A Message about Vines

15 This message came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of Man, how does wood from a vine compare to a branch taken from any of the trees in the forest? ³ Is wood ever taken from it to make anything practical? Can it even be made into a peg to hang something on? ⁴ After all, it’s useful only for kindling a fire, isn’t it? And once you’ve burnt up the ends and charred through the middle of it, is it useful for anything else? ⁵ If it was useless before it was burned, now that it’s been burned and charred through, it’s even more useless!

⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Just as the wood from a grape vine is removed from the forest and used for kindling fires, I’m giving the inhabitants of Jerusalem over ⁷ to punishment. They may have escaped one fire, but the coming fire will burn them up completely, and they will know that I am the Lord, when I set myself in opposition to^[a] them ⁸ and dedicate the land to desolation because of their unfaithful unbelief,” declares the Lord God.