1 Then the word of יהוה came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, how is the vine tree better than any tree, the vine branch that has been among the trees of the forest?
3 “Is wood taken from it to be made into any work? Do they take a peg from it to hang any vessel on?
4 “See, into the fire it shall be given for fuel. Both ends of it the fire shall burn, and its middle shall be scorched. Is it fit for any work?
5 “See, when it was intact, it was not made for work, how much less when the fire has burned it and it is scorched shall it still be used for work?
6 “Therefore thus said the Master יהוה, ‘As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I shall give up the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
7 ‘And I shall set My face against them. They shall go out from one fire, but another fire consumes them. And you shall know that I am יהוה, when I set My face against them.
8 ‘And I shall make the land a wasteland, because they committed trespass,’ declares the Master יהוה.”