1Let me sing a song for my love, about his vineyard. My love owned a vineyard on a productive hill.

2He dug it over, cleared the ground of stones, and planted it with the very best vines. In the middle of it he built a watchtower, and he also cut out a winepress from the rock. Then he waited for a good harvest of grapes, but it only produced wild, sour grapes.

3“Now, you people who live in Jerusalem and Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

4What more could I have done for my vineyard than I've already done? When I looked for sweet grapes, why did it only produce sour ones?

5So let me tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard. I'll remove its hedge, and it will be destroyed. I'll tear down its wall, and it will be trampled underfoot.

6I'll turn it into a wasteland. It won't be pruned or weeded—it will be overgrown with brambles and thorns. I'll order the clouds not to rain on it.”

7Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Almighty, and the people of Judah are the plants in his garden that made him happy. Yet while he hoped for justice, he only saw injustice; he hoped people would live right, but he only heard the cries of those who were suffering.

8Tragedy is coming to you who buy house upon house and field upon field, joining them all together until no one else has anywhere to live and you live alone in the land.

9I heard the Lord Almighty declare: You can be sure that many houses are destined to become ruins, and beautiful mansions destined to become uninhabited.

10Ten acres of vineyard will only produce six gallons of wine, and a measure of seed only a tenth of that in grain. ¹²

11Tragedy is coming to you who get up early in the morning wanting a drink, and who stay up late drinking wine until you're drunk.

12At their feasts you have lyres and harps, tambourines and flutes, and wine, but you don't ever consider what the Lord is doing, and you don't recognize his help.

13As a result my people will be exiled for their lack of understanding. ¹³Their honored leaders will starve, and the crowds will be dying of thirst.

14The grave's appetite increases, its mouth opens wide, and Jerusalem's nobility and the masses will go down into it, along with the rowdy, drunken mobs.

15Everyone will be brought down, everyone will be humbled; the proud will lower their eyes in humiliation.

16But the Lord Almighty will be vindicated because he does what is right; the holy God will be shown to be holy because of his goodness.

17Lambs will graze as in their own pasture; fattened livestock and goats will feed among the ruins of the rich. ¹⁴

18Tragedy is coming to you who drag along your sins behind you with cords made of lies, pulling with ropes your cartful of wickedness.

19You are among the people who say, “God should hurry up! Why doesn't God get a move on with what he's doing so we can see it? Why doesn't the Holy One of Israel execute his plan? Let's see it happen so we can understand what it is!”

20Tragedy is coming to you who say evil is good, and good is evil; who turn darkness into light and light into darkness; who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter.

21Tragedy is coming to you who are wise in your own eyes and think you're so clever.

22Tragedy is coming to you who are wine-drinking champions, and experts at mixing alcoholic drinks;

23you who set the guilty free for a bribe, and yet deny justice to the innocent.

24In the same way fire burns up stubble and dry grass falls down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers disintegrate into dust. For they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty, and have treated with contempt what the Holy One of Israel has said.

25That's why the Lord burns with anger ¹⁵against his people. He has lifted up his hand and hit them, shaking the mountains, and leaving their corpses lying like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, his anger is not finished, and his hand is still lifted up.

26He will send a signal to the distant nations, and will whistle for those living at the ends of the earth. See how quickly they respond, how speedily they come!

27None of them gets tired or stumbles; none of them rests or sleeps. No belt comes loose, and no sandal strap breaks.

28Their arrows are already sharpened, and all their bows have been strung. The hooves of their horses are hard as flint; their chariot wheels spin like a whirlwind.

29They roar like lions, like young lions. They growl, and pounce on their prey. They drag it off so it can't be rescued.

30At that time they will roar over their prey like the roaring of the sea. Anyone who looks out over the land will see only darkness and distress—even the sunlight will be darkened by clouds.