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III

You brought a vine[a] out of Egypt;
    you drove out nations and planted it.
10 You cleared out what was before it;
    it took deep root and filled the land.
11 The mountains were covered by its shadow,
    the cedars of God by its branches.
12 It sent out its boughs as far as the sea,[b]
    its shoots as far as the river.
13 Why have you broken down its walls,
    so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?(A)
14 The boar from the forest strips the vine;
    the beast of the field feeds upon it.(B)
15 Turn back again, God of hosts;
    look down from heaven and see;
Visit this vine,
16     the stock your right hand has planted,
    and the son[c] whom you made strong for yourself.
17 Those who would burn or cut it down—
    may they perish at your rebuke.

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Footnotes

  1. 80:9 A vine: a frequent metaphor for Israel, cf. Is 5:1–7; 27:2–5; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1; Mt 21:33.
  2. 80:12 The sea: the Mediterranean. The river: the Euphrates, cf. Gn 15:18; 1 Kgs 5:1. The terms may also have a mythic nuance—the seas that surround the earth; sea and river are sometimes paralleled in poetry.
  3. 80:16 The Vulgate and Septuagint use “son of man.”

You cleared the ground for it,
    and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 Its branches reached as far as the Sea,[a]
    its shoots as far as the River.[b](A)

12 Why have you broken down its walls(B)
    so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13 Boars from the forest ravage(C) it,
    and insects from the fields feed on it.
14 Return to us, God Almighty!
    Look down from heaven and see!(D)
Watch over this vine,
15     the root your right hand has planted,
    the son[c] you have raised up for yourself.

16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;(E)
    at your rebuke(F) your people perish.
17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
    the son of man(G) you have raised up for yourself.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 80:11 Probably the Mediterranean
  2. Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 80:15 Or branch

Chapter 5

The Song of the Vineyard[a]

Now let me sing of my friend,
    my beloved’s song about his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside;
He spaded it, cleared it of stones,
    and planted the choicest vines;
Within it he built a watchtower,
    and hewed out a wine press.
Then he waited for the crop of grapes,
    but it yielded rotten grapes.(A)
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard:
What more could be done for my vineyard
    that I did not do?(B)
Why, when I waited for the crop of grapes,
    did it yield rotten grapes?
Now, I will let you know
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
Take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
    break through its wall, let it be trampled![b]
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    but will be overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
    not to rain upon it.
The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
    the people of Judah, his cherished plant;
He waited for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
    for justice, but hark, the outcry![c]

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Footnotes

  1. 5:1–7 Vineyard: although the term is sometimes used in an erotic context (Sg 1:6; 8:12), “vineyard” or “vine” is used more frequently as a metaphor for God’s people (27:2; Ps 80:9, 14, 15; Jer 2:21; 12:10; Ez 17:7; Hos 10:1; Na 2:2). The terms translated “friend” (yadid) and “beloved” (dod) suggest the Lord’s favor (Dt 33:12; 2 Sm 12:25; Ps 127:2) and familial background rather than introducing the piece as a “love song,” as is sometimes suggested. The prophet disguises the real theme (the people’s infidelity) so that the hearers will participate in the unfavorable judgment called for (vv. 3–4). Cf. the reversal of this parable in 27:2–6.
  2. 5:5–6 Trampled…thorns and briers: this judgment is echoed in the description of the devastated land in 7:23–25.
  3. 5:7 Judgment…bloodshed…justice…outcry: in Hebrew there is an impressive play on words: mishpat parallels mispah, sedaqah parallels se‘aqah. See also the threefold “waited for” in vv. 2, 4, 7.

The Song of the Vineyard

I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.(B)
He built a watchtower(C) in it
    and cut out a winepress(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.(E)

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.(F)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?(G)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?(H)
Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;(I)
I will break down its wall,(J)
    and it will be trampled.(K)
I will make it a wasteland,(L)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns(M) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain(N) on it.”

The vineyard(O) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,(P) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,(Q) but heard cries of distress.(R)

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21 But I had planted you as a choice vine,
    all pedigreed stock;
How could you turn out so obnoxious to me,
    a spurious vine?(A)

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21 I had planted(A) you like a choice vine(B)
    of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
    into a corrupt,(C) wild vine?

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Son of man,
    what makes the wood of the vine
Better than the wood of branches
    found on the trees in the forest?(A)

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“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine(A) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest?

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Then he took some native seed
    and planted it in fertile soil;
A shoot beside plentiful waters,
    like a willow he planted it,(A)
That it might sprout and become a vine,
    dense and low-lying,
With its branches turned toward him,
    its roots beneath it.
Thus it became a vine, produced branches,
    and put forth shoots.
Then another great eagle appeared,
    with wide wingspan, rich in plumage,
And see! This vine bent its roots to him,
    sent out branches for him to water.
From the bed where it was planted,(B)
    it was transplanted to a fertile field
By abundant waters, to produce branches,
    to bear fruit, to become a majestic vine.
Say: Thus says the Lord God: Can it thrive?
Will he not tear up its roots
    and strip its fruit?
Then all its green leaves will wither—
    neither strong arm nor mighty nation
    is needed to uproot it.
10 True, it is planted; but will it thrive?
    Will it not wither up
When the east wind strikes it,
    wither in the very bed where it sprouted?(C)

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“‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,(A) and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches(B) turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.(C)

“‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.(D) It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,(E) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.(F) 10 It has been planted,(G) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?(H)’”

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Allegory of the Vine Branch

10 Your mother was like a leafy vine[a]
    planted by water,
Fruitful and full of branches
    because of abundant water.

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Footnotes

  1. 19:10–14 Vine: Judah. One strong branch: the Davidic king. This allegory describes the deportation of the Davidic dynasty to Babylon and laments the destruction of the house of David. From Ezekiel’s perspective, the arrogance of Judah’s kings leads to this tragedy (vv. 12–14).

10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[a](A)
    planted by the water;(B)
it was fruitful and full of branches
    because of abundant water.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood