Jerusalem, a Useless Vine

15 And the word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (A)“Son of man, how does ^(B)the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? ³ Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take ^(C)a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? ^4 (D)Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? ^5 (E)Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! ⁶ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(F)Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, ^(G)which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ^7 (H)And I will set my face against them. Though ^(I)they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, ^(J)and you will know that I am the Lord, ^(K)when I set my face against them. ^8 (L)And I will make the land desolate, because ^(M)they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord's Faithless Bride

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (N)“Son of man, ^(O)make known to Jerusalem her abominations, ³ and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an ^(P)Amorite and your mother a ^(Q)Hittite. ⁴ And as for your birth, ^(R)on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵ No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, ^(S)but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, ^(T)on the day that you were born.

⁶ “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing ^(U)in your blood, I said to you ^(V)in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you ^(W)in your blood, ‘Live!’ ^7 (X)I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall ^(Y)and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet ^(Z)you were naked and bare.

⁸ “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and ^(AA)I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you ^(AB)and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, ^(AC)and you became mine. ⁹ Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and ^(AD)anointed you with oil. ^10 (AE)I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.^{[a] 11 (AF)}And I adorned you with ornaments and ^(AG)put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. ¹² And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. ^(AH)You ate fine flour and honey and oil. ^(AI)You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. ¹⁴ And ^(AJ)your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.

Greeting

1 ^(A)James, a servant^[a] of God and ^(B)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(C)the twelve tribes in ^(D)the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

^2 (E)Count it all joy, my brothers,^[b] when you meet trials ^(F)of various kinds, ³ for you know that ^(G)the testing of your faith ^(H)produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be ^(I)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

^5 (J)If any of you lacks wisdom, ^(K)let him ask God, ^(L)who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But ^(M)let him ask in faith, ^(N)with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like ^(O)a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ^8 (P)he is a double-minded man, ^(Q)unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and ^(R)the rich in his humiliation, because ^(S)like a flower of the grass^[c] he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and ^(T)withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.