Now there comes a parable where God prepares a vineyard representing Israel/Judah with clear links to the branch of the Lord in chapter 4 where righteousness should be its product. However it only produced bad fruit which angered God. Chapter 5 starts talking about the planting of the vineyard which only yielded bad fruit bringing it in line for God’s destruction: “I will break down its wall and it will be trampled… and stop the rain… the vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel… woe to you that add house to house… the great houses will become desolate… and they will go into exile… and their men of rank will die of hunger… both low and high will be humbled… the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice… woe to those who call evil good and good evil… woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine… the Lord’s anger burns against his people… he lifts up a banner for the distant nations… their arrows are sharp… they roar like lions… in that day they will roar over it”.
