Isaiah 5:9

Updated Bible Version

Yahweh of hosts [revealed] in my ears, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I heard the Lord of Armies say:

Hebrew Names Version
In my ears, the LORD of Hosts says: "Surely many houses will be desolate, Even great and beautiful, unoccupied.

King James Version
In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

English Standard Version
The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing: "Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

New American Standard Bible
In my ears the LORD of armies has sworn, "Many houses shall certainly become desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.

New Century Version
The Lord All-Powerful said this to me: "The fine houses will be destroyed; the large and beautiful houses will be left empty.

Amplified Bible
In my ears the LORD of hosts said, "Be assured that many houses will become desolate, Even great and beautiful ones will be unoccupied.

World English Bible
In my ears, Yahweh of Hosts says: "Surely many houses will be desolate, Even great and beautiful, unoccupied.

Geneva Bible (1587)
This is in mine cares, saith the Lorde of hostes. Surely many houses shall be desolate, euen great, and faire without inhabitant.

Legacy Standard Bible
In my ears Yahweh of hosts has sworn, "Surely, many houses shall become desolate,Even great and good ones, without inhabitants.

Berean Standard Bible
I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: "Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.

Contemporary English Version
But the Lord All-Powerful has made this promise to me: Those large and beautiful homes will be left empty, with no one to take care of them.

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai -Tzva'ot said in my ears, "Many houses will be brought to ruin, large, magnificent ones left empty;

Darby Translation
In mine ears Jehovah of hosts [hath said], Many houses shall assuredly become a desolation, great and excellent ones, without inhabitant.

Easy-to-Read Version
I heard the Lord All-Powerful make this oath: "I swear, all these houses will be destroyed. These big, fancy houses will be empty.

George Lamsa Translation
In my ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth, it has been heard, that many houses shall be desolate, because there will be no one to dwell in them.

Good News Translation
I have heard the Lord Almighty say, "All these big, fine houses will be empty ruins.

Lexham English Bible
Yahweh of hosts said in my ears: Surely many houses shall become a desolation, large and beautiful ones without inhabitant.

Literal Translation
Jehovah of Hosts has sworn in my ears, If not, many houses shall be a waste, large and beautiful ones without one living in them .

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The LORDE of hoostes rowneth me thus i myne eare: shal not many greater and more gorgions houses be so waist, that no man shall dwell in the?

American Standard Version
In mine ears saith Jehovah of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

Bible in Basic English
The Lord of armies has said to me secretly, Truly, numbers of great and fair houses will be waste, with no one living in them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
In mine ears said the LORD of hosts: of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

King James Version (1611)
In mine eares said the Lord of hostes, Of a trueth many houses shall be desolate, euen great and faire without inhabitant.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
These thynges are in the eares of the Lorde of hoastes: of a trueth great and faire houses shalbe without any dweller in them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For these things have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts: for though many houses should be built, many and fair houses shall be desolate, and there shall be no inhabitants in them.

English Revised Version
In mine ears saith the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
These thingis ben in the eeris of me, the Lord of oostis; if many housis ben not forsakun, grete housis and faire, with outen dwellere, bileue ye not to me.

Webster's Bible Translation
In my ears [said] the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, [even] great and fair, without inhabitant.

New English Translation
The Lord who commands armies told me this: "Many houses will certainly become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.

New King James Version
In my hearing the LORD of hosts said, "Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.

New Living Translation
But I have heard the Lord of Heaven's Armies swear a solemn oath: "Many houses will stand deserted; even beautiful mansions will be empty.

New Life Bible
The Lord of All has sworn in my ears, "For sure, many houses will be laid waste. Large and beautiful houses will be empty.

New Revised Standard
The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing: Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In mine ears, said Yahweh of hosts, - Verily, houses in abundance, shall become, a desolation, Large and fair, without inhabitant;

Douay-Rheims Bible
These things are in my ears, saith the Lord of hosts: Unless many great and fair houses shall become desolate, without an inhabitant.

Revised Standard Version
The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: "Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

Young's Literal Translation
By the weapons of Jehovah of Hosts Do not many houses a desolation become? Great and good without inhabitant!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn, "Surely, many houses shall become desolate, Even great and fine ones, without occupants.

Contextual Overview

⁸ Woe to those that join house to house, that lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land! ⁹ Yahweh of hosts [revealed] in my ears, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. ¹⁰ For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield [but] an ephah. ¹¹ Woe to those that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, until wine inflames them! ¹² And the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are [in] their feasts; but they do not regard the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered the operation of his hands. ¹³ Therefore my people have gone into captivity for lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst. ¹⁴ Therefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices among them, descend [into it]. ¹⁵ And man is bowed down, and a man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled: ¹⁶ but Yahweh of hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness. ¹⁷ Then the lambs shall feed as in their pasture, and wanderers shall eat the waste places of the fat ones.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

In mine ears, said: or, This is in mine ears, saith, etc. Isaiah 22:14, Amos 3:7

Of a truth: etc. Heb. If not many houses desolate, etc. desolate. Isaiah 5:6, Isaiah 27:10, 2 Chronicles 36:21, Amos 5:11, Amos 6:11, Matthew 22:7, Matthew 23:38

Reciprocal: Leviticus 26:32 - And I Deuteronomy 28:30 - build 2 Kings 19:17 - Of a truth Job 18:19 - nor any Isaiah 1:7 - country Isaiah 28:14 - ye Isaiah 32:14 - the palaces Isaiah 57:17 - the iniquity Jeremiah 2:15 - his cities Jeremiah 4:7 - to Jeremiah 4:26 - the fruitful Jeremiah 22:14 - I will Jeremiah 39:8 - burned Ezekiel 9:5 - hearing Amos 3:15 - the great Zephaniah 1:13 - build

Cross-References

1 Chronicles 1:2
Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

Luke 3:37
the [son] of Methuselah, the [son] of Enoch, the [son] of Jared, the [son] of Mahalaleel, the [son] of Cainan,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In mine ears, [said] the Lord of hosts,.... This may be understood either of the ears of the Lord of hosts, into which came the cry of the sins of covetousness and ambition before mentioned; these were taken notice of by the Lord, and he was determined to punish them; or of the ears of the prophet, in whose hearing the Lord said what follows: so the Targum,

"the prophet said, with mine ears I have heard, when this was decreed from before the Lord of hosts:''

of a truth many houses shall be desolate; or "great" ones z; such as the houses of the king, of the princes, and nobles, judges, counsellors, and great men of the earth; not only the house of God, the temple, but a multitude of houses in Jerusalem and elsewhere; which was true not only at the taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, but at the destruction of it by the Romans, to which this prophecy belongs,

Matthew 23:38 the words are a strong asseveration, and in the form of an oath, as Jarchi and Kimchi observe; אם לא, "if not"; if many houses are not left desolate, let it be so or so, I swear they shall:

[even] great and fair, without inhabitants: houses of large and beautiful building shall be laid in such a ruinous condition, that they will not be fit for any to dwell in, nor shall any dwell in them: and this is the judgment upon them for joining house to house; that for laying field to field follows.

z בתים רבים "domus magnificae, sive sumptuosae", Vatablus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In mine ears - This probably refers to the prophet. As if he had said, ‘God has revealed it to me,’ or ‘God has said in my ears,’ i. e, to me. The Septuagint reads it, ‘These things are heard in the ears of the Lord of hosts,’ that is, the wishes” of the man of avarice. The Chaldee, ‘The prophet said, In my ears I have heard; a decree has gone from the Lord of hosts,’ etc.

Many houses shall be desolate - Referring to the calamities that should come upon the nation for its crimes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 5:9. In mine ears. - "To mine ear"] The sentence in the Hebrew text seems to be imperfect in this place; as likewise in Isaiah 22:14, where the very same sense seems to be required as here. See the note there; and compare 1 Samuel 9:15. In this place the Septuagint supply the word ηκουσθη, and the Syriac אשתמע eshtama, auditus est JEHOVAH in auribus meis, i.e., נגלה niglah, as in Isaiah 22:14.

Many houses — This has reference to what was said in the preceding verse: "In vain are ye so intent upon joining house to house, and field to field; your houses shall be left uninhabited, and your fields shall become desolate and barren; so that a vineyard of ten acres shall produce but one bath (not eight gallons) of wine, and the husbandman shall reap but a tenth part of the seed which he has sown." Kimchi says this means such an extent of vineyard as would require ten yoke of oxen to plough in one day.