THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH
Isaiah 5 ©
The prophet, by a song concerning the Lord’s vineyard, puts the people in mind of the great mercies, which God had shown unto them, v. 1. On the contrary of their great unthankfulness, 4. Which was a cause that God had rejected them, 5. A woe announced against the rich and covetous, 8. And against drunkards, 11. And riotous persons, 12. A consolation for the godly, 17. A woe against unrighteous persons, 18. And against the scoffers at the threatenings of God, 19. And those who pervert everything, 20. Against the proud, 21. Against drunkards, 22. And unrighteous judges, 23. Their punishment, 24. The gathering together, the marching and cruel practice of the army of the Chaldeans against the Jews, 26.
NOW will I sing to 1my wellbeloved 2a song of my beloved 3touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard 4in a very fruitful hill:
5And he 6fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built 7a tower in the midst of it, and also made a 8winepress therein: and 9he looked that it should 10bring forth 11grapes, and it brought forth 12wild grapes.
13And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
14Whata could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? 15wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, 16brought it forth wild grapes?
And now go to; I will tell you 17what I will do to my vineyard: 18I will take away the 19hedgeb thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, 20and it shall be trodden down:
And 21I will lay it waste: 22it shall not be 23pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up 24briers and thorns: 25I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
26Forc the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and 27the men of Judah 28his pleasant plant: and he looked for 29judgment, but behold 30oppression; 31for righteousness, but behold a 32cry.
¶Woed unto them that 33join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be 34no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
35In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, 36Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and 37fair, 38without inhabitant.
39Yea, ten 40acres of vineyard shall yield 41one bath, and the seed of an 42homer shall 43yield an 44ephah.
¶Woee unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow 45strong drink; that 46continue until 47night, till wine inflame them!
And the harp, and the viol,f the tabret,g and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but 48they regard not the work of the LORD, 49neither consider the operation of his hands.
¶Thereforeh my people 50are gone into 51captivity, 52because they have no knowledge: 53and their honourable men are famished, and 54their multitude dried up with thirst.
55Therefore hell hath enlarged 56herself, and opened her mouth 57without measure: and 58their glory, and their 59multitude, 60and their pomp, and he 61that rejoiceth, shall descend into 62it.
And 63the mean man shall be brought down, and 64the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty 65shall be humbled:
But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted 66in judgment, and God that is holy 67shall be sanctified in righteousness.
68Theni69shall 70the lambs feed 71after their manner, and the waste places of the 72fat ones 73shall 74strangers eat.
Woe unto them that 75draw iniquity 76with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
That 77say, Let him make speed, and hasten 78his work, that we may see it: and let 79the counsel 80of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, 81that we may 82know it!
¶Woe unto them 83that call evil good, and good evil; 84that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woej unto them that are wise 85in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength 86to mingle 87strong drink:
Which 88justify the wicked for reward, and 89take away thek righteousness of the righteous from him!
Therefore asl90the fire 91devoureth the stubble, and the flame 92consumeth the chaff, so their 93root shall be 94as rottenness, and their 95blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath 96stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and 97the hills did tremble, and 98their carcases 99were torn inm the midst of the streets. 100For all thisn his anger is not turned away, but his hand is 101stretched out still.
¶ 102And he will 103lift up 104an ensign 105to the nations from far, and will 106hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, 107behold, 108they shall come with speed swiftly:
109None shall be weary nor stumble among them; 110none shall slumber nor sleep; 111neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
112Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows 113bent, their horses’ 114hoofs shall be counted like 115flint, and 116their wheels like a whirlwind:
117Their roaring shall be like a 118lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of 119the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
And in that day 120they shall roar 121against them like the roaring of the sea: 122and if one look unto theo land, behold 123darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened 124in the heavens thereof.