The Vision of Isaiah

Chapter 5

Under the parable of a vineyard, God excuses his severe judgment, 1-7. His judgments upon covetousness, 8-10; upon lasciviousness, 11, 12; upon impiety, 13-19; and upon injustice, 20-25. The executioners of God's judgments, 26-30.

1 Now I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill.

2 And he fenced it, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the midst of it, and made a wine-press therein. And he expected that it would bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected that it would bring forth grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?

5 And now come. I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge and it shall be eaten up, and break down its wall and it shall be trodden down.

6 And I will lay it waste. It shall not be pruned, nor dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. And he looked for judgment, but behold oppression, for righteousness, but behold a cry.

8 Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field until there is no place and you have been placed alone in the midst of the earth!

9 In my ears the LORD of hosts said, "Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

10 Even ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah."

11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning so that they may follow strong drink, who continue until night until wine inflames them!

12 And the harp, the psaltery, the tambourine, pipe, and wine are in their feasts, but they do not regard the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.

13 Therefore, my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge. And their honorable men are famished and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore, hell has enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure. And their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices shall descend into it.

15 And man shall be brought down, the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be abased.

16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God who is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

17 Then the lambs shall feed after their manner, and strangers shall eat in the waste places of the fat ones.

18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as with a cart-rope,

19 Who say, "Let him make speed and hasten his work so that we may see it. And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come so that we may know it!"

20 Woe to those 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 to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink,

23 Who justify the wicked for reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness and their blossom 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.

25 Therefore, the anger of the LORD is kindled against his people, and he has stretched forth his hand against them and has smitten them. And the hills trembled, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from afar and will hiss to them from the end of the earth, and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them and none shall slumber nor sleep, neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosened, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken,

28 Whose arrows are sharp and all their bows bent, their horses' hooves shall be counted like flint and their wheels like a whirlwind.

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion. They shall roar like young lions. They shall even roar and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and no one shall deliver it.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in its heavens.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Isaiah, Chapter 5[➚]

Notes

[v.1-7] - This passage is used as a parable in Matthew 21:33 and Mark 12:1.

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