15 The Lord gave this message to me: 2 ‘Son of man, the wood of a vine is no better than the wood of any other tree that grows in the forest. [ a ] 3 Nobody can use its wood to make anything that is useful. They cannot even make pegs to hang clothes on! 4 You can throw it on a fire to make the fire burn. But after the fire has finished, only a useless black piece of vine remains. 5 It was useless before you put it on the fire. It is even more useless after the fire has burnt it. You cannot make anything with it.
6 So this is what the Almighty Lord says: Among the trees of the forest, I have provided the wood of vines to burn on a fire. In the same way, I will take the people of Jerusalem to punish them. 7 I will become their enemy. They may have escaped from the fire once, but soon the fire will destroy them. When I punish them like that, then you will know that I am the Lord . 8 They have not served me faithfully. So I will destroy their land. That is what the Almighty Lord says.’
15 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] are the pieces of wood from a grapevine [ b ] any better than the little branches cut from trees in the forest? 3 Can you use that wood from a grapevine to make anything? Can you use that wood to make pegs to hang dishes on? 4 People throw that wood into the fire. The ends burn, and the middle is scorched. 5 If you cannot make anything from that wood before it is burned, you surely cannot make anything from that wood after it is burned! 6 So people throw the pieces of wood from a grapevine into the fire. It is just like wood from any other tree in the forest. In the same way I will throw the people living in Jerusalem into the fire!” This is what the Lord God said. 7 “I will punish those people. But some of them will be like the sticks that don’t burn completely. They will be punished, but they will not be destroyed completely. You will see that I punished them, and you will know that I am the Lord ! 8 I will destroy that country because the people left me to worship false gods .” This is what the Lord God said.
15 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
6 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 will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord , when I set my face against them.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God .
15 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] how is the wood of the ( A ) vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Can wood be taken from it to make [ b ] anything, or can even a peg be taken from it on which to hang any utensil? 4 If it has been put into the ( B ) fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then good for [ c ] anything? 5 Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into [ d ] anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into [ e ] anything! 6 Therefore, this is what the Lord [ f ] God says: ‘As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 7 and I ( C ) set My face against them. Though they have ( D ) come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know that I am the Lord , when I set My face against them. 8 So I will make the land desolate, because they have ( E ) acted unfaithfully,’” declares the Lord God .
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine ( A ) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? ( B ) Do they make pegs ( C ) from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? ( D ) 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against ( E ) them. Although they have come out of the fire ( F ) , the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord . ( G ) 8 I will make the land desolate ( H ) because they have been unfaithful, ( I ) declares the Sovereign Lord .”
