Read | Isaiah 5:8–25
Woe to those who add house to house
and join field to field
until there is no more room
and you alone are left in the land.
I heard the LORD of Armies say:
Indeed, many houses will become desolate,
grand and lovely ones without inhabitants.
For a ten-acre vineyard will yield
only six gallons of wine,
and ten bushels of seed will yield
only one bushel of grain.
Woe to those who rise early in the morning
in pursuit of beer,
who linger into the evening,
inflamed by wine.
At their feasts they have lyre, harp,
tambourine, flute, and wine.
They do not perceive the LORD’s actions,
and they do not see the work of his hands.
Therefore my people will go into exile
because they lack knowledge;
her dignitaries are starving,
and her masses are parched with thirst.
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat
and opens wide its enormous jaws,
and down go Zion’s dignitaries, her masses,
her crowds, and those who celebrate in her!
Humanity is brought low, each person is humbled,
and haughty eyes are humbled.
But the LORD of Armies is exalted by his justice,
and the holy God demonstrates his holiness through his righteousness.
Lambs will graze
as if in their own pastures,
and resident aliens will eat
among the ruins of the rich.
Woe to those who drag iniquity
with cords of deceit
and pull sin along with cart ropes,
to those who say,
“Let him hurry up and do his work quickly
so that we can see it!
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place
so that we can know it!”
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who consider themselves wise
and judge themselves clever.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
who are champions at pouring beer,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe
and deprive the innocent of justice.
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw
and as dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will become like something rotten
and their blossoms will blow away like dust,
for they have rejected
the instruction of the LORD of Armies,
and they have despised
the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the LORD’s anger burned against his people.
He raised his hand against them and struck them;
the mountains quaked,
and their corpses were like garbage in the streets.
In all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is still raised to strike.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
How does this passage relate to Adam and Eve’s fall in Genesis 3? How does it help us understand the far-reaching nature and consequences of sin?
Focus
Watch this video from the BibleProject about a biblical theme that is key in what you have been reading this week. How does seeing the broader canonical coherence about this theme help you better understand this week’s story?
Pray
Spend some time in silence reflecting on the theme from the video. Ask God for discernment and empowerment to apply the biblical theme to your life.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
