אָשִׁירָה נָּא לִידִידִי שִׁירַת דּוֹדִי לְכַרְמוֹ כֶּרֶם הָיָה לִידִידִי בְּקֶרֶן בֶּן־שָׁמֶן׃ 5:1
Isai. 5:1 I will sing now about my Beloved,
A song of my Beloved about His vineyard.
A vineyard was my Beloved’s on a fruitful hill.
וַיְעַזְּקֵהוּ וַיְסַקְּלֵהוּ וַיִּטָּעֵהוּ שֹׂרֵק וַיִּבֶן מִגְדָּל בְּתוֹכוֹ וְגַם־יֶקֶב חָצֵב בּוֹ וַיְקַו לַעֲשׂוֹת עֲנָבִים וַיַּעַש 5:2 בְּאֻשִׁים׃
Isai. 5:2 And He fenced it in
And cleared it of stones
And in it planted the choicest vines,
And He built a tower in its midst,
And then He hewed a vat in it,
And He waited for it to produce grapes.
But it produced wild grapes.
וְעַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה שִׁפְטוּ־נָא בֵּינִי וּבֵין כַּרְמִי׃ 5:3
Isai. 5:3 “So now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
And men of Judah,
Please judge between Me and My vineyard.”
מַה־לַּעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד לְכַרְמִי וְלֹא עָשִׂיתִי בּוֹ מַדּוּעַ קִוֵּיתִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עֲנָבִים וַיַּעַשׂ בְּאֻשִׁים׃ 5:4
Isai. 5:4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard
That I did not do in it?
Why, I expected it to produce grapes,
And it produced wild grapes.”
וְעַתָּה אוֹדִיעָה־נָּא אֶתְכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה לְכַרְמִי הָסֵר מְשׂוּכָּתוֹ וְהָיָה לְבָעֵר פָּרֹץ גְּדֵרוֹ וְהָיָה 5:5 לְמִרְמָס׃
Isai. 5:5 “So now, please let Me tell you
What I am doing to My vineyard.
Its hedge has been removed
And it will be for kindling.
Its fence has been broken down
And it will be for treading under foot.”
וַאֲשִׁיתֵהוּ בָתָה לֹא יִזָּמֵר וְלֹא יֵעָדֵר וְעָלָה שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת וְעַל הֶעָבִים אֲצַוֶּה מֵהַמְטִיר עָלָיו מָטָר׃ 5:6
Isai. 5:6 “And I will lay it waste.
It shall not be pruned and it shall not be tended,
And shall come up briers and thorns.
And I shall command to the clouds
From raining down rain on it.”
כִּי כֶרֶם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה נְטַע שַׁעֲשׁוּעָיו וַיְקַו לְמִשְׁפָּט וְהִנֵּה מִשְׂפָּח לִצְדָקָה 5:7 וְהִנֵּה צְעָקָה׃
Isai. 5:7 But the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
Is the house of Israel,
And each of Judah the plant of His delight.
But He looked for justice and beheld oppression,
For righteousness and beheld shrieks.
הוֹי מַגִּיעֵי בַיִת בְּבַיִת שָׂדֶה בְשָׂדֶה יַקְרִיבוּ עַד אֶפֶס מָקוֹם וְהוּשַׁבְתֶּם לְבַדְּכֶם בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃ 5:8
Isai. 5:8 Woe to those who cast house against house,
Would bring land against land,
Until there is no home,
And you would have to dwell by yourselves
In the midst of the land!
בְּאָזְנָי יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אִם־לֹא בָּתִּים רַבִּים לְשַׁמָּה יִהְיוּ גְּדֹלִים וְטוֹבִים מֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב׃ 5:9
Isai. 5:9 In my ears is the Lord of hosts:
Surely there will be many houses, great and fine,
For desolation, without inhabitants.
כִּי עֲשֶׂרֶת צִמְדֵּי־כֶרֶם יַעֲשׂוּ בַּת אֶחָת וְזֶרַע חֹמֶר יַעֲשֶׂה אֵיפָה׃ 5:10
Isai. 5:10 Certainly ten acres of vineyard
Might produce one bath,
And the seed of a homer produce an ephah.
This verse prophesies an insignificant return from the vineyard.
הוֹי מַשְׁכִּימֵי בַבֹּקֶר שֵׁכָר יִרְדֹּפוּ מְאַחֲרֵי בַנֶּשֶׁף יַיִן יַדְלִיקֵם׃ 5:11
Isai. 5:11 Alas, those who would rise early in the morning,
They will pursue strong drink,
Who would tarry late into the evening,
Wine may inflame them,
וְהָיָה כִנּוֹר וָנֶבֶל תֹּף וְחָלִיל וָיַיִן מִשְׁתֵּיהֶם וְאֵת פֹּעַל יְהוָה לֹא יַבִּיטוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו לֹא רָאוּ׃ 5:12
Isai. 5:12 As the harp and the lyre would be,
The tabret and the pipe,
And wine of their feasts,
But they would not regard the acts of the Lord,
And they do not understand the works of His hand.
לָכֵן גָּלָה עַמִּי מִבְּלִי־דָעַת וּכְבוֹדוֹ מְתֵי רָעָב וַהֲמוֹנוֹ צִחֵה צָמָא׃ 5:13
Isai. 5:13 “Therefore, My people has been taken captive
Because of lack of wisdom,
And its honorable of Mine are hungry
And its multitude is dried up with thirst.”
לָכֵן הִרְחִיבָה שְּׁאוֹל נַפְשָׁהּ וּפָעֲרָה פִיהָ לִבְלִי־חֹק וְיָרַד הֲדָרָהּ וַהֲמוֹנָהּ וּשְׁאוֹנָהּ וְעָלֵז בָּהּ׃ 5:14
Isai. 5:14 “So the netherworld has enlarged its desire
And will open its mouth wider without measure,
So the glorious and the tumultuous may descend,
And the pompous who might rejoice in it.”
וַיִּשַּׁח אָדָם וַיִּשְׁפַּל־אִישׁ וְעֵינֵי גְבֹהִים תִּשְׁפַּלְנָה׃ 5:15
Isai. 5:15 So every man shall be brought down
And each humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be lowered.
וַיִּגְבַּה יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְהָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ נִקְדָּשׁ בִּצְדָקָה׃ 5:16
Isai. 5:16 Then the Lord of hosts shall be exalted with justice,
And God proclaimed the Holy One with righteousness.
וְרָעוּ כְבָשִׂים כְּדָבְרָם וְחָרְבוֹת מֵחִים גָּרִים יֹאכֵלוּ׃ 5:17
Isai. 5:17 Then the lambs shall be fed as if of their pasture,
And the strangers shall eat of the waste places of the fatlings.
הוֹי מֹשְׁכֵי הֶעָוֺן בְּחַבְלֵי הַשָּׁוְא וְכַעֲבוֹת הָעֲגָלָה חַטָּאָה׃ 5:18
Isai. 5:18 Woe to the drawers of iniquity
With strands of vanity and,
As if with ropes of a wagon, sin,
הָאֹמְרִים יְמַהֵר יָחִישָׁה מַעֲשֵׂהוּ לְמַעַן נִרְאֶה וְתִקְרַב וְתָבוֹאָה עֲצַת קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֵדָעָה׃ 5:19
Isai. 5:19 Who are saying, “Let Him hurry,
Let Him rush His work,
So that we can see it.
And the counsel of the Holy One of Israel,
Let approach and abide that we may know it.”
הוֹי הָאֹמְרִים לָרַע טוֹב וְלַטּוֹב רָע שָׂמִים חֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר וְאוֹר לְחֹשֶׁךְ שָׂמִים מַר לְמָתוֹק וּמָתוֹק לְמָר׃ 5:20
Isai. 5:20 Woe to those who are saying to evil, “Good,”
And to good, “Bad,”
Changing darkness to light and light to darkness,
Changing bitter to sweet and sweet to bitter.
הוֹי חֲכָמִים בְּעֵינֵיהֶם וְנֶגֶד פְּנֵיהֶם נְבֹנִים׃ 5:21
Isai. 5:21 Woe to the wise in their own eyes,
And perceptive before their own faces!
הוֹי גִּבּוֹרִים לִשְׁתּוֹת יָיִן וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל לִמְסֹךְ שֵׁכָר׃ 5:22
Isai. 5:22 Woe to the mighty drinking wine,
And men of strength mingling strong drink,
מַצְדִּיקֵי רָשָׁע עֵקֶב שֹׁחַד וְצִדְקַת צַדִּיקִים יָסִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ׃ 5:23
Isai. 5:23 Justifiers of a guilty one,
Grasping at reward,
And they would take away
The righteousness of the righteous from them.
לָכֵן כֶּאֱכֹל קַשׁ לְשׁוֹן אֵשׁ וַחֲשַׁשׁ לֶהָבָה יִרְפֶּה שָׁרְשָׁם כַּמָּק יִהְיֶה וּפִרְחָם כָּאָבָק יַעֲלֶה כִּי מָאֲסוּ 5:24
אֵת תּוֹרַת יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וְאֵת אִמְרַת קְדוֹשׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵל נִאֵצוּ׃
Isai. 5:24 Because of this, as a tongue of fire devours stubble,
And a flame might consume chaff,
Their root shall be like rottenness,
And their bud go up like powder,
For they have rejected the Torah of the Lord of hosts,
And have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
עַל־כֵּן חָרָה אַף־יְהוָה בְּעַמּוֹ וַיֵּט יָדוֹ עָלָיו וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיִּרְגְּזוּ הֶהָרִים וַתְּהִי נִבְלָתָם כַּסּוּחָה בְּקֶרֶב חוּצוֹת 5:25 בְּכָל־זֹאת לֹא־שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה׃
Isai. 5:25 For this, the anger of the Lord
Has been kindled against His people,
That He has stretched forth His “hand”
Against it and smitten it.
And mountains have trembled,
And their carcass has been
Like refuse in the middle of the streets.
With all this, His anger has not subsided,
And His “hand” is yet extended.
וְנָשָׂא־נֵס לַגּוֹיִם מֵרָחוֹק וְשָׁרַק לוֹ מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה מְהֵרָה קַל יָבוֹא׃ 5:26
Isai. 5:26 So He will lift up an ensign
To the nations that are far off
And the hiss of His will be from the ends of the earth,
And behold, soon He will swiftly come.
אֵין־עָיֵף וְאֵין־כּוֹשֵׁל בּוֹ לֹא יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן וְלֹא נִפְתַּח אֵזוֹר חֲלָצָיו וְלֹא נִתַּק שְׂרוֹךְ נְעָלָיו׃ 5:27
Isai. 5:27 There is no weariness and no feebleness in Him.
He will not “slumber” and He will not “sleep,”
And the girdle of His loins shall not be taken off,
And the thongs of His “shoes” shall not be pulled,
אֲשֶׁר חִצָּיו שְׁנוּנִים וְכָל־קַשְּׁתֹתָיו דְּרֻכוֹת פַּרְסוֹת סוּסָיו כַּצַּר נֶחְשָׁבוּ וְגַלְגִּלָּיו כַּסּוּפָה׃ 5:28
Isai. 5:28 That His arrows are sharp and all His bows bent.
The hooves of His horses are counted like pebbles
And His wheels are like a whirlwind.
שְׁאָגָה לוֹ כַּלָּבִיא ( וְשָּאַג) [יִשְׁאַג] כַּכְּפִירִים וְיִנְהֹם וְיֹאחֵז טֶרֶף וְיַפְלִיט וְאֵין מַצִּיל׃ 5:29
Isai. 5:29 His roaring is like a lion;
He will roar like young lions as He has roared,
And seized the prey and escaped,
And there was no rescuer.
The word in parentheses contains a vav and it should be a yad. The correction is in the brackets.
וְיִנְהֹם עָלָיו בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּנַהֲמַת־יָם וְנִבַּט לָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה־חֹשֶׁךְ צַר וָאוֹר חָשַׁךְ בַּעֲרִיפֶיהָ׃ 5:30
Isai. 5:30 And He roars against it on that day
Like the roaring of the sea,
And He looks to the land
And beholds the darkness of flint,
And the light was darkened in its skies.
As near as I can tell, all translators of these last four verses ignore their grammar. All the third-person pronouns in them are singular, but they are almost universally translated as plural. As I see it, these verses are describing God, not the nations mentioned in v. 5:26. All other translators interpret these verses as referring to the nations.
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