“The one I love had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
² He plowed its land^[b] and cleared it of stones.
    Then he planted it with the choicest vines,
built a watchtower in the middle of it,
    and dug a wine vat in it;
He expected^[c] it to produce good^[d] grapes,
    but it produced only wild ones.”^[e]

³ “So now, you inhabitants^[f] of Jerusalem
    and men of Judah,
judge, won’t you please,
    between me and my vineyard.
⁴ What more could I do in^[g] my vineyard,
    that I haven’t already done?
When I expected it to produce good^[h] grapes,
    why did it yield^[i] wild ones?^[j]

⁵ “Now, let me tell you, won’t you please,
    what I’m going to do to my vineyard.

“I’m going to take away its protective hedge,
    and it will be devoured;^[k]
I’ll break down its wall,
    and it will be trampled.
⁶ I’ll make it a wasteland,
    and it won’t be pruned or cultivated.
Instead, briers and thorns will grow up.
    I’ll also issue commands to the clouds,
        that they drop no rain upon it.”

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies
    is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
    are the garden in which he delights.^[l]
He looked for justice,
    but saw only bloodshed;
he searched^[m] for righteousness,
    but heard only an outcry!

⁹ The Lord of the Heavenly Armies has declared this so I could hear it:

“Surely many houses will become desolate,
    great and beautiful houses,
        without occupants.
¹⁰ For ten acres of vineyard will produce only one bath,^[o]
    and one omer^[p] of seed^[q] will produce only one ephah.”^[r]

¹⁶ But the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is exalted in justice,
    and the Holy God proves himself to be righteously holy.
¹⁷ Then the lambs will graze in their pasture;
    fatlings and foreigners will eat
        among the waste places of the rich.”

²² “How terrible it will be for those who are heroes at drinking wine,
    and champions in mixing strong drink,
²³ who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    and deprive the innocent of justice!”

Throughout all of this, his anger has not turned away,
    and his hands are^[ae] still stretched out to attack.^[af]

²⁶ The Lord^[ag] will signal^[ah] for nations far away,
    whistling for them to come^[ai]
        from the ends of the earth.
Look how quickly
    and how swiftly they come!
²⁷ No one is weary, no one stumbles,^[aj]
    and no one slumbers or sleeps.
No belt around their waists will come undone,
    nor will their sandal straps be broken.
²⁸ Their arrows are sharp,
    all their bows ready for action.^[ak]
Their horses’ hooves seem like flint,
    and their chariot wheels spin^[al] like a whirlwind.
²⁹ With a roar like a lion, they snarl,
    and like young lions, they growl;^[am]
they seize their prey
    and then carry it off,
        with no one to rescue.
³⁰ They will roar over it^[an] at that time,^[ao]
    like the sea waves roar.
If one surveys the land, watch out!
    There’s darkness and distress;
        even the daylight is darkened by its clouds.