Ezekiel 15

1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, What shall become of the wood of the vine more than of any other wood, of the branch which was standing among the trees of the forest?

“Son of man, how is a vine better than any tree with branches that is among the trees in a forest?

3 Can wood be taken therefrom to employ it for any work? or will men take from it a pin to hang thereon any vessel?

Do people take wood from a vine to make anything? Or do they make a peg from it to hang anything on it?

4 Behold, if it be given up to the fire to be consumed, —[and] the fire have consumed both its ends, and the middle of it be scorched; will it be fit for any work?

See! If it is thrown into a fire as fuel, and if the fire has burned both of its ends and also the middle, is it good for anything?

5 Behold, when it was yet entire, it could not be employed for any work: how much more [must this be] when the fire hath consumed it, and it is scorched, —and shall it yet be employed for any work?

See! When it was complete, it could not make anything; surely then, when the fire has burned, then it still will not make anything useful.

6 Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given up to the fire to be consumed: so do I give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Unlike the trees in the forests, I have given the vine as fuel for fires; I will act in the same way toward the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7 And I will set my face against them: from the fire have they gone forth, yet the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.

For I will set my face against them. Though they come out from the fire, yet the fire will consume them; so you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.

8 And I will render the land a desert; because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Eternal.

Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed sin—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”