| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1The word of the LORD came to me: | 1Then this message came to me from the LORD: |
| 2"Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine? | 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 anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? | 3Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? |
| 4No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything? | 4No, it can only be used for fuel, and even as fuel, it burns too quickly. |
| 5Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred? | 5Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire! |
| 6"Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire--so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel. | 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. |
| 7I will set my face against them--although they have escaped from the fire, the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them. | 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. |
| 8I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully, declares the sovereign LORD." | 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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