Chapter 15
Jerusalem the Useless Vine
1
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
𐤃𐤁𐤓 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤅𐤉𐤄𐤉 𐤀𐤋𐤉 𐤋𐤀𐤌𐤓
דְבַר־ יְהוָ֖ה וַיְהִ֥י אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃ ḏə·ḇar- Yah·weh way·hî ’ê·lay lê·mōr — WLC · 1
2
“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any [other] branch among the trees - in the forest?
𐤁𐤍 𐤀𐤃𐤌 𐤌𐤄 𐤉𐤄𐤉𐤄 𐤏𐤑 𐤄𐤂𐤐𐤍 𐤌𐤊𐤋 𐤏𐤑 𐤄𐤆𐤌𐤅𐤓𐤄 𐤁𐤏𐤑𐤉 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤄𐤉𐤄 𐤄𐤉𐤏𐤓
בֶּן־ אָדָ֕ם מַה־ יִּֽהְיֶ֥ה עֵץ־ הַגֶּ֖פֶן מִכָּל־ עֵ֑ץ הַזְּמוֹרָ֕ה בַּעֲצֵ֥י אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיָ֖ה הַיָּֽעַר׃ ben- ’ā·ḏām mah- yih·yeh ‘êṣ- hag·ge·p̄en mik·kāl ‘êṣ haz·zə·mō·w·rāh ba·‘ă·ṣê ’ă·šer hā·yāh hay·yā·‘ar — WLC · 2
3
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang vvv utensils?
𐤏𐤑 𐤄𐤉𐤒𐤇 𐤌𐤌𐤍𐤅 𐤋𐤏𐤔𐤅𐤕 𐤋𐤌𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤄 𐤀𐤌 𐤉𐤒𐤇𐤅 𐤌𐤌𐤍𐤅 𐤉𐤕𐤃 𐤏𐤋𐤉𐤅 𐤋𐤕𐤋𐤅𐤕 𐤊𐤋 𐤊𐤋𐤉
עֵ֔ץ הֲיֻקַּ֤ח מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת לִמְלָאכָ֑ה אִם־ יִקְח֤וּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ יָתֵ֔ד עָלָ֖יו לִתְל֥וֹת כָּל־ כֶּֽלִי׃ ‘êṣ hă·yuq·qaḥ mim·men·nū la·‘ă·śō·wṯ lim·lā·ḵāh ’im- yiq·ḥū mim·men·nū yā·ṯêḏ ‘ā·lāw liṯ·lō·wṯ kāl- ke·lî — WLC · 3
4
No, it is cast into the fire for fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?
𐤄𐤍𐤄 𐤍𐤕𐤍 𐤋𐤀𐤔 𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤄 𐤀𐤕 𐤄𐤀𐤔 𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤄 𐤔𐤍𐤉 𐤒𐤑𐤅𐤕𐤉𐤅 𐤅𐤕𐤅𐤊𐤅 𐤍𐤇𐤓 𐤄𐤉𐤑𐤋𐤇 𐤋𐤌𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤄
הִנֵּ֥ה נִתַּ֣ן לָאֵ֖שׁ לְאָכְלָ֑ה אֵת֩ הָאֵשׁ֙ אָכְלָ֤ה שְׁנֵ֨י קְצוֹתָ֜יו וְתוֹכ֣וֹ נָחָ֔ר הֲיִצְלַ֖ח לִמְלָאכָֽה׃ hin·nêh nit·tan lā·’êš lə·’āḵ·lāh ’êṯ hā·’êš ’ā·ḵə·lāh šə·nê qə·ṣō·w·ṯāw wə·ṯō·w·ḵōw nā·ḥār hă·yiṣ·laḥ lim·lā·ḵāh — WLC · 4
5
Even when it was whole, it could not be made useful. How much less can it ever be useful when the fire has consumed it and charred it!
𐤄𐤍𐤄 𐤁𐤄𐤉𐤅𐤕𐤅 𐤕𐤌𐤉𐤌 𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤏𐤔𐤄 𐤋𐤌𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤄 𐤀𐤐 𐤏𐤅𐤃 𐤅𐤍𐤏𐤔𐤄 𐤋𐤌𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤄𐤎 𐤊𐤉 𐤀𐤔 𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤕𐤄𐤅 𐤅𐤉𐤇𐤓
הִנֵּה֙ בִּֽהְיוֹת֣וֹ תָמִ֔ים לֹ֥א יֵֽעָשֶׂ֖ה לִמְלָאכָ֑ה אַ֣ף ע֖וֹד וְנַעֲשָׂ֥ה לִמְלָאכָֽה׃ס כִּי־ אֵ֤שׁ אֲכָלַ֙תְהוּ֙ וַיֵּחָ֔ר hin·nêh bih·yō·w·ṯōw ṯā·mîm lō yê·‘ā·śeh lim·lā·ḵāh ’ap̄ ‘ō·wḏ wə·na·‘ă·śāh lim·lā·ḵāh kî- ’êš ’ă·ḵā·laṯ·hū way·yê·ḥār — WLC · 5
6
Therefore 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 for fuel, so I will give up the people of Jerusalem.
𐤋𐤊𐤍 𐤊𐤄 𐤀𐤃𐤍𐤉 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤊𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤏𐤑 𐤄𐤂𐤐𐤍 𐤁𐤏𐤑 𐤄𐤉𐤏𐤓 𐤀𐤔𐤓 𐤍𐤕𐤕𐤉𐤅 𐤋𐤀𐤔 𐤋𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤄 𐤊𐤍 𐤍𐤕𐤕𐤉 𐤀𐤕 𐤉𐤔𐤁𐤉 𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤌
לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה אָמַר֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עֵץ־ הַגֶּ֙פֶן֙ בְּעֵ֣ץ הַיַּ֔עַר אֲשֶׁר־ נְתַתִּ֥יו לָאֵ֖שׁ לְאָכְלָ֑ה כֵּ֣ן נָתַ֔תִּי אֶת־ יֹשְׁבֵ֖י יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ lā·ḵên kōh ’ă·ḏō·nāy Yah·weh ’ā·mar ka·’ă·šer ‘êṣ- hag·ge·p̄en bə·‘êṣ hay·ya·‘ar ’ă·šer- nə·ṯat·tîw lā·’êš lə·’āḵ·lāh kên nā·ṯat·tî ’eṯ- yō·šə·ḇê yə·rū·šā·lim — WLC · 6
7
And I will set My face against them. Though they may have escaped the fire, yet another fire will consume them. And when I set My face against them, you will know that I [am] the LORD.
𐤅𐤍𐤕𐤕𐤉 𐤀𐤕 𐤐𐤍𐤉 𐤁𐤄𐤌 𐤉𐤑𐤀𐤅 𐤌𐤄𐤀𐤔 𐤅𐤄𐤀𐤔 𐤕𐤀𐤊𐤋𐤌 𐤁𐤔𐤅𐤌𐤉 𐤀𐤕 𐤐𐤍𐤉 𐤁𐤄𐤌 𐤅𐤉𐤃𐤏𐤕𐤌 𐤊𐤉 𐤀𐤍𐤉 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄
וְנָתַתִּ֤י אֶת־ פָּנַי֙ בָּהֶ֔ם יָצָ֔אוּ מֵהָאֵ֣שׁ וְהָאֵ֖שׁ תֹּֽאכְלֵ֑ם בְּשׂוּמִ֥י אֶת־ פָּנַ֖י בָּהֶֽם׃ וִֽידַעְתֶּם֙ כִּֽי־ אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה wə·nā·ṯat·tî ’eṯ- pā·nay bā·hem yā·ṣā·’ū mê·hā·’êš wə·hā·’êš tō·ḵə·lêm bə·śū·mî ’eṯ- pā·nay bā·hem wî·ḏa‘·tem kî- ’ă·nî Yah·weh — WLC · 7
8
Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully…,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
𐤅𐤍𐤕𐤕𐤉 𐤀𐤕 𐤄𐤀𐤓𐤑 𐤔𐤌𐤌𐤄 𐤉𐤏𐤍 𐤌𐤏𐤋𐤅 𐤌𐤏𐤋 𐤍𐤀𐤌 𐤀𐤃𐤍𐤉 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄𐤐
וְנָתַתִּ֥י אֶת־ הָאָ֖רֶץ שְׁמָמָ֑ה יַ֚עַן מָ֣עֲלוּ מַ֔עַל נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃פ wə·nā·ṯat·tî ’eṯ- hā·’ā·reṣ šə·mā·māh ya·‘an mā·‘ă·lū ma·‘al nə·’um ’ă·ḏō·nāy Yah·weh — WLC · 8