The Parable of the Vineyard

51 Let me sing, I pray you, for my beloved, A song of my beloved as to his vineyard: My beloved hath a vineyard in a fruitful hill, 2 And he fenceth it, and casteth out its stones, And planteth it 'with' a choice vine, And buildeth a tower in its midst, And also a wine press hath hewn out in it, And he waiteth for the yielding of grapes, And it yieldeth bad ones! 3 And now, O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. 4 What—to do still to my vineyard, That I have not done in it! Wherefore, I waited to the yielding of grapes, And it yieldeth bad ones! 5 And now, pray, let me cause you to know, That which I am doing to my vineyard, To turn aside its hedge, And it hath been for consumption, To break down its wall, And it hath been for a treading-place. 6 And I make it a waste, It is not pruned, nor arranged, And gone up have brier and thorn, And on the thick clouds I lay a charge, From raining upon it rain. 7 Because the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts 'Is' the house of Israel, And the man of Judah His pleasant plant, And He waiteth for judgment, and lo, oppression, For righteousness, and lo, a cry.

Woes Pronounced on the Wicked

8 Wo 'to' those joining house to house, Field to field they bring near, till there is no place, And ye have been settled by yourselves In the midst of the land! 9 By the weapons of Jehovah of Hosts Do not many houses a desolation become? Great and good without inhabitant! 10 For ten acres of vineyard do yield one bath, And an homer of seed yieldeth an ephah. 11 Wo 'to' those rising early in the morning, Strong drink they pursue! Tarrying in twilight, wine inflameth them! 12 And harp, and psaltery, tabret, and pipe, And wine, have been their banquets, And the work of Jehovah they behold not, Yea, the work of His hands they have not seen. 13 Therefore my people removed without knowledge, And its honourable ones are famished, And its multitude dried up of thirst. 14 Therefore hath Sheol enlarged herself, And hath opened her mouth without limit. And gone down hath its honour, and its multitude, And its noise, and its exulting one—into her. 15 And bowed down is the low, and humbled the high, And the eyes of the haughty become low, 16 And Jehovah of Hosts is high in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified in righteousness, 17 And fed have lambs according to their leading, And waste places of the fat ones Do sojourners consume.

18 Wo 'to' those drawing out iniquity with cords of vanity, And as 'with' thick ropes of the cart—sin. 19 Who are saying, 'Let Him hurry, Let Him hasten His work, that we may see, And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come, and we know.' 20 Wo 'to' those saying to evil 'good,' And to good 'evil,' Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, Putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. 21 Wo 'to' the wise in their own eyes, And—before their own faces—intelligent! 22 Wo 'to' the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink. 23 Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him. 24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire devoureth stubble, And flaming hay falleth, Their root is as muck, And their flower as dust goeth up. Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of Hosts, And the saying of the Holy One of Israel despised. 25 Therefore hath the anger of Jehovah burned among His people, And He stretcheth out His hand against it, And smiteth it, and the mountains tremble, And their carcase is as filth in the midst of the out-places. With all this His anger did not turn back, And still His hand is stretched out! 26 And He lifted up an ensign to nations afar off, And hissed to it from the end of the earth, And lo, with haste, swift it cometh. 27 There is none weary, nor stumbling in it, It doth not slumber, nor sleep, Nor opened hath been the girdle of its loins, Nor drawn away the latchet of its sandals. 28 Whose arrows 'are' sharp, and all its bows bent, Hoofs of its horses as flint have been reckoned, And its wheels as a hurricane! 29 Its roaring 'is' like a lioness, It roareth like young lions, And it howleth, and seizeth prey, And carrieth away safely, and there is none delivering. 30 And it howleth against it in that day as the howling of a sea, And it hath looked attentively to the land, And lo, darkness—distress, And light hath been darkened by its abundance!

The Vision and Call of Isaiah

61 In the year of the death of king Uzziah—I see the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train is filling the temple. 2 Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two 'each' covereth its face, and with two 'each' covereth its feet, and with two 'each' flieth. 3 And this one hath called unto that, and hath said: 'Holy, Holy, Holy, 'is' Jehovah of Hosts, The fulness of all the earth 'is' His glory.' 4 And the posts of the thresholds are moved by the voice of him who is calling, and the house is full of smoke.

5 And I say, 'Wo to me, for I have been silent, For a man—unclean of lips 'am' I, And in midst of a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.' 6 And flee unto me doth one of the seraphs, and in his hand a burning coal, (with tongs he hath taken 'it' from off the altar,) 7 and he striketh against my mouth, and saith: 'Lo, this hath stricken against thy lips, And turned aside is thine iniquity, And thy sin is covered.' 8 And I hear the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom do I send? and who doth go for Us?' And I say, 'Here 'am' I, send me.'

9 And He saith, 'Go, and thou hast said to this people, Hear ye—to hear, and ye do not understand, And see ye—to see, and ye do not know. 10 Declare fat the heart of this people, And its ears declare heavy, And its eyes declare dazzled, Lest it see with its eyes, And with its ears hear, and its heart consider, And it hath turned back, and hath health.' 11 And I say, 'Till when, O Lord?' And He saith, 'Surely till cities have been wasted without inhabitant, And houses without man, And the ground be wasted—a desolation, 12 And Jehovah hath put man far off, And great 'is' the forsaken part in the heart of the land. 13 And yet in it a tenth, and it hath turned, And hath been for a burning, As a teil-tree, and as an oak, that in falling, Have substance in them, The holy seed 'is' its substance!'

Salutation

11 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Blessed 'is' the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love, 5 having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved, 7 in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 in which He did abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the secret of His will, according to His good pleasure, that He purposed in Himself, 10 in regard to the dispensation of the fulness of the times, to bring into one the whole in the Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth—in him; 11 in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will, 12 for our being to the praise of His glory, 'even' those who did first hope in the Christ, 13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth—the good news of your salvation—in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the acquired possession, to the praise of His glory.

Prayer for Knowledge and Understanding

15 Because of this I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and the love to all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the recognition of him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, for your knowing what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of His power to us who are believing, according to the working of the power of His might, 20 which He wrought in the Christ, having raised him out of the dead, and did set 'him' at His right hand in the heavenly 'places', 21 far above all principality, and authority, and might, and lordship, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in the coming one; 22 and all things He did put under his feet, and did give him—head over all things to the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fulness of Him who is filling the all in all,