A Love Song Gone Sour

5:1 I¹ will sing to my love,
a song to my lover about his vineyard.²
My love had a vineyard,
on a fertile hill.³
5:2 He built a hedge around it,⁴ removed its stones,
and planted a vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it,
and constructed a winepress.
He waited for it to produce edible grapes,
but it produced sour grapes.⁵
5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem,
people⁶ of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard.
5:4 What more can I do for my vineyard
beyond what I have already done?
When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,
why did it produce sour grapes?
5:5 Now I will inform you
what I am about to do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture,⁷
I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there.⁸
5:6 I will make it a wasteland,
it will not be pruned or hoed,
and thorns and briers will grow there.
I will order the clouds
not to drop any rain on it.
5:7 Indeed⁹ Israel¹⁰ is the vineyard of the LORD who leads armies,
the people¹¹ of Judah the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got—disobedience,¹²
he waited for fairness, but look what he got—cries for help.¹³

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead,¹⁴
those who accumulate landed property,¹⁵
until there is no land left,¹⁶
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land.¹⁷
5:9 The LORD who leads armies told me this:¹⁸
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.¹⁹
5:10 Indeed a large vineyard²⁰ will produce just a few gallons,²¹
and enough seed to yield several bushels²² will produce less than a bushel.”²³
5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead,²⁴
those who keep drinking past dark until they are intoxicated with wine.²⁵
5:12 They have stringed instruments,²⁶ tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the LORD is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about.²⁷
5:13 Therefore my²⁸ people will be deported²⁹
because of their lack of understanding.
Their³⁰ leaders will have nothing to eat,³¹
their³² masses will have nothing to drink.³³
5:14 So Death³⁴ will open up its throat,
and open wide its mouth;³⁵
Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,
including those who revel and celebrate within her.³⁶
5:15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low.³⁷
5:16 The LORD who leads armies will be exalted³⁸ when he punishes,³⁹
the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.⁴⁰
5:17 Lambs⁴¹ will graze as if in their pastures,
amid the ruins the fatlings and young sheep graze.⁴²
5:18 Those who pull evil along with a sheep halter are as good as dead,⁴³
who pull sin with a calf rope.⁴⁴
5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly,⁴⁵
so we can see;
let the plan of the sovereign king⁴⁶ of Israel take shape⁴⁷ and come to pass,
then we’ll know.”
5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead,⁴⁸
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.⁴⁹
5:21 Those who think they wise are as good as dead,⁵⁰
who think they possess understanding.⁵¹
5:22 Those who are champions⁵² at drinking wine are as good as dead,⁵³
who display great courage²³⁵ when mixing strong drinks.
5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,
they ignore the just cause of the innocent.⁵⁴
5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire⁵⁵ devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust.⁵⁶
For they have rejected the law of the LORD who leads armies,
they have spurned the commands of the sovereign king of Israel.⁵⁷
5:25 So the LORD is furious⁵⁸ with his people,
he lifts⁵⁹ his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manure⁶⁰ in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.⁶¹
5:26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation,⁶²
he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.
Look, they⁶³ come quickly and swiftly.
5:27 None tire or stumble,
they don’t stop to nap or sleep.
They don’t loosen their belts,
or unstrap their sandals to rest.⁶⁴
5:28 Their arrows are sharpened,
and all their bows are prepared.⁶⁵
The hooves of their horses are as hard as flint,⁶⁶
and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm.⁶⁷
5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s,
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey,
they haul it away and no one can come to the rescue.
5:30 At that time⁶⁸ they will growl over their prey,⁶⁹
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks.⁷⁰
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness.⁷¹