Ezekiel 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Parable of the Useless Vine
15 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine,(A) that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? 3 Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? 4 In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel.(B) The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything? 5 Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!
6 “Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem. 7 I will turn against them.(C) They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them.(D) And you will know that I am Yahweh when I turn against them. 8 I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.
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Ezekiel 15
International Standard Version
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.
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- Ezekiel 15:7 Lit. set my face against
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