1. The word of Adonai came to me saying:
2. “Son of man, how can the wood of a vine be better than the branch of any tree that is among the trees of the forest?
3. Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Can a peg be made from it to hang anything on?
4. Behold, when it is cast in the fire for fuel, both ends are devoured in fire and the middle is charred—is it useful for any work?
5. Look, when it was whole, it was not useful for any work—how much less, when the fire has devoured it and it is charred, will it be useful for any work?