Jerusalem like a Useless Vine
1Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3Can wood be taken from it to make [a]anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? 4[b]If it has been put into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then useful for [c]anything? 5Behold, 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! 6Therefore, thus says the Lord [f]God, ‘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; 7and I set My face against them. Though they have 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. 8Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’” declares the Lord God.