After Yahweh knocks down the protecting walls of the vineyard and lets the animals enter, it will turn into a wasteland. He will not even permit rain to fall upon it anymore. This verse and the previous one present a picture of chaos.

I will make it a waste: The vineyard will become a wasteland. Revised English Bible says “I shall leave it derelict,” while Good News Translation has “I will let it be overgrown with weeds.” This line pictures a piece of land that has been allowed to return to a wild state, so Good News Translation is a good rendering. What is meant here is described in more detail in the lines that follow.

It shall not be pruned or hoed: Yahweh will no longer give the vineyard the care it needs. He will not trim the vines nor till the ground. Pruned refers to the practice of cutting off unwanted branches so that the plant will concentrate its energy on the branches that remain. Pruned plants produce better quality fruit. If this practice is unknown in the receptor-language culture, it may be best to use a general verb such as “take care of.” Hoed refers to digging the ground around the vines to loosen the soil and to remove weeds that grow there. Some translators may need to specify what is pruned (the vines) and hoed (the ground). Some may also need to make these passive verbs active with “I” (Yahweh) as the subject.

And briers and thorns shall grow up: Thornbushes and weeds of different kinds will grow in the vineyard since Yahweh will no longer till it. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh suggests “thistles” for thorns. Translators can choose any pair of words in their language that adequately describe wild weeds, especially those with small thorns on them, that overtake a field once it is left without care. In some languages a single word may be sufficient to render the correct meaning.

I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it: Yahweh will also not permit any rain to fall on the vineyard. Preventing rain from falling is another sign of his displeasure. Why waste water on a vineyard that cannot produce good grapes? This line may be rendered “I will also forbid/prohibit the clouds from raining on it.”

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• I will turn it into a wasteland.
I will not prune the vines nor dig the ground,
I will let the weeds and thorns grow,
I will tell the clouds not to rain on it.”

• I will let it become a wasteland.
Nobody will prune its vines or dig the soil;
the weeds and thorns will grow up,
I will stop the clouds from raining on it.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .