Ezekiel 15

1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

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

2 “Son of man, is wood from a vine better than the wood from any other tree in the forest?

Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any tree, [or than] a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3 Can you make anything useful from vine wood? Can you use it to make even just a peg to hang up pots and pans?

Shall wood be taken of it to do any work? or will [men] take a pin of it to hang any vessel upon it?

4 No, you just throw it on the fire to keep the fire burning. Even then the fire burns both ends, but only chars the middle part. Can you use it for anything?

Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it suitable for [any] work?

5 Even before you burned it you couldn't make it into anything useful. It's even less useful once the fire has burned and charred it!

Behold, when it was whole, it was fit for no work: how much less then shall it be fit for [any] work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

6 So this is what the Lord God says: In the same way that I have taken the wood of a vine from the forest and thrown it on the fire to be burned, so I'm going to throw away the people of Jerusalem.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7 I will turn against them. While they might have escaped this fire, another fire is going to burn them up. When I turn against them, then you will know that I am the Lord.

And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from [one] fire, and [another] fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I set my face against them.

8 I'm going to turn the country into a wasteland, because they were unfaithful to me, declares the Lord God.”

And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.