Study Desk

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)

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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

So people will be brought low^(al) and everyone humbled,^(am) the eyes of the arrogant^(an) humbled.

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.

Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;^(ar) lambs will feed^[d] among the ruins of the rich.

Woe^(as) to those who draw sin along with cords^(at) of deceit, and wickedness^(au) as with cart ropes,

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)

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)

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

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine^(be) and champions at mixing drinks,^(bf)

who acquit the guilty for a bribe,^(bg) but deny justice^(bh) to the innocent.^(bi)

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.

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)

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!

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)

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)

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)

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.

Isaiah's Commission

In the year that King Uzziah^(a) died,^(b) I saw the Lord,^(c) high and exalted,^(d) seated on a throne;^(e) and the train of his robe^(f) filled the temple.

Above him were seraphim,^(g) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,^(h) and with two they were flying.

And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy⁽ⁱ⁾, holy is the Lord Almighty;^(j) the whole earth^(k) is full of his glory."^(l)

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.^(m)

"Woe⁽ⁿ⁾ to me!" I cried. "I am ruined!^(o) For I am a man of unclean lips,^(p) and I live among a people of unclean lips,^(q) and my eyes have seen^(r) the King,^(s) the Lord Almighty."^(t)

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal^(u) in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips;^(v) your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.^(w)"

Then I heard the voice^(x) of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?^(y) And who will go for us?^(z)" And I said, "Here am I.^(aa) Send me!"

He said, "Go^(ab) and tell this people: "‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'^(ac)

Make the heart of this people calloused;^(ad) make their ears dull and close their eyes.^[a](ae) Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,^(af) understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."^(ag)

Then I said, "For how long, Lord?"^(ah) And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined^(ai) and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted^(aj) and the fields ruined and ravaged,^(ak)

until the Lord has sent everyone far away^(al) and the land is utterly forsaken.^(am)

And though a tenth remains^(an) in the land, it will again be laid waste.^(ao) But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps^(ap) when they are cut down, so the holy^(aq) seed will be the stump in the land."^(ar)