1 Now I will sing for the one I lovea song about his vineyard:My beloved had a vineyardon a rich and fertile hill.
2 He plowed the land, cleared its stones,and planted it with the best vines.In the middle he built a watchtowerand carved a winepress in the nearby rocks.Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes,but the grapes that grew were bitter.
3 Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah,you judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for my vineyardthat I have not already done?When I expected sweet grapes,why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?
5 Now let me tell youwhat I will do to my vineyard:I will tear down its hedgesand let it be destroyed.I will break down its wallsand let the animals trample it.
6 I will make it a wild placewhere the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed,a place overgrown with briers and thorns.I will command the cloudsto drop no rain on it.
7 The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the lord of Heaven’s Armies.The people of Judah are his pleasant garden.He expected a crop of justice,but instead he found oppression.He expected to find righteousness,but instead he heard cries of violence.