Bilingual reading

Let me sing for my well beloved a song of my beloved about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.

He dug it up, gathered out its stones, planted it with the choicest vine, built a tower in the middle of it, and also cut out a wine press in it. He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard.

What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Why, when I looked for it to yield grapes, did it yield wild grapes?

Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled down.

I will lay it a wasteland. It won’t be pruned or hoed, but it will grow briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.”

For the vineyard of the LORD of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression, for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle of the land!

In my ears, the LORD of Armies says: “Surely many houses will be desolate, even great and beautiful, unoccupied.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an ephah.”

Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!

The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of the LORD, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.

Therefore my people go into captivity for lack of knowledge. Their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes are parched with thirst.

Therefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend into it.

So man is brought low, mankind is humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant ones are humbled;

but the LORD of Armies is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.

Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat the ruins of the rich.

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope,

who say, “Let him make haste, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!”

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!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;

who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!

Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have rejected the law of the LORD of Armies, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore the LORD’s anger burns against his people, and he has stretched out his hand against them and has struck them. The mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is still stretched out.

He will lift up a banner to the nations from far away, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come speedily and swiftly.

No one shall be weary nor stumble among them; no one shall slumber nor sleep, neither shall the belt of their waist be untied, nor the strap of their sandals be broken,

whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent. Their horses’ hoofs will be like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.

Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver.

They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds.

لَأُنشِدَنَّ لِحَبيبي نَشيدَ مَحْبوبي لِكَرمِه. كانَ لِحَبيبي كَرْمٌ في رابِيَةٍ خَصيبة

وقد قَلَّبَه وحَصَّاه وغَرَسَ فيه أَفضَلَ كَرمه وبَنى بُرجًا في وَسَطِه وحَفَرَ فيه مَعصَرَةً وٱنتَظَرَ أَن يُثمِرَ عِنَبًا فأَثمَرَ حِصرِمًا بَرِّيًّا

فالآنَ يا سُكَّانَ أُورَشَليم ويا رِجالَ يَهوذا أُحكُموا بَيني وبَينَ كَرْمي

أَيُّ شَيءٍ يُصنَعُ لِلكَرْمِ ولَم أَصنَعْه لِكَرْمي؟ فما بالِيَ ٱنتَظَرتُ أَن يُثمِرَ عِنَبًا فأَثمَرَ حِصرِمًا بَرِّيًّا؟

فالآنَ لَأُعلِمَنَّكم ما أَصنَعُ بِكَرْمي. أُزيلُ سِياجَه فيَصيرُ مَرعًى وأَهدِمُ جِدارَه فيَصيرُ مَداسًا

وأَجعلُهُ بورًا لا يُقضَبُ ولا تُقلَعُ أَعشابُه فيَطلُعُ فيه الحَسَكُ والشَّوك وأُوصِي الغُيومَ أَلَّا تُمطِرَ علَيه مَطَرًا

لِأَنَّ كَرمَ رَبِّ القُوَّاتِ هو بَيتُ إِسْرائيل وأُناسُ يَهوذا هم غَرْسُ نَعيمِه وقدِ ٱنتَظَرَ الحَقَّ فإِذا سَفكُ الدِّماء والبِرَّ فإِذا الصُّراخ

وَيلٌ لِلَّذينَ يَصِلونَ بَيتًا بِبَيت ويَقرِنونَ حَقلًا بِحَقْل حتَّى لم يَبقَ أَيُّ مَكان فتَسكُنونَ وَحدَكم في وَسَطِ الأَرض

على مَسمَعٍ مِنِّي أَقسَمَ رَبُّ القُوَّات: إِنَّ بُيوتًا كَثيرةً ستُخرَب عَظيمةً وجَميلةً مِنها تَبْقى بِغَيرِ ساكِن

فعَشَرَةُ فَدادينَ كَرمًا تُخرِجُ بَثًّا واحِدًا وبَذرُ عُمِرٍ يُخرِجُ إِيفَة

وَيلٌ لِلقائِمينَ مِنَ الصَّباحِ في طَلَبِ المُسكِرات المُتَأَخِّرينَ إِلى المَساء والخَمرُ تُلهِبُهم

وفي مآدِبِهمِ الكِنَّارَةُ والعود والدُّفُّ والمِزْمارُ والخَمْر ولا يَلتَفِتونَ إِلى عَمَلِ الرَّبّ ولا يَرَونَ صُنعَ يَدَيه

لِذٰلك جُلِيَ شَعْبي لِعَدَمِ المَعرِفَة وأَصبَحَ خاصَّتُه مِن أَهلِ المَجاعة ويَبِسَت عامَّتُه مِنَ العَطَش

فوَسَّعَ مَثْوى الأَمْواتِ حَلقَه وفَتَحَ بِلا حَدٍّ فَمَه فيَنحَدِرُ فيه وُجَهاؤُه وعامَّتُه وجُمْهورُه وكُلُّ مُبتَهِجٍ فيه

ويُوضَعُ ٱبنُ آدَمَ ويُحَطُّ الإِنْسان وتُخفَضُ عُيونُ المتكبِّرين

ويَتَعالى رَبُّ القُوَّاتِ بِالقَضاء ويَتَقَدَّسُ الإِلٰهُ القُدُّوسُ بِالبِرّ

وتَرْعى الحُمْلانُ كما في مَراعيها وأَطْلالُ المُترَفينَ يَلتَهِمُها الغُرَباء

وَيلٌ لِلَّذينَ يَجُرُّونَ الإِثمَ بِحِبالِ الباطِل والخَطيئَةَ بِمِثْلِ أَمْراسِ المَركَبَة

القائِلين: «لِيُبادِرْ ولْيُعَجِّلْ في عَمَلِه حتَّى نَرى ولْيَقتَرِبْ ويَحضُرْ تَدبيرُ قُدُّوسِ إِسْرائيلَ حتَّى نَعلَم»

وَيلٌ لِلقائِلينَ لِلشَّرِّ خَيرًا ولِلخَيرِ شَرًّا الجاعِلينَ الظُّلمَةَ نورًا والنُّورَ ظُلمَة الجاعِلينَ المُرَّ حُلْوًا والحُلْوَ مُرًّا

وَيلٌ لِلَّذينَ هم حُكَمَاءُ في أَعيُنِ أَنفُسِهم عُقَلاءُ أَمامَ وُجوهِهم

وَيلٌ لِلَّذينَ هم أَبْطالٌ في شُربِ الخَمْر وذَوو بَأسٍ في مَزْجِ المُسكِرات

المُبَرِّئينَ الشِّرِّيرَ لِأَجلِ رَشوَة والحارِمينَ البارَّ بِرَّه

فلِذٰلك كما يَلتَهِمُ لَهيبُ النَّارِ القَشّ وكما يَفْنى الحَشيشُ المُلتَهِب يَكونُ أَصلُهم كالنَّتْن وبُرعُمُهم يَتَناثَرُ كالتُّراب لِأَنَّهم نَبَذوا شَريعةَ رَبِّ القُوَّات وٱستَهانوا بِكَلِمَةِ قُدُّوسِ إِسْرائيل

فٱضطَرَمَ غَضَبُ الرَّبِّ على شَعبِه فمَدَّ يَدَه علَيه وضَرَبَه فرَجَفَتِ الجِبالُ وصارَت جُثَثُهم كالزِّبلِ في وَسَطِ الشَّوارِع. ومع هٰذا كُلِّه لم يَرتَدَّ غَضَبُه ويَدُه لا تَزالُ مَمْدودة

فيَرفَعُ رايَةً لِأُمَّةٍ بَعيدة ويُصَفِّرُ لَها مِن أَقْصى الأَرْض فإِذا بِها مُقبِلَةٌ بِسُرعَةٍ وخِفَّة

لَيسَ فيها مُنهَكٌ ولا عاثِر لا تَنعَسُ ولا تَنام لا يُحَلُّ زُنَّارُ حَقْوَيها ولا يُفَكُّ رِباطُ نَعْلَيها

سِهامُها مُحَدَّدَة وجَميعُ قِسِيِّها مَشْدودَة. تُحسَبُ حَوافِرُ خَيلِها صَوَّانًا ومَركَباتُها إِعْصارًا

لَها زَئيرٌ كاللَّبُؤَة وهي تَزأَرُ كالأَشْبال وتُزَمجِرُ وتُمسِكُ الفَريسَة وتَخطَفُها ولَيسَ مَن يُنقِذ

فتُزَمجِرُ علَيه في ذٰلك اليَوم كزَمجَرَةِ البَحْر. وتَنظُرُ إِلى الأَرضِ فإِذا بِالظَّلامِ والضِّيق وقَد أَظلَمَ النُّورُ في غَمامٍ حالِك