Ezekiel 15

1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest?

And you, son of man—of all the wood, of the branches that are among the trees of the forest, what shall be made of the wood of the vine?

3 Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils?

Will they take wood of it to make [it fit] for work? will they take of it a peg to hang any vessel upon it?

4 No, it is cast into the fire for fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?

It is only given to the fire to be consumed; the fire consumes that which is yearly pruned of it, and it is utterly gone. Will it be useful for [any] work?

5 Even when it was whole, it could not be made useful. How much less can it ever be useful when the fire has consumed it and charred it!

Not even while it is yet whole will it be [useful] for [any] work: if the fire shall have utterly consumed it, will it still be [fit] for work?

6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the people of Jerusalem.

Therefore say, Thus says the Lord, As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given up to the fire to be consumed, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7 And I will set My face against them. Though they may have escaped the fire, yet another fire will consume them. And when I set My face against them, you will know that I am the LORD.

And I will set my face against them; they shall go forth of the fire, and [yet] fire shall devour them; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set my face against them.

8 Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

And I will give up the land to ruin, because they have utterly transgressed, says the Lord.