Woes and Judgments

Woe(A) to you who add house to house
    and join field to field(B)
till no space is left
    and you live alone in the land.

The Lord Almighty(C) has declared in my hearing:(D)

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(E)
    the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine;
    a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”(F)

11 Woe(G) to those who rise early in the morning
    to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
    till they are inflamed with wine.(H)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
    pipes(I) and timbrels(J) and wine,
but they have no regard(K) for the deeds of the Lord,
    no respect for the work of his hands.(L)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(M)
    for lack of understanding;(N)
those of high rank(O) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.(P)
14 Therefore Death(Q) expands its jaws,
    opening wide its mouth;(R)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
    with all their brawlers and revelers.(S)
15 So people will be brought low(T)
    and everyone humbled,(U)
    the eyes of the arrogant(V) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(W) by his justice,(X)
    and the holy God will be proved holy(Y) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(Z)
    lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.

18 Woe(AA) to those who draw sin along with cords(AB) of deceit,
    and wickedness(AC) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten(AD) his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(AE) of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”(AF)

20 Woe(AG) to those who call evil good(AH)
    and good evil,(AI)
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,(AJ)
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.(AK)

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(AL)
    and clever in their own sight.

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(AM)
    and champions at mixing drinks,(AN)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(AO)
    but deny justice(AP) to the innocent.(AQ)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(AR) lick up straw(AS)
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(AT)
    and their flowers blow away like dust;(AU)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word(AV) of the Holy One(AW) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(AX) burns against his people;
    his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(AY)
    and the dead bodies(AZ) are like refuse(BA) in the streets.(BB)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(BC)
    his hand is still upraised.(BD)

26 He lifts up a banner(BE) for the distant nations,
    he whistles(BF) for those at the ends of the earth.(BG)
Here they come,
    swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(BH) or stumbles,
    not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(BI) is loosened at the waist,(BJ)
    not a sandal strap is broken.(BK)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(BL)
    all their bows(BM) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(BN) seem like flint,
    their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(BO)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(BP)
    they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(BQ) their prey
    and carry it off with no one to rescue.(BR)
30 In that day(BS) they will roar over it
    like the roaring of the sea.(BT)
And if one looks at the land,
    there is only darkness(BU) and distress;(BV)
    even the sun will be darkened(BW) by clouds.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
  2. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
  3. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  4. Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat

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