1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2"Son of man, how is the wood of the vine [better] than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3"Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can [men] take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? 4"If it has been put into the fire for fuel, [and] the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it [then] useful for anything? 5"Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything! 6"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 7and I set My face against them. [Though] they have come out of the fire, yet the fire will consume them. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. 8Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully ,'" declares the Lord GOD.