Isaiah 5:2-7

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ² 

5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, ³ 

people ⁴  of Judah,

you decide between me and my vineyard!

5:4 What more can I do for my vineyard

beyond what I have already done?

When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,

why did it produce sour ones instead?

5:5 Now I will inform you

what I am about to do to my vineyard:

I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, ⁵ 

I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. ⁶ 

5:6 I will make it a wasteland;

no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, ⁷ 

and thorns and briers will grow there.

I will order the clouds

not to drop any rain on it.

5:7 Indeed ⁸  Israel ⁹  is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,

the people ¹⁰  of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.

He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! ¹¹ 

He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! ¹² 

[5:2]  ¹ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ² tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[5:3]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[5:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “and it will become [a place for] grazing.” בָּעַר (ba’ar, “grazing”) is a homonym of the more often used verb “to burn.”

[5:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and it will become a trampled place” (NASB “trampled ground”).

[5:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “it will not be pruned or hoed” (so NASB); ASV and NRSV both similar.

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:7]  ¹² tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.