Isaiah 5:1-7

Parable of the Vineyard

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Now let me sing for my greatly Beloved [Lord]
A song of my Beloved about His vineyard (His chosen people).
My greatly Beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile slope (the promised land, Canaan).^(A)

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He dug it all around and cleared away its stones,
And planted it with ^(a)the choicest vine (the people of Judah).
And He built a tower in the center of it;
And also hewed out a ^(b)wine vat in it.
Then He expected it to produce [the choicest] grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.

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“And now, says the Lord, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge between Me and My vineyard (My people).

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“What more could have been done for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to produce good grapes, why did it yield worthless ones?

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“So now let me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will take away its thorn-hedge, and it will be burned up;
I will break down its ^(c)stone wall and it will be trampled down [by enemies].

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“I will turn it into a wasteland;
It will not be pruned or cultivated,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also command the clouds not to rain on it.”

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For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of Israel
And the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves].
So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness;
[He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.

Footnotes:

a. Isaiah 5:2: Lit a bright red grape.

b. Isaiah 5:2: This was the lower of two hollowed-out reservoirs made in the soft rock, one above the other, connected by a channel that allowed the juice pressed out in the upper reservoir to flow to the lower.

c. Isaiah 5:5: The wall was usually made up of loose stones that had been cleared from the field.

Cross references:

A. Isaiah 5:1: Song of Solomon 6:3; Matthew 21:33-40