ISAIAH 5

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The Vineyard of the Lord Destroyed5:1

Let me sing for my beloved

my love song concerning his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard

on a very fertile hill. 2

He dug it and cleared it of stones,

and planted it with choice vines;

he built a watchtower in the midst of it,

and hewed out a wine vat in it;

and he looked for it to yield grapes,

but it yielded wild grapes.
3

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem

and men of Judah,

judge between me and my vineyard. 4

What more was there to do for my vineyard,

that I have not done in it?

When I looked for it to yield grapes,

why did it yield wild grapes?
5

And now I will tell you

what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge,

and it shall be devoured;

I will break down its wall,

and it shall be trampled down. 6

I will make it a waste;

it shall not be pruned or hoed,

and briers and thorns shall grow up;

I will also command the clouds

that they rain no rain upon it.
7

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts

is the house of Israel,

and the men of Judah

are his pleasant planting;

and he looked for justice,

but behold, bloodshed;

for righteousness,

but behold, an outcry! Woe to the Wicked8

Woe to those who join house to house,

who add field to field,

until there is no more room,

and you are made to dwell alone

in the midst of the land. 9

The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:

“Surely many houses shall be desolate,

large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant. 10

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,

and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”
11

Woe to those who rise early in the morning,

that they may run after strong drink,

who tarry late into the evening

as wine inflames them! 12

They have lyre and harp,

tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,

but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,

or see the work of his hands.
13

Therefore my people go into exile

for lack of knowledge;

their honored men go hungry,

and their multitude is parched with thirst. 14

Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite

and opened its mouth beyond measure,

and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down,

her revelers and he who exults in her. 15

Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,

and the eyes of the haughty are brought low. 16

But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice,

and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness. 17

Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture,

and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.
18

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,

who draw sin as with cart ropes, 19

who say: “Let him be quick,

let him speed his work

that we may see it;

let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,

and let it come, that we may know it!” 20

Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

and sweet for bitter! 21

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,

and shrewd in their own sight! 22

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,

and valiant men in mixing strong drink, 23

who acquit the guilty for a bribe,

and deprive the innocent of his right!
24

Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,

and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,

so their root will be as rottenness,

and their blossom go up like dust;

for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,

and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25

Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,

and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,

and the mountains quaked;

and their corpses were as refuse

in the midst of the streets.

For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.
26

He will raise a signal for nations far away,

and whistle for them from the ends of the earth;

and behold, quickly, speedily they come! 27

None is weary, none stumbles,

none slumbers or sleeps,

not a waistband is loose,

not a sandal strap broken; 28

their arrows are sharp,

all their bows bent,

their horses’ hoofs seem like flint,

and their wheels like the whirlwind. 29

Their roaring is like a lion,

like young lions they roar;

they growl and seize their prey;

they carry it off, and none can rescue. 30

They will growl over it on that day,

like the growling of the sea.

And if one looks to the land,

behold, darkness and distress;

and the light is darkened by its clouds.

PSALM 55

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Cast Your Burden on the LordTo the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
55:1

Give ear to my prayer, O God,

and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 2

Attend to me, and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and I moan, 3

because of the noise of the enemy,

because of the oppression of the wicked.

For they drop trouble upon me,

and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4

My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5

Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me. 6

And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest; 7

yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah 8

I would hurry to find a shelter

from the raging wind and tempest.”
9

Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;

for I see violence and strife in the city. 10

Day and night they go around it

on its walls,

and iniquity and trouble are within it; 11

ruin is in its midst;

oppression and fraud

do not depart from its marketplace.
12

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—

then I could bear it;

it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—

then I could hide from him. 13

But it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend. 14

We used to take sweet counsel together;

within God’s house we walked in the throng. 15

Let death steal over them;

let them go down to Sheol alive;

for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16

But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me. 17

Evening and morning and at noon

I utter my complaint and moan,

and he hears my voice. 18

He redeems my soul in safety

from the battle that I wage,

for many are arrayed against me. 19

God will give ear and humble them,

he who is enthroned from of old, Selah

because they do not change

and do not fear God.
20

My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;

he violated his covenant. 21

His speech was smooth as butter,

yet war was in his heart;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were drawn swords.
22

Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.
23

But you, O God, will cast them down

into the pit of destruction;

men of blood and treachery

shall not live out half their days.

But I will trust in you.

PROVERBS 13

« Proverbs 12 | Proverbs 13 | Proverbs 14 »

13:1

A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2

From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. 3

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 5

The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked. 7

One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. 8

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat. 9

The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 10

By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom. 11

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. 14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. 15

Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. 16

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly. 17

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing. 18

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21

Disaster pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good. 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice. 24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. 25

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.