The Song of the Vineyard
1I 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.
2He 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.
3So the Lord said, “People of Jerusalem and Judah,
you be the judge between me and my vineyard.
4What 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?
5Now 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.
6I 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.”
7The 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.
The Lord Judges His Vineyard
8How terrible it will be for you who get too many houses!
How terrible for you who get too many fields!
Finally there won’t be any space left in the land.
Then you will live all alone.
9I heard the Lord who rules over all announce a message. He said,
“You can be sure that the great houses will become empty.
The fine homes will be left with no one living in them.
10A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine.
360 pounds of seeds will produce only 36 pounds of grain.”
11How terrible it will be for those who get up early in the morning
to start drinking!
How terrible for those who stay up late at night
until they are drunk with wine!
12They have harps and lyres at their banquets.
They have tambourines, flutes and wine.
But they don’t have any concern for the mighty acts of the Lord.
They don’t have any respect for what his power has done.
13So my people will be taken away as prisoners.
That’s because they don’t understand what the Lord has done.
Their nobles will die of hunger.
The rest of the people won’t have any water to drink.
14So Death opens its jaws to receive them.
Its mouth is open wide to swallow them up.
Their nobles and the rest of the people will go down into it.
They will go there together with all those who have wild parties.
15So people will be brought low.
Everyone will be made humble.
Those who brag will be brought down.
16But the Lord who rules over all will be honored
because he judges fairly.
The holy God will prove that he is holy
by doing what is right.
17Then sheep will graze as if they were in their own grasslands.
Lambs will eat grass among the destroyed buildings
where rich people used to live.
18How terrible it will be for those who continue to sin
and lie about it!
How terrible for those who keep on doing what is evil
as if they were tied to it!
19How terrible for those who say,
“Let God hurry up and do what he says he will.
We want to see it happen.
Let us see the plan of the Holy One of Israel.
We want to know what it is.”
20How terrible it will be for those who say
that what is evil is good!
How terrible for those who say
that what is good is evil!
How terrible for those who say
that darkness is light
and light is darkness!
How terrible for those who say
that what is bitter is sweet
and what is sweet is bitter!
21How terrible it will be for those who think they are wise!
How terrible for those who think they are really clever!
22How terrible it will be for those
who are heroes at drinking wine!
How terrible for those
who are heroes at mixing drinks!
23How terrible for those
who take money to set guilty people free!
How terrible for those
who don’t treat good people fairly!
24Flames of fire burn up straw.
Dry grass sinks down into those flames.
Evil people will be like plants whose roots rot away.
They will be like flowers that are blown away like dust.
That’s because they have said no to the law of the Lord who rules over all.
They have turned against the message of the Holy One of Israel.
25So the Lord is angry with his people.
He raises his hand against them and strikes them down.
The mountains shake.
The bodies of dead people lie in the streets like trash.
Even then, the Lord is still angry.
His hand is still raised against them.
26He lifts up a banner to gather the nations that are far away.
He whistles for them to come
from the farthest places on earth.
Here they come.
They are moving very quickly.
27None of them grows tired.
None of them falls down.
None of them sleeps or even takes a nap.
All of them are ready for battle.
Every belt is pulled tight.
Not a single sandal strap is broken.
28The enemies’ arrows are sharp.
All their bows are ready.
The hooves of their horses are as hard as rock.
Their chariot wheels turn like a twister.
29The sound of their army is like the roar of lions.
It’s like the roar of young lions.
They growl as they capture what they were chasing.
They carry it off.
No one can take it away from them.
30At that time the enemy army will roar over Israel.
It will sound like the roaring of the ocean.
If someone looks at the land of Israel,
there is only darkness and trouble.
The clouds will make even the sun become dark.
Wimbo Wa Shamba La Mizabibu
15:1 Za 80:8-9; Yn 15:1; Isa 27:2Nitaimba wimbo kwa ajili ya mmoja nimpendaye,
kuhusu shamba lake la mizabibu:
Mpendwa wangu alikuwa na shamba la mizabibu
kwenye kilima chenye rutuba.
25:2 Kum 32:6; Kut 15:17; Yer 2:21; Mt 21:19; Mk 11:13; Isa 16:8; 27:3; 1Sam 2:9; Ay 24:11; Mt 21:33; Lk 13:6Alililima na kuondoa mawe
na akaliotesha mizabibu bora sana.
Akajenga mnara wa ulinzi ndani yake,
na kutengeneza shinikizo la kukamulia divai pia.
Kisha akatazamia kupata mazao ya zabibu nzuri,
lakini lilizaa matunda mabaya tu.
35:3 Mt 21:40“Basi enyi wakazi wa Yerusalemu na watu wa Yuda,
hukumuni kati yangu na shamba langu la mizabibu.
45:4 2Nya 36:15; Mt 23:37; Yer 2:5-7; 2:21; Mk 6:3-4; Yer 24:2; 29:17Ni nini zaidi ambacho kingeweza kufanyika kwa shamba langu la mizabibu
kuliko yale niliyofanya?
Nilipotazamia kupata zabibu nzuri,
kwa nini lilizaa zabibu mbaya tu?
55:5 Za 80:12; Lk 21:24; Yer 12:10; Isa 6:12; 27:10; 22:5; 10:6; 2Nya 36:21Sasa nitawaambia lile nitakalolitendea
shamba langu la mizabibu:
Nitaondoa uzio wake,
nalo litaharibiwa,
nitabomoa ukuta wake,
nalo litakanyagwa.
65:6 Hos 2:12; Ebr 6:8; Mwa 6:13; Isa 6:13; 49:17; 2Sam 23:6; Isa 7:23-24; Law 26:32; Eze 28:24; 2Sam 1:21; Amo 4:7Nitalifanya nchi ya ukiwa isiyokaliwa na watu,
halitakatiwa matawi wala kulimwa,
nayo michongoma na miiba itamea huko,
nitaamuru mawingu yasinyeshe mvua juu yake.”
75:7 Isa 37:30; Eze 9:9; 22:29; Za 80:8; Isa 17:10; 10:2; 29:21; 61:8; Za 12:5Shamba la mzabibu la Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote
ni nyumba ya Israeli,
na watu wa Yuda
ni bustani yake ya kumpendeza.
Alitazamia haki, lakini akaona umwagaji damu,
alitazamia uadilifu, lakini akasikia vilio vya taabu.
Ole Na Hukumu
85:8 Yer 22:13; Isa 24:16; 6:5; 10:1; Hab 2:9-12; Ay 20:19; Mik 2:2Ole wenu mnaoongeza nyumba baada ya nyumba
na kuunganisha mashamba baada ya mashamba
hadi hakuna nafasi iliyobaki,
nanyi mnaishi peke yenu katika nchi.
95:9 Isa 6:11-12; Mt 23:38; Yer 44:11; Isa 22:14; Mt 23:38Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote amesema nikisikia:
“Hakika nyumba kubwa zitakuwa ukiwa,
nayo majumba ya fahari yatabaki bila kukaliwa.
105:10 Law 27:16; Kum 28:38; Zek 8:10; Law 26:26; 27:16Shamba la mizabibu la eka kumi
litatoa bathi5:10 Bathi moja ni sawa na lita 22. moja ya divai,
na homeri5:10 Homeri moja ni sawa na lita 220. ya mbegu zilizopandwa
itatoa efa5:10 Efa moja ni sawa na lita 22. moja tu ya nafaka.”
115:11 1Sam 25:36; Mit 23:29-30Ole wao wale waamkao asubuhi na mapema
wakikimbilia kunywa vileo,
wale wakawiao sana mpaka usiku,
mpaka wamewaka kwa mvinyo.
125:12 1Sam 12:24; Ay 34:27; Eze 26:13; Amo 6:5-6; Isa 24:8; Ay 21:12; Za 28:5; 68:25Wana vinubi na zeze kwenye karamu zao,
matari, filimbi na mvinyo,
lakini hawayajali matendo ya Bwana,
wala hawana heshima kwa ajili ya kazi ya mikono yake.
135:13 Isa 49:21; 1:3; 3:3; Mit 10:21; Hos 4:6; Rum 1:28; Ay 22:8Kwa hiyo watu wangu watakwenda uhamishoni
kwa sababu ya kukosa ufahamu,
watu wao wenye vyeo watakufa kwa njaa
na watu wao wengi watakauka kwa kiu.
145:14 Mit 30:16; Hes 16:30; Isa 22:13; 23:7; 24:8Kwa hiyo kaburi5:14 Kaburi hapa maana yake ni Kuzimu, kwa Kiebrania ni Sheol. limeongeza hamu yake
na kupanua mdomo wake bila kikomo,
ndani mwake watashuka wakuu wao na wingi wa watu,
pamoja na wagomvi wao, na wafanyao sherehe wote.
155:15 Isa 2:9-11; 10:33Hivyo mwanadamu atashushwa,
na binadamu kunyenyekezwa,
macho ya wenye majivuno yatanyenyekezwa.
165:16 Isa 61:8; Law 10:3; Eze 36:23; Za 97:6; Isa 33:10; 28:17; 30:18; 29:23Lakini Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote atatukuzwa
kwa ajili ya haki yake,
naye Mungu Mtakatifu atajionyesha mwenyewe
kuwa mtakatifu kwa haki yake.
175:17 Sef 2:6, 14; Isa 32:14; 7:25; 17:2Kondoo watajilisha kwenye malisho yao wenyewe,
wana-kondoo watajilisha katika magofu ya matajiri.
185:18 Isa 59:4-8; 5:8; Amo 5:8; Yer 17:5; 23:14; Hos 11:4Ole wao wanaovuta dhambi kwa kamba za udanganyifu
na uovu kama kwa kamba za mkokoteni,
195:19 2Pet 3:3-4; Eze 12:22; Yer 17:15; Isa 30:11-12; 29:23; 1:4; 60:22kwa wale wanaosema, “Mungu na afanye haraka,
aharakishe kazi yake ili tupate kuiona.
Huo mpango wa Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli na ukamilike,
tena udhihirike ili tupate kuujua.”
205:20 Ay 24:13; Amo 5:7; Mwa 18:25; 1Fal 22:8; Za 94:21; Isa 5:8; Mt 6:22-23; Lk 11:22, 34-35Ole wao wanaoita ubaya ni wema,
na wema ni ubaya,
wawekao giza badala ya nuru,
na nuru badala ya giza,
wawekao uchungu badala ya utamu,
na utamu badala ya uchungu.
215:21 Mit 3:7; Rum 12:16; Isa 47:10; 1Kor 3:18-20Ole wao walio na hekima machoni pao wenyewe,
na kujiona wenye akili machoni pao wenyewe.
225:22 1Sam 25:36; Mit 23:20; Isa 22:13; Mit 31:4; Yer 7:18Ole wao walio mashujaa kwa kunywa mvinyo,
nao walio hodari katika kuchanganya vileo,
235:23 Kut 23:8; Amo 5:12; Yak 5:6; Eze 22:12; Isa 1:17; 29:21; 59:13-15; Za 94:21wale wanaoachilia wenye hatia kwa kupokea hongo,
lakini huwanyima haki wasio na hatia.
245:24 2Fal 19:20; Za 107:11; Ay 18:16; Isa 47:14; Ay 24:24; 40:8; 6:10; Isa 1:31; Nah 1:10; 2Fal 19:30Kwa hiyo, kama ndimi za moto zirambavyo nyasi,
na kama vile majani makavu yazamavyo katika miali ya moto,
ndivyo mizizi yao itakavyooza
na maua yao yatakavyopeperushwa kama mavumbi;
kwa kuwa wameikataa sheria ya Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote
na kulisukumia mbali neno la Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
255:25 2Fal 22:13; Yer 6:12; 2Fal 9:37; Dan 9:16; Ay 40:11; Kut 19:18; Isa 26:11; 10:17; Ay 40:11; Yer 6:12Kwa hiyo hasira ya Bwana inawaka dhidi ya watu wake,
mkono wake umeinuliwa na anawapiga.
Milima inatetemeka,
maiti ni kama takataka kwenye barabara.
Hata kwa haya yote, hasira yake haijageukia mbali,
mkono wake bado umeinuliwa juu.
265:26 Za 20:5; Isa 7:18; Zek 10:8; Kum 28:4-9; Isa 13:5; 18:2Yeye anainua bendera kwa ajili ya mataifa yaliyo mbali,
anapiga filimbi kwa ajili ya wale walio kwenye miisho ya dunia.
Tazama wamekuja,
kwa kasi na kwa haraka!
275:27 Yoe 2:7-8; Eze 23:15; Isa 22:21; 40:29-31; 14:31; Ay 12:18Hakuna hata mmoja wao anayechoka wala kujikwaa,
hakuna hata mmoja anayesinzia wala kulala,
hakuna mkanda uliolegezwa kiunoni,
hakuna gidamu ya kiatu iliyokatika.
285:28 Ay 39:23; Za 45:6; 7:12; Eze 26:11; Ay 1:19; Za 25:5; 2Fal 2:1Mishale yao ni mikali,
pinde zao zote zimevutwa,
kwato za farasi wao ziko kama jiwe la gumegume,
magurudumu ya magari yao ya vita ni kama upepo wa kisulisuli.
295:29 Isa 42:22; 49:24-25; 2Fal 17:25; Mik 5:8; Yer 51:38; Zek 11:3; Sef 3:3; Isa 10:6Ngurumo yao ni kama ile ya simba,
wananguruma kama wana simba,
wanakoroma wanapokamata mawindo yao,
na kuondoka nayo pasipo yeyote wa kuokoa.
305:30 Yer 4:23-28; Za 93:3; Yoe 2:10; Isa 2:1; 2:11; 50:3; Yer 50:42; Ay 21:30; Lk 21:25; 1Sam 2:9; Za 18:28Katika siku ile watanguruma juu yake
kama ngurumo za bahari.
Kama mtu akiitazama nchi,
ataona giza na dhiki;
hata nuru itatiwa giza kwa mawingu.
