1 Then this message came to me from the lord:
2 “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree?
3 Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans?
4 No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly.
5 Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!
6 “And this is what the Sovereign lord says: The people of Jerusalem are like grapevines growing among the trees of the forest. Since they are useless, I have thrown them on the fire to be burned.
7 And I will see to it that if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the lord.
8 And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign lord, have spoken!”