1 I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard: My well-beloved had a vineyard upon a fruitful hill.2 And he dug it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine; and he built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.4 What was there yet to do to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? -5 And now, let me tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trodden under foot;6 and I will make it a waste-it shall not be pruned nor cultivated, but there shall come up briars and thorns; and I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.7 For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah the plant of his delight: and he looked for justice, and behold, blood-shedding; for righteousness, and behold, a cry.8 Woe unto them that add house to house, that join field to field, until there is no more room, and that ye dwell yourselves alone in the midst of the land!9 In mine ears Jehovah of hosts {hath said}, Many houses shall assuredly become a desolation, great and excellent ones, without inhabitant.10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an ephah.11 Woe unto them that, rising early in the morning, run after strong drink; that linger till twilight, {till} wine inflameth them!12 And harp and lyre, tambour and flute, and wine are in their banquets; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, nor do they see the operation of his hands.13 Therefore my people are led away captive from lack of knowledge, and their nobility die of famine, and their multitude are parched with thirst.14 Therefore doth Sheol enlarge its desire, and open its mouth without measure; and her splendour shall descend {into it}, and her multitude, and her tumult, and {all} that is joyful within her.15 And the mean man shall be bowed down, and the great man brought low, and the eyes of the lofty shall be brought low;16 and Jehovah of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and the holy *God hallowed in righteousness.17 And the lambs shall feed as on their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart-ropes!19 who say, Let him hasten, let him speed his work, that we may see {it}; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!20 Woe unto them who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent in their own esteem!22 Woe unto them that are mighty for drinking wine, and men valiant to mix strong drink;23 who justify the wicked for a bribe, and turn away the righteousness of the righteous from them!24 Therefore as a tongue of fire devoureth the stubble, and dry grass sinketh down in the flame, their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; for they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.25 Therefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched out his hand against them and hath smitten them; and the mountains trembled, and their carcases are become as dung in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.26 And he will lift up a banner to the nations afar off, and will hiss for one from the end of the earth; and behold, it will come rapidly {and} lightly.27 None among them is weary, none stumbleth; they slumber not, nor sleep; none hath the girdle of his loins loosed, nor the thong of his sandals broken;28 their arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs are reckoned as the flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind.29 Their roaring is like a lioness, they roar as the young lions; yea, they growl, and snatch the prey, and carry it away safe, and there is none to deliver;30 and they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. And if one look upon the earth, behold darkness {and} distress, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

1 Laat my tog sing van my Beminde; 'n lied van my Beminde oor sy wingerd! My Beminde het 'n wingerd op 'n vrugbare heuwel.2 En Hy het dit omgespit en die klippe daar uitgehaal en dit beplant met edel wingerdstokke; en Hy het 'n toring daar binne-in gebou en ook 'n parskuip daarin uitgekap; en Hy het verwag dat dit druiwe sou dra, maar dit het wilde druiwe voortgebring.3 Nou dan, inwoners van Jerusalem en manne van Juda, oordeel tog tussen My en my wingerd.4 Wat is daar meer te doen aan my wingerd wat Ek daar nie aan gedoen het nie? Waarom het Ek verwag dat dit druiwe sou dra, en dit het wilde druiwe voortgebring?5 Laat My julle dan nou te kenne gee wat Ek met my wingerd gaan doen: Ek sal sy doringheining wegneem, sodat dit verwoes word; Ek sal sy muur stukkend breek, sodat dit vertrap word.6 En Ek sal dit 'n wildernis maak: dit sal nie gesnoei of omgespit word nie, maar opskiet met dorings en distels; en Ek sal die wolke gebied om nie daarop te reën nie.7 Want die wingerd van die HERE van die leërskare is die huis van Israel, en die manne van Juda is die tuin van sy verlustiging; en Hy het gewag op reg, maar kyk, dit was bloedvergieting; op geregtigheid, maar kyk, dit was geskreeu!8 Wee hulle wat huis aan huis trek, akker aan akker voeg, totdat daar geen plek meer is nie, en julle alleen grondeienaars in die land is.9 In my ore het die HERE van die leërskare gespreek: Waarlik, baie huise sal 'n woesteny word, die grotes en mooies sonder inwoner.10 Want tien morg wingerd sal een enkele bat oplewer, en 'n homer saad sal 'n efa opbring.11 Wee hulle wat vroeg in die môre klaarmaak om sterk drank na te jaag, wat in die nag l t opbly terwyl die wyn hulle verhit.12 En daar is siter en harp, tamboeryn en fluit en wyn by hulle maaltyd; maar op die dade van die HERE gee hulle geen ag nie, en die werk van sy hande sien hulle nie.13 Daarom gaan my volk in ballingskap weens gebrek aan kennis, en hulle aansienlikes word hongerlyers en hulle menigte versmag van dors.14 Daarom het die doderyk sy keel wyd oopgemaak en sy mond uitgerek sonder maat, en daarin sink hulle adel en hulle menigte en hulle luidrugtigheid en diegene onder hulle wat uitgelate is.15 Dan word die mens gebuig en die man verneder, en die oë van die hoogmoedige mense word verneder.16 Maar hoog sal die HERE van die leërskare wees deur die strafgerig, en die heilige God sal Hom as die Heilige laat ken deur geregtigheid.17 En daar sal lammers wei soos op hulle eie weiveld, en rondtrekkers sal die puinhope van die ryk mense laat afeet.18 Wee hulle wat die ongeregtigheid nader trek met koorde van goddeloosheid, en die sonde soos met wa-toue;19 wat sê: Laat Hy gou maak, laat Hy sy werk verhaas, dat ons dit kan sien! En laat die raad van die Heilige van Israel naby wees en kom, dat ons dit kan ken!20 Wee hulle wat sleg goed noem en goed sleg, wat die duisternis lig maak en die lig duisternis, wat bitter soet maak en soet bitter.21 Wee hulle wat in eie oë wys en na eie oordeel verstandig is.22 Wee hulle wat helde is om wyn te drink en wakker manne om sterk drank te meng;23 wat vir 'n omkoopgeskenk die skuldige regverdig verklaar en die reg van die regverdige hom ontneem.24 Daarom, soos die vuurtong stoppels verteer en droë gras in die vlam inmekaarsak, so sal hulle wortel soos poeier word en hulle uitspruitsel soos stof opstuiwe; omdat hulle die wet van die HERE van die leërskare verwerp het en die woord van die Heilige van Israel verag het.25 Daarom het die toorn van die HERE ontvlam teen sy volk en het Hy sy hand teen hulle uitgestrek en hulle swaar getref, sodat die berge gebeef het en hulle lyke soos vuilnis op die strate was. Ondanks dit alles is sy toorn nie afgewend nie, maar is sy hand nog uitgestrek.26 En Hy sal 'n banier ophef vir die nasies in die verte, en Hy fluit vir die volk daar aan die einde van die aarde; en kyk, gou, haastig kom hulle.27 Geen vermoeide en geen struikelende is onder hulle nie; hulle sluimer of slaap nie, en die gord van hulle heupe word nie losgemaak nie, en die riem van hulle skoene breek nie;28 wie se pyle skerp is en al hulle boë gespan; die pote van hulle perde is soos 'n klipsteen en hulle wiele soos 'n stormwind.29 Hulle gebrul is soos die van 'n leeuin, hulle brul soos jong leeus en maak gedreun en gryp die prooi en sleep weg sonder dat iemand red.30 En in die dag sal dit oor hulle dreun soos die gedreun van die see. As iemand die aarde aanskou, kyk, daar is angsvolle duisternis; en die lig is verduister deur die wolke.