Today’s Reading: Isaiah 5-8
The Song of the Vineyard
5 I will sing for
the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
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.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.
a song about his vineyard:
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.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.
3
“Now you dwellers
in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
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 will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
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 will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
7
The vineyard of
the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Woes and Judgments
8
Woe to you who
add house to house
and join field to field
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
and join field to field
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
9
The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing:
“Surely the great
houses will become desolate,
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.”
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.”
11
Woe 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.
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes and timbrels and wine,
but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.
13 Therefore my people will go into exile
for lack of understanding;
those of high rank will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Death expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revelers.
15 So people will be brought low
and everyone humbled,
the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;
lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes and timbrels and wine,
but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.
13 Therefore my people will go into exile
for lack of understanding;
those of high rank will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Death expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revelers.
15 So people will be brought low
and everyone humbled,
the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;
lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.
18
Woe to those who
draw sin along with cords of deceit,
and wickedness as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”
and wickedness as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”
20
Woe to those who
call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
21
Woe to those who
are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
and clever in their own sight.
22
Woe to those who
are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay
and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,
and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets.
and champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay
and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,
and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets.
Yet for all this,
his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
his hand is still upraised.
26
He lifts up a
banner for the distant nations,
he whistles for those at the ends of the earth.
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt is loosened at the waist,
not a sandal strap is broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp,
all their bows are strung;
their horses’ hooves seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.
30 In that day they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness and distress;
even the sun will be darkened by clouds.
he whistles for those at the ends of the earth.
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt is loosened at the waist,
not a sandal strap is broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp,
all their bows are strung;
their horses’ hooves seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.
30 In that day they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness and distress;
even the sun will be darkened by clouds.
Isaiah’s Commission
6 In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne;
and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were
seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with
two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And
they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4
At the sound of
their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with
smoke.
5
“Woe to me!” I
cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people
of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6
Then one of the
seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs
from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this
has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8
Then I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here
am I. Send me!”
9
He said, “Go and
tell this people:
“‘Be ever
hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.[e]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.[e]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11
Then I said, “For
how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities
lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
The Sign of Immanuel
7 When Ahaz son
of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah
son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they
could not overpower it.
2
Now the house of
David was told, “Aram has allied itself with[f] Ephraim”;
so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest
are shaken by the wind.
3
Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and
your son Shear-Jashub,[g] to meet
Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the
Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be
afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of
firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of
Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin,
saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it
among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet
this is what the Sovereign Lord
says:
“‘It will not
take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”
10
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask
the Lord your God for a sign,
whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12
But Ahaz said, “I
will not ask; I will not put the Lord
to the test.”
13
Then Isaiah said,
“Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans?
Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord
himself will give you[h] a sign: The
virgin[i] will
conceive and give birth to a son, and[j] will call
him Immanuel.[k] 15 He
will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and
choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the
wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid
waste. 17 The Lord will
bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike
any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”
Assyria, the Lord’s
Instrument
18
In that day the Lord will whistle for flies from the
Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 19 They
will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks,
on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes. 20 In that day
the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of
Assyria—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard also. 21
In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats. 22 And
because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All
who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day, in
every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,[l] there will
be only briers and thorns. 24 Hunters will go there with bow and
arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. 25 As
for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for
fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned
loose and where sheep run.
Isaiah and His Children as Signs
8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll
and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[m] 2 So
I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses
for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and
gave birth to a son. And the Lord
said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy
knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder
of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
5
The Lord spoke to me again:
6
“Because this
people has rejected
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—
the king of Assyria with all his pomp.
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land,
Immanuel[n]!”
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—
the king of Assyria with all his pomp.
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land,
Immanuel[n]!”
9
Raise the war
cry,[o] you
nations, and be shattered!
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;
propose your plan, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.[p]
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;
propose your plan, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.[p]
11
This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand
upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:
12
“Do not call
conspiracy
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.
14 He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.
14 He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”
16
Bind up this
testimony of warning
and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.
and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.
18
Here am I, and
the children the Lord has given
me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord
Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
The Darkness Turns to Light
19
When someone
tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not
a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20
Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does
not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed
and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will
become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22
Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness
and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?