THE SONG OF THE VINEYARD
Key verse: 7
NIV
The Song of the Vineyard
5 I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.(B)
He built a watchtower(C) in it
and cut out a winepress(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.(E)
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.”
Cross references
- Isaiah 5:1 : Ps 80:8-9; Isa 27:2; Jn 15:1
- Isaiah 5:2 : S Ex 15:17; Isa 16:8
- Isaiah 5:2 : 1Sa 2:9; Isa 27:3; 31:5; 49:8; Mt 21:33
- Isaiah 5:2 : S Job 24:11
- Isaiah 5:2 : Mt 21:19; Mk 11:13; Lk 13:6
- Isaiah 5:3 : Mt 21:40
- Isaiah 5:4 : S 2Ch 36:15; Jer 2:5-7; Mic 6:3-4; Mt 23:37
- Isaiah 5:4 : Jer 2:21; 24:2; 29:17
- Isaiah 5:5 : 2Ch 36:21; Isa 6:12; 27:10
- Isaiah 5:5 : S Ps 80:12; S Isa 22:5
- Isaiah 5:5 : Isa 10:6; 26:6; 28:3, 18; 41:25; 63:3; Jer 12:10; 34:22; La 1:15; Hos 2:12; Mic 7:10; Mal 4:3; S Lk 21:24
- Isaiah 5:6 : S Ge 6:13; S Lev 26:32; Isa 6:13; 49:17, 19; 51:3; Joel 1:10
- Isaiah 5:6 : ver 10, 17; S 2Sa 23:6; Isa 7:23, 24; 32:13; 34:13; 55:13; Eze 28:24; Hos 2:12; Heb 6:8
- Isaiah 5:6 : S Dt 28:24; S 2Sa 1:21; Am 4:7
- Isaiah 5:7 : Ps 80:8; Isa 17:10; 18:5; 37:30
- Isaiah 5:7 : Isa 10:2; 29:21; 32:7; 59:15; 61:8; Eze 9:9; 22:29
- Isaiah 5:7 : S Isa 1:21
- Isaiah 5:7 : S Ps 12:5
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
The Vineyard of the Lord Destroyed
5 Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had (A)a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with (B)choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and (C)he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 (D)What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
(E)When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove (F)its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;[a]
(G)I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and (H)briers and thorns shall grow up;
(I)I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
7 (J)For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;[b]
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry![c]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:5 Or grazed over; compare Exodus 22:5
- Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for justice and bloodshed sound alike
- Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for righteous and outcry sound alike
Cross references
- Isaiah 5:1 : Ps. 80:8; Matt. 21:33; Mark 12:1; Luke 20:9; [Hos. 9:10]
- Isaiah 5:2 : Jer. 2:21
- Isaiah 5:2 : [Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13; Luke 13:6]
- Isaiah 5:4 : [Mic. 6:3, 4]
- Isaiah 5:4 : [See ver. 2 above]; [Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13; Luke 13:6]
- Isaiah 5:5 : [Jer. 5:10]
- Isaiah 5:5 : Ps. 80:12; [Prov. 24:31]
- Isaiah 5:6 : See ch. 7:23-25
- Isaiah 5:6 : [1 Kgs. 17:1; Jer. 14:1, 22]
- Isaiah 5:7 : [ch. 3:14]; See Ps. 80:8-11
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
Listen to the music! The song of the vineyard starts off bright and lively. It is a beautiful image of what could be. The vineyard has so much potential and is curated by none other than God himself. In everything, God’s breath of life, his expert handiwork and wisdom, is evident, and his unique flavors are hidden, ready to blossom and bear fruit. There is so much potential!
When the song crescendos and you expect it to reach a bright moment—it suddenly becomes tragic. The yield of fruit is not good. Sour, rotten, tasteless, and diseased grapes arise. Something has gone terribly wrong, and it is everywhere in the vineyard. We get to the dark but necessary end that the vineyard must be laid to waste. The fruit cannot continue to thrive.
The vineyard here represents God’s land. It is our community. It is us, and how we live and bear fruits of God’s spirit—his love, justice, and life for all. May the song be a wakeup call to reorient our lives to God’s life-giving spirit.
Prayer: Lord, you are the source of life. May we trust in you to bear good fruit.
One Word: Produce good fruit
