| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, | 1Then this message came to me from the LORD: |
| 2“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest? | 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? |
| 3Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? | 3Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? |
| 4No, it is cast into the fire for fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything? | 4No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly. |
| 5Even when it was whole, it could not be made useful. How much less can it ever be useful when the fire has consumed it and charred it! | 5Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire! |
| 6Therefore 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 for fuel, so I will give up the people of Jerusalem. | 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. |
| 7And I will set My face against them. Though they may have escaped the fire, yet another fire will consume them. And when I set My face against them, you will know that I am the LORD. | 7And 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. |
| 8Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.” | 8And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!” |
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