 Hebrew “man”
  5. Isaiah 5:6 Hebrew “brier”
  6. Isaiah 5:6 Hebrew “thornbush”
  7. Isaiah 5:6 Literally “from sending”
  8. Isaiah 5:7 Or “people”
  9. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew word, mishpat, sounds like mishpakh in the next line
  10. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew word, mishpakh, sounds like mishpat in the previous line
  11. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew word, tsedaqah, sounds like tsa`aqah in the next line
  12. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew word, tsa`aqah, sounds like tsedaqah in the previous line