1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 Son of man,what makes the wood of the vineBetter than the wood of branchesfound on the trees in the forest?
3 Can wood be taken from itto make something useful?Can someone make even a peg out of iton which to hang a vessel?
4 Of course not! If it is fed to the fire for fuel,and the fire devours both ends of it,Leaving the middle charred,is it useful for anything then?
5 Even when it is wholeit cannot be used for anything;So when fire has devoured and charred it,how useful can it be?
6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:Like vine wood among forest trees,which I have given as fuel for fire,So I will give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 I will set my face against them:Although they have escaped the fire,the fire will still devour them;You shall know that I am the Lord,when I set my face against them.
8 Yes, I will make the land desolate,because they are so unfaithful—oracle of the Lord God.