Ezekiel 15

1 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

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

'Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine branch which grew up among the trees of the forest?

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

Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

4 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?

Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is singed; is it profitable for any work?

5 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.

Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is singed, shall it yet be meet for any work?

6 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.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so do I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7 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.

And I will set My face against them; out of the fire are they come forth, and the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them.

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

And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted treacherously, saith the Lord GOD.'