Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

¹And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

²Son of man, how is the wood of the vine tree better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest?[#Isa 5:1–7; Hos 10:1]

³Can wood be taken from it to do any work, or can men take a peg of it to hang any vessel on it?

⁴Behold, if it has been cast into the fire for fuel and the fire has devoured both ends of it and the middle of it is burned, is it useful for any work?[#Jn 15:6]

⁵Behold, when it was whole, it was not made into anything. How much less is it useful for any work when the fire has devoured it and it is burned!

⁶Therefore thus says the Lord God : As the wood of the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

⁷I will set My face against them. Though they go out from one fire, yet the fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I set My face against them.[#Ps 34:16; Eze 14:8]

⁸I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, says the Lord God .[#Eze 6:14]