Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, ¹how is the wood of the ^avine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Can wood be taken from it to make ¹anything, or can even a peg be taken from it on which to hang any utensil? 4 If it has been put into the ^afire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then good for ¹anything? 5 Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into ¹anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into ²anything! 6 Therefore, this is what the Lord ¹GOD says: ‘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; 7 and I ^aset My face against them. Though they have ^bcome 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. 8 So I will make the land desolate, because they have ^aacted unfaithfully,’” declares the Lord GOD.