Isaiah 5

ashirah na lididi shirat dodi lekharmo kerem hayah lididi beqeren ben-shamen

Let me sing for my beloved A song of my lover about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard On a fruitful hill.

vaye'azzeqehu vayesaqqelehu vayyitta'ehu soreq vayyiven migdal betokho vegam-yeqev khatsev bo vayeqav la'asot anavim vayya'as be'ushim

He broke the ground, cleared it of stones, And planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower inside it, He even hewed a wine press in it; For he hoped it would yield grapes. Instead, it yielded wild grapes.

ve'attah yoshev yerushalai͏m ve'ish yehudah shiftu-na beni uven karmi

“Now, then, Dwellers of Jerusalem And citizenry of Judah, You be the judges Between Me and My vineyard:

mah-lla'asot od lekharmi velo asiti bo maddua qivveti la'asot anavim vayya'as be'ushim

What more could have been done for My vineyard That I failed to do in it? Why, when I hoped it would yield grapes, Did it yield wild grapes?

ve'attah odi'ah-nna etkhem et asher-ani oseh lekharmi haser mesukkato vehayah leva'er parots gedero vehayah lemirmas

“Now I am going to tell you What I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, That it may be ravaged; I will break down its wall, That it may be trampled.

va'ashitehu vatah lo yizzamer velo ye'ader ve'alah shamir vashayit ve'al he'avim atsavveh mehametir alayw matar

And I will make it a desolation; It shall not be pruned or hoed, And it shall be overgrown with briers and thistles. And I will command the clouds To drop no rain on it.”

ki kherem Adonai tseva'ot bet yisra'el ve'ish yehudah neta sha'ashu'ayw vayeqav lemishpat vehinneh mispakh litsdaqah vehinneh tse'aqah

For the vineyard of GOD of Hosts Is the House of Israel, And the seedlings he lovingly tended Is the citizenry of Judah. And [God] hoped for justice, But behold, injustice; For equity, But behold, iniquity!

hoy maggi'e vayit bevayit sadeh vesadeh yaqrivu ad efes maqom vehushavtem levaddekhem beqerev ha'arets

Ah, Those who add house to house And join field to field, Till there is room for none but you To dwell in the land!

be'oznay Adonai tseva'ot im-lo battim rabbim leshammah yihyu gedolim vetovim me'en yoshev

In my hearing [said] GOD of Hosts: Surely, great houses Shall lie forlorn, Spacious and splendid ones Without occupants.

ki aseret tsimde-kherem ya'asu bat ekhat vezera khomer ya'aseh efah

For ten acres of vineyard Shall yield just one bath, And a field sown with a ḥomer of seed Shall yield a mere ephah.

hoy mashkime vabboqer shekhar yirdofu me'akhare vanneshef yayin yadliqem

Ah, Those who chase liquor From early in the morning, And till late in the evening Are inflamed by wine!

vehayah khinnor vanevel tof vekhalil vayayin mishtehem ve'et po'al Adonai lo yabbitu uma'aseh yadayw lo ra'u

Who, at their banquets, Have lyre and lute, Timbrel, flute, and wine; But who never give a thought To the divine plan, And take no note Of GOD’s design.

lakhen galah ammi mibbeli-da'at ukhevodo mete ra'av vahamono tsikheh tsama

Assuredly, My people will suffer exile For not giving heed, Its multitude victims of hunger And its masses parched with thirst.

lakhen hirkhivah she'ol nafshah ufa'arah fiha livli-khoq veyarad hadarah vahamonah ushe'onah ve'alez bah

Assuredly, Sheol has opened wide its gullet And parted its jaws in a measureless gape; And down into it shall go, That splendor and tumult, That din and revelry.

vayyishakh adam vayyishpal-ish ve'ene gevohim tishpalnah

Yea, human is bowed, And mortal brought low; Brought low is the pride of the haughty.

vayyigbah Adonai tseva'ot bammishpat veha'el haqqadosh niqdash bitsdaqah

And GOD of Hosts is exalted by judgment, The Holy God proved holy by retribution.

vera'u khevasim kedovram vekhorvot mekhim garim yokhelu

Then lambs shall graze As in their meadows, And strangers shall feed On the ruins of the stout.

hoy moshekhe he'avon bekhavle hashav vekha'avot ha'agalah khatta'ah

Ah, Those who haul sin with cords of falsehood And iniquity as with cart ropes!

ha'omerim yemaher yakhishah ma'asehu lema'an nireh vetiqrav vetavo'ah atsat qedosh yisra'el veneda'ah

Who say, “Let [God] speed, let God’s purpose be hastened, If we are to give thought; Let the plans of the Holy One of Israel Be quickly fulfilled, If we are to give heed.”

hoy ha'omerim lara tov velattov ra samim khoshekh le'or ve'or lekhoshekh samim mar lematoq umatoq lemar

Ah, Those who call evil good And good evil; Who present darkness as light And light as darkness; Who present bitter as sweet And sweet as bitter!

hoy khakhamim be'enehem veneged penehem nevonim

Ah, Those who are so wise— In their own opinion; So clever— In their own judgment!

hoy gibborim lishtot yayin ve'anshe-khayil limsokh shekhar

Ah, Those who are so doughty— As drinkers of wine, And so valiant— As mixers of drink!

matsdiqe rasha eqev shokhad vetsidqat tsaddiqim yasiru mimmennu

Who vindicate the one who is in the wrong In return for a bribe, And withhold vindication From those who are in the right.

lakhen ke'ekhol qash leshon esh vakhashash lehavah yirpeh shorsham kammaq yihyeh ufirkham ka'avaq ya'aleh ki ma'asu et torat Adonai tseva'ot ve'et imrat qedosh-yisra'el ni'etsu

Assuredly, As straw is consumed by a tongue of fire And hay shrivels as it burns, Their stock shall become like rot, And their buds shall blow away like dust. For they have rejected the instruction of GOD of Hosts, Spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

al-ken kharah af-Adonai be'ammo vayyet yado alayw vayyakkehu vayyirgezu heharim vattehi nivlatam kassukhah beqerev khutsot bekhol-zot lo-shav appo ve'od yado netuyah

That is why GOD’s anger was roused Against this covenanted people, Why God’s arm was stretched out against it And struck it, So that the mountains quaked, And its corpses lay Like refuse in the streets. Yet God’s anger has not turned back, And the divine arm is outstretched still.

venasa-nes laggoyim merakhoq vesharaq lo miqtseh ha'arets vehinneh meherah qal yavo

[God] will raise an ensign to a nation afar, Whistle to one at the end of the earth. There it comes with lightning speed!

en-ayef ve'en-koshel bo lo yanum velo yishan velo niftakh ezor khalatsayw velo nittaq serokh ne'alayw

In its ranks, none is weary or stumbles, They never sleep or slumber; The belts on their waists do not come loose, Nor do the thongs of their sandals break.

asher khitsayw shenunim vekhol-qashetotayw derukhot parsot susayw katsar nekhshavu vegalgillayw kassufah

Their arrows are sharpened, And all their bows are drawn. Their horses’ hoofs are like flint, Their chariot wheels like the whirlwind.

she'agah lo kallavi (vshg) [yishag] kakkefirim veyinhom veyokhez teref veyaflit ve'en matsil

Their roaring is like a lion’s, They roar like the great beasts; When they growl and seize a prey, They carry it off and none can recover it.

veyinhom alayw bayyom hahu kenahamat-yam venibbat la'arets vehinneh-khoshekh tsar va'or khashakh ba'arifeha

But in that day, a roaring shall resound over My people like that of the sea; and then they shall look below and, behold, Distressing darkness, with light; Darkness, in its lowering clouds.