⁸ It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,^(A) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

⁹ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.^{(B) 10} It has been planted,^(C) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?^(D)’”