Isaiah 3:1-26
The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem and Judah
Here is what
the Lord who rules over all is about to do.
The Lord will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
supplies and help alike.
He will take away all the supplies of food and water.
He’ll take away heroes and soldiers.
He’ll take away judges and prophets.
He’ll take away fortune tellers and elders.
He’ll take away captains of groups of 50 men.
He’ll take away government leaders.
He’ll take away advisers, skilled workers
and those who are clever at doing evil magic.
The Lord will make mere youths their leaders.
Children will rule over them.
People will treat one another badly.
They will fight against one another.
They will fight against their neighbors.
Young people will attack old people.
Ordinary people will attack those who are more important.
A man will grab one of his brothers
in his father’s house. He will say,
“You have a coat. So you be our leader.
Take charge of all these broken-down buildings!”
But at that time the brother will cry out,
“I can’t help you.
I don’t have any food or clothing in my house.
Don’t make me the leader of these people.”
Jerusalem is about to fall.
And so is Judah.
They say and do things against the Lord.
They dare to disobey him to his very face.
The look on their faces is a witness against them.
They show off their sin, just as the people of Sodom did.
They don’t even try to hide it.
How terrible it will be for them!
They have brought trouble on themselves.
Tell those who do what is right that things will go well with them.
They will enjoy the results of the good things they’ve done.
But how terrible it will be for those who do what is evil!
Trouble is about to fall on them.
They will be paid back for the evil things they’ve done.
Those who are young treat my people badly.
Women rule over them.
My people, your leaders have taken you down the wrong path.
They have turned you away from the right path.
The Lord takes his place in court.
He stands up to judge the people.
He judges the elders and leaders of his people.
He says to them,
“My people are like a vineyard.
You have destroyed them.
The things you have taken from poor people are in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing my people?
Why are you grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt?”
announces the Lord. He is the Lord who rules over all.
The Lord continues,
“The women in Zion are very proud.
They walk along with their noses in the air.
They tease men with their eyes.
They sway their hips as they walk along.
Little chains jingle on their ankles.
So I will put sores on the heads of Zion’s women.
And I will remove the hair from their heads.”
At that time the Lord will take away the beautiful things they wear. He will take away their decorations, headbands and moon-shaped necklaces. He’ll take away their earrings, bracelets and veils. He’ll remove their headdresses, anklets and belts. He’ll take away their perfume bottles and charms. He’ll remove the rings they wear on their fingers and in their noses. He’ll take away their fine robes and their capes and coats. He’ll take away their purses and mirrors. And he’ll take away their linen clothes, turbans and shawls.
Instead of smelling sweet,
the women will smell bad.
Instead of wearing belts,
they will wear ropes.
Instead of having beautiful hair,
they won’t have any hair at all.
Instead of wearing fine clothes,
they’ll wear rough clothes to show how sad they are.
Instead of being beautiful,
on their bodies they’ll have the marks of their owners.
Jerusalem, your men will be killed by swords.
Your soldiers will die in battle.
The city of Zion will be very sad.
Like a widow, she will lose everything.
She will sit on the ground and mourn.
Isaiah 4:1-6
At that time seven women
will grab hold of one man.
They’ll say to him, “We will eat our own food.
We’ll provide our own clothes.
Just let us become your wives.
Take away our shame!”
The Branch of the Lord
At that time Israel’s king will be beautiful and glorious. He will be called The Branch of the Lord. The fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of those who are still left alive in Israel. Those who are left in Zion will be called holy. They will be recorded among those who are alive in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the sin of the women in Zion. He will clean up the blood that was spilled there. He will judge those who spilled that blood. His burning anger will blaze out at them. Then the Lord will create over Jerusalem a cloud of smoke by day. He will also create a glow of flaming fire at night. The cloud and fire will appear over all of Mount Zion. They will also appear over the people who gather together there. The Lord’s glory will be like a tent over everything. It will cover the people and give them shade from the hot sun all day long. It will be a safe place where they can hide from storms and rain.
Isaiah 5:1-7
The Song of the Vineyard
I will sing a song for the Lord.
He is the one I love.
It’s a song about his vineyard Israel.
The one I love had a vineyard.
It was on a hillside that had rich soil.
He dug up the soil and removed its stones.
He planted the very best vines in it.
He built a lookout tower there.
He also cut out a winepress for it.
Then he kept looking for a crop of good grapes.
But the vineyard produced only bad fruit.
So the Lord said, “People of Jerusalem and Judah,
you be the judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could I have done for my vineyard?
I did everything I could.
I kept looking for a crop of good grapes.
So why did it produce only bad ones?
Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard.
I will take away its fence.
And the vineyard will be destroyed.
I will break down its wall.
And people will walk all over my vineyard.
I will turn my vineyard into a dry and empty desert.
It will not be pruned or taken care of.
Thorns and bushes will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
The vineyard of the Lord who rules over all
is the nation of Israel.
The people of Judah
are the vines he took delight in.
He kept looking for them to do what is fair.
But all he saw was blood being spilled.
He kept looking for them to do what is right.
But all he heard were cries of suffering.
