[1] Then this message came to me from the Lord:
[2] “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree?
[3] Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans?
[4] No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly.
[5] Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!
[6] “And this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Jerusalem are like grapevines growing among the trees of the forest. Since they are useless, I have thrown them on the fire to be burned.
[7] And I will see to it that if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the Lord.
[8] And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”