16 Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.
17 Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.” This verse does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but refers to the way in which the rich bureaucrats of Judah accumulated property by exploiting the poor, in violation of the covenantal principle that the land belonged to God and that every family was to have its own portion of land. See the note at .
18 Heb “until the end of the place”; “until there is no more room.”
19 Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”
20 Heb “in my ears, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
21 Heb “great and good [houses], without a resident.”
22 Heb “a ten-yoke vineyard.” The Hebrew term צֶמֶד (tsemed, “yoke”) is here a unit of square measure. Apparently a ten-yoke vineyard covered the same amount of land it would take ten teams of oxen to plow in a certain period of time. The exact size is unknown.
23 Heb “one bath.” A bath was a liquid measure. Estimates of its modern equivalent range from approximately six to twelve gallons.
24 Heb “a homer.” A homer was a dry measure, the exact size of which is debated. Cf. “ten bushels”; “five bushels.”
25 Heb “an ephah.” An ephah was a dry measure; there were ten ephahs in a homer. So this verse envisions major crop failure, where only one-tenth of the anticipated harvest is realized.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Woe to those who join house to house,

who add field to field,

until there is no more room,

and you are made to dwell alone

in the midst of the land.

The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:

“Surely many houses shall be desolate,

large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,

and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Woe to you who add house to house

and join field to field

till no space is left

and you live alone in the land.

The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing:

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,

the fine mansions left without occupants.

A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine;

a homer of seed will yield only an ephah of grain.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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.

NLTNew Living Translation

What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field,

until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land.

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.

Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine.

Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Ah! Those who join house with house,

they join field together with field

until there is no place

and you are caused to dwell alone in the midst of the land.

Yahweh of hosts said in my ears:

Surely many houses shall become a desolation,

large and beautiful ones without inhabitant.

For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,

and the seed of a homer will yield an ephah.

KJV 1900King James Version

Woe unto them that join house to house,

That lay field to field, till there be no place,

That they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

In mine ears said the Lord of hosts,

Of a truth many houses shall be desolate,

Even great and fair, without inhabitant.

Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,

And the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

Public Domain