Ezekiel 15

1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?

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

3 Will wood be taken of it to make anything? Will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel on it?

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

4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire has devoured both its ends, and the middle of it is burned. Is it profitable for any work?

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?

5 Behold, when it was whole, it was suitable for no work. How much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it has been burned, will it yet be suitable for any work?”

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!

6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “As the vine wood among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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.

7 I will set my face against them. They will go out from the fire, but the fire will still devour them. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.

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.

8 I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,” says the Lord Yahweh.

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