Old/New Testament
Song of the Vineyard
5 Let me sing of my beloved,
a song of my beloved, about His vineyard.
My beloved had a vineyard
in a very fertile hill.[a]
2 He dug it out and cleared its stones,
planted it with a choice vine,
built a tower in the midst of it,
and even cut out a winepress.
He expected it to yield good grapes,
but it yielded worthless grapes.
3 So now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
please judge
between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done?
Why then, when I expected it to yield good grapes,
did it yield worthless grapes?
5 So now, I will make known to you
what I will do to my vineyard:
I will take away the hedge,
and it will be eaten up.
I will break down the fence,
and it will be trodden down.
6 I will lay it waste:
it will not be pruned or hoed,
but briers and thorns will come up.
I will also command the clouds not to rain on it.
7 For the vineyard of Adonai-Tzva’ot
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
the planting of His delight.
He looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed,
for righteousness,
but behold, a cry!
Judgment for Injustice
8 Woe to those who join house to house
and merge field to field,
until there is no room,
and you will live alone
in the midst of the land!
9 In my ears, Adonai-Tzva’ot has said:
“Surely many houses will be desolate—
even grand and fine ones—
with no occupants.”
10 Ten acres of vineyard
will yield six gallons,
and an omer of seed
will yield one ephah.[b]
11 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning—
so they may pursue liquor,
who stay up late at night,
until wine inflames them!
12 Harp and lyre, tambourine and flute,
and wine are at their banquets.
They do not notice Adonai’s activity
nor see the works of His hands.
13 “Therefore My people are in captivity
for lack of knowledge.
Their honorable men are famished
and their multitudes parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its gullet
and opened its measureless mouth—
down goes her glory, her tumult,
her uproar, and the revelry in her.
15 So humanity will be bowed down
mankind will be humbled,
and the eyes of the lofty humbled.”
16 But Adonai-Tzva’ot will be exalted through justice,
and the Holy God consecrated through righteousness.
17 Then lambs will graze as if in their own pasture,
and nomads will eat in the ruins of the wealthy.
18 Oy to those that drag iniquity along with cords of deceit,
and sin as if with a cart rope!
19 They say: “Let Him hurry up
and hasten His work, so we may see it!
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel
draw near and come,
so we may know it!”
20 Oy to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who present darkness as light
and light as darkness,
who present bitter as sweet,
and sweet as bitter!
21 Oy to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and clever in their own sight!
22 Oy to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
and valiant at mixing drinks,
23 who justify the wicked for a bribe,
and deprive the innocent of justice!
24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw,
and as chaff collapses into the flame,
so their root will be like rot,
and their blossom will go up like dust.
For they have rejected the Torah of Adonai–Tzva’ot,
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore Adonai’s anger is kindled
against His people.
When He has stretched out His hand
against them and struck them,
the hills trembled, and their carcasses
were like refuse in the streets.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
yet His hand is still outstretched.
26 He will lift up a banner to nations far off,
and will whistle for them from the ends of the earth.
Look! Swiftly, speedily they come!
27 None will be weary
and none stumble among them;
none will slumber or sleep;
no belt will be loose at the waist;
no strap of sandals be broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp
and all their bows bent;
their horse hooves will be like flint
and their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion.
They will growl like young lions—
yes, they will roar, seize their prey
and carry it away safely—
and there will be none to rescue.
30 They will roar against them
like the roaring of the sea.
If one looks to the land,
behold, darkness and distress!
The light is darkened by the clouds.
Judah’s Encounter with Adonai
6 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw Adonai sitting on a throne, high and lifted up,[c] and the train of His robe filled the Temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 One called out to another, and said:
“Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is full of His glory.”[d]
4 Then the posts of the door trembled at the voice of those who called, and the House was filled with smoke. [e] 5 Then I said:
“Oy to me! For I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
and I am dwelling among a people of unclean lips.
For my eyes have seen the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips.
Your iniquity is taken away, and your sins atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying:
“Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?”
So I said, “Hineni. Send me.”
9 Then He said:
“Go! Tell this people:
‘Hear without understanding,
and see without perceiving.’[f]
10 Make the heart of this people fat,
their ears heavy, and their eyes blind.
Else they would see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and return, and be healed.”[g]
11 Then I said, “Adonai, how long?”
He answered,
“Until cities are laid waste
and without inhabitant,
houses are without people,
and the land is utterly desolate.
12 Adonai will drive people far away.
The desertion of the land will be vast.
13 Though a tenth still be in it,
it will again be burned.
As a terebinth tree or as an oak
whose stump remains when cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump.”
Greetings
1 Paul, an emissary of Messiah Yeshua by God’s will,
To the kedoshim in Ephesus[a]—those trusting in Messiah Yeshua:
2 Grace and shalom to you, from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah!
God’s Glorious Grace
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah. 4 He chose us in the Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love. 5 He predestined us for adoption as sons through Messiah Yeshua, in keeping with the good pleasure of His will— 6 to the glorious praise of His grace, with which He favored us through the One He loves!
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood—the removal of trespasses—in keeping with the richness of His grace 8 that He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight, 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, in keeping with His good pleasure that He planned in Messiah. 10 The plan of the fullness of times is to bring all things together in the Messiah—both things in heaven and things on earth, all in Him. 11 In Him we also were chosen,[b] predestined according to His plan. He keeps working out all things according to the purpose of His will— 12 so that we, who were first to put our hope in Messiah, might be for His glorious praise.
13 After you heard the message of truth—the Good News of your salvation—and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach ha-Kodesh. 14 He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession—to His glorious praise!
God’s Glorious Power Working in Us
15 Therefore, ever since I heard of your trust in the Lord Yeshua and of your love for all the kedoshim, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers— 17 that the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, our glorious Father, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the richness of His glorious inheritance in the kedoshim, 19 and what is His exceedingly great power toward us who keep trusting Him—in keeping with the working of His mighty strength.
20 This power He exercised in Messiah when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven. [c] 21 He is far above any ruler, authority, power, leader, and every name that is named—not only in the olam ha-zeh but also in the olam ha-ba. 22 God placed all things under Messiah’s feet[d] and appointed Him as head over all things for His community— 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.