| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: | 1Then the word of the LORD came to me: " |
| 2“Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? | 2Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? |
| 3Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? | 3Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? |
| 4Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? | 4In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything? |
| 5Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned? | 5Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!" |
| 6“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘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 inhabitants of Jerusalem; | 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 as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem. |
| 7and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. | 7I will turn against them. They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them. And you will know that I am Yahweh when I turn against them. |
| 8Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord GOD.” | 8I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. |
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