BibleStudyIt Isaiah 5

³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard. ^{( F )
4} 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 )
5} 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 )
6} 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.”

⁷ 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 )}

“Surely the great houses will become desolate, ^{( W )}
the fine mansions left without occupants.
¹⁰ 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 )}

¹¹ 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 )
12} 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 )
13} 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 )
14} 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 )
15} So people will be brought low ^{( AL )}
and everyone humbled, ^{( AM )}
the eyes of the arrogant ^{( AN )} humbled.
¹⁶ 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.
¹⁷ Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; ^{( AR )}
lambs will feed ^{[ d ]} among the ruins of the rich.

¹⁸ Woe ^{( AS )} to those who draw sin along with cords ^{( AT )} of deceit,
and wickedness ^{( AU )} as with cart ropes,
¹⁹ 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 )}

²⁰ 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 )}

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes ^{( BD )}
and clever in their own sight.

²² Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine ^{( BE )}
and champions at mixing drinks, ^{( BF )
23} who acquit the guilty for a bribe, ^{( BG )}
but deny justice ^{( BH )} to the innocent. ^{( BI )
24} 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.
²⁵ 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 )}

²⁶ 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!
²⁷ 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 )
28} 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 )
29} 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 )
30} 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.