The Song of the Vineyard
1 Listen while I sing you this song,
a song of my friend and his vineyard:
My friend had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug the soil and cleared it of stones;
he planted the finest vines.
He built a tower to guard them,
dug a pit for treading the grapes.
He waited for the grapes to ripen,
but every grape was sour.
3 So now my friend says, “You people who live in Jerusalem and Judah, judge between my vineyard and me. 4 Is there anything I failed to do for it? Then why did it produce sour grapes and not the good grapes I expected?
5 “Here is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge around it, break down the wall that protects it, and let wild animals eat it and trample it down. 6 I will let it be overgrown with weeds. I will not trim the vines or hoe the ground; instead, I will let briers and thorns cover it. I will even forbid the clouds to let rain fall on it.”
7 Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Almighty;
the people of Judah are the vines he planted.
He expected them to do what was good,
but instead they committed murder.
He expected them to do what was right,
but their victims cried out for justice.
The Evil That People Do
8 You are doomed! You buy more houses and fields to add to those you already have. Soon there will be no place for anyone else to live, and you alone will live in the land. 9 I have heard the Lord Almighty say, “All these big, fine houses will be empty ruins. 10 The grapevines growing on five acres of land will yield only five gallons of wine. Ten bushels of seed will produce only one bushel of grain.”
11 You are doomed! You get up early in the morning to start drinking, and you spend long evenings getting drunk. 12 At your feasts you have harps and tambourines and flutes—and wine. But you don't understand what the Lord is doing, 13 and so you will be carried away as prisoners. Your leaders will starve to death, and the common people will die of thirst. 14 The world of the dead is hungry for them, and it opens its mouth wide. It gulps down the nobles of Jerusalem along with the noisy crowd of common people.
15 Everyone will be disgraced, and all who are proud will be humbled. 16 But the Lord Almighty shows his greatness by doing what is right, and he reveals his holiness by judging his people. 17 In the ruins of the cities lambs will eat grass and young goats will find pasture.
18 You are doomed! You are unable to break free from your sins. 19 You say, “Let the Lord hurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel's holy God carry out his plans; let's see what he has in mind.”
20 You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.
21 You are doomed! You think you are wise, so very clever.
22 You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks! 23 But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice. 24 So now, just as straw and dry grass shrivel and burn in the fire, your roots will rot and your blossoms will dry up and blow away, because you have rejected what the Lord Almighty, Israel's holy God, has taught us. 25 The Lord is angry with his people and has stretched out his hand to punish them. The mountains will shake, and the bodies of those who die will be left in the streets like rubbish. Yet even then the Lord's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
26 The Lord gives a signal to call for a distant nation. He whistles for them to come from the ends of the earth. And here they come, swiftly, quickly! 27 None of them grow tired; none of them stumble. They never doze or sleep. Not a belt is loose; not a sandal strap is broken. 28 Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses' hoofs are as hard as flint, and their chariot wheels turn like a whirlwind. 29 The soldiers roar like lions that have killed an animal and are carrying it off where no one can take it away from them.
30 When that day comes, they will roar over Israel as loudly as the sea. Look at this country! Darkness and distress! The light is swallowed by darkness.
Dziesma par Kunga vīnadārzu
1 Jel dziedāšu manam mīļajam
mana mīļā dziesmu par viņa vīnadārzu!
Manam mīļajam bija vīnadārzs
leknā kalngalā.
2 Viņš to uzraka, akmeņus nolasīja,
labiem vīnastādiem apstādīja,
vidū uzslēja torni,
izcirta vīnspaidu,
gaidīja, ka ienāksies vīnogas,
bet ienācās skābules!
3 Un tagad, Jeruzālemes iemītnieki un Jūdas vīri,
spriediet tiesu starp mani
un manu vīnadārzu!
4 Ko vēl lai daru savam vīnadārzam,
ko neesmu tam darījis?!
Es taču cerēju, ka ienāksies vīnogas,
bet ienācās skābules?!
5 Tagad nu ziniet,
ko darīšu savam vīnadārzam!
Es tam noņemšu žogu – lai izrij,
noplēsīšu mūri – lai izmīda!
6 Par postažu pataisīšu,
vairs to ne griezīs, ne cirps,
tur sliesies dzelkšņi un ērkšķi,
un mākoņiem pavēlēšu
nedot tam lietu!
7 Pulku Kunga vīnadārzs ir Israēla nams,
un Jūdas vīri ir viņa prieka stādi,
viņš gaidīja tiesu, un še – asinis,
taisnību, un še – brēkšana!
Bēdas un posts ļaundariem
8 Vai! tiem, kas krāj namu pie nama,
liek lauku pie lauka,
ka vairs ne vietas –
nu vieni jūs mītat uz zemes!
9 Pulku Kungs saka man:
“Daudzie nami par postažu kļūs,
lieli un labi tie, bet neviens tajos nemitīs!
10 Desmit vīnadārzi dos vienu grozu
un maiss graudu – tik sauju!”
11 Vai! tiem, kas rīta agrumā ceļas,
stipram dzeramam pakaļ skrien,
līdz vēlam vakaram vīnā deg!
12 Tur ir liras un arfas,
bungas un stabules,
un vīns tiem plūst dzīrēs,
bet Kunga darbi tiem nerūp,
tie viņa veikumu neredz!
13 Tādēļ mana tauta ies trimdā – jo nesajēdz!
Tās godātie vīri cietīs badu,
un pūlis tvīks slāpēs!
14 Tādēļ šeols atpletīs savu rīkli,
plaši atvāzīs savu muti –
tur saļims gan dižciltīgie, gan pūlis,
gan bļāvēji, gan aurotāji.
15 Zemosies cilvēks un noslīgs vīrs,
un augstprāšu skatiens noplaks!
16 Pulku Kungs būs augsts – viņam tiesa,
svētosies svētais Dievs – viņam taisnība!
17 Tur leknumā ganīsies jēri
un drupās kazlēni barosies trekni!
18 Vai! tiem, kas velk vainu ar nestiprām auklām
un grēku ar ratu striķiem!
19 Kas saka: viņš lai steidz,
lai ātri dara savu darbu,
ka mēs ieraugām!
Lai tuvojas, lai nāk
Israēla Svētā padoms,
ka mēs ieraugām!
20 Vai! tiem, kas sauc ļaunu par labu
un labu par ļaunu,
notur tumsu par gaismu
un gaismu par tumsu,
notur rūgtu par saldu
un saldu par rūgtu!
21 Vai! tiem, kas sevi par gudriem tur
un paši sevi par saprātīgiem!
22 Vai! tiem, kas varoņi vīnu dzert
un stiprinieki dzērienus jaukt!
23 Kas par kukuli attaisno ļaundari
un taisnajiem atņem taisnību!
Vēstījums par svešinieku iebrukumu
24 Tādēļ – kā uguns mēle rij salmus
un liesmās plok zāle,
tā nīks tiem saknes
un viņu ziedi kā putekļi putēs,
jo Pulku Kunga bauslību tie atmetuši
un Israēla Svētā sacīto nievājuši!
25 Tādēļ Kungs iedegās
dusmās pret savu tautu,
viņš izstiepa savu roku pret tiem
un sita viņus – trīcēja kalni,
viņu līķi bija kā mēsli ielas vidū,
pat tad viņa dusmas nenovērsās
un viņa roka vēl izstiepta!
26 Viņš pacels karogu tautām no tālienes,
pasvilps no zemes pamales tiem,
un, redzi, tie jau nāk ātri un viegli!
27 Neviens nav noguris, neviens neklūp,
neviens nesnauž, neviens neguļ,
gurnu josta nevienam nav vaļīga,
sandalēm siksnas nav satrūkušas,
28 tiem bultas ir asas,
tiem visiem nostiepti loki,
kā klints viņu zirgu pakavi,
un riteņi tiem kā virpulis!
29 Tiem auri kā lauvām,
tie aurē kā lauvēni,
rēkdami sagrābj laupījumu,
aizrauj prom – neglābt nevienam!
30 Todien tie rēks pār to,
kā rēc jūra!
Kad palūkosies uz zemi,
redzi, tumsa un posts,
un miglā tumsusi gaisma!
