Ezekiel 15 – The Parable of the Vine Wood
A short, sharp parable: Jerusalem is vine wood, fit only for the fire.
Ezekiel 15 is one of Ezekiel's shortest chapters, a compact parable following the elders' judgment in Ezekiel 14: vine wood is useless for building, good only for burning.
And the word of HaShem came unto me, saying:
'Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine branch which grew up among the trees of the forest?
Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is singed; is it profitable for any work?
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is singed, shall it yet be meet for any work?
Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so do I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will set My face against them; out of the fire are they come forth, and the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am HaShem, when I set My face against them.
And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted treacherously, saith the L-rd GOD.'