וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   15:1

Ezek. 15:1   Now the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

בֶּן־אָדָם מַה־יִּהְיֶה עֵץ־הַגֶּפֶן מִכָּל־עֵץ הַזְּמֹורָה אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בַּעֲצֵי הַיָּעַר׃   15:2

Ezek. 15:2   “Human, what could the vine tree be more than any tree, a shoot that is among the trees of the forest?”

It’s hard to tell, but I suspect that this is yet another vision or dream.  In any case, no events are described, only the God Figure’s words to Ezekiel.

הֲיֻקַּח מִמֶּנּוּ עֵץ לַעֲשֹׂות לִמְלָאכָה אִם־יִקְחוּ מִמֶּנּוּ יָתֵד לִתְלֹות עָלָיו כָּל־כֶּלִי׃   15:3

Ezek. 15:3   “Could wood be gotten from it to make into a piece of work, or could they get a peg from it to hang on it any article?”

הִנֵּה לָאֵשׁ נִתַּן לְאָכְלָה אֵת שְׁנֵי קְצֹותָיו אָכְלָה הָאֵשׁ וְתֹוכֹו נָחָר הֲיִצְלַח לִמְלָאכָה׃   15:4

Ezek. 15:4   “Behold, to fire it is given for fuel; the fire consumes its two ends and its middle is scorched.  Can it be profitable for work?”

הִנֵּה בִּהְיֹותֹו תָמִים לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה לִמְלָאכָה אַף כִּי־אֵשׁ אֲכָלַתְהוּ וַיֵּחָר וְנַעֲשָׂה עֹוד לִמְלָאכָה׃   15:5

Ezek. 15:5   “Behold, with its having been whole, it had not been useful for work; how even less when the fire had consumed it and it was scorched!  Then could it yet be useful for any work?”

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה כַּאֲשֶׁר עֵץ־הַגֶּפֶן (בְּעֵץ) הַיַּעַר אֲשֶׁר־נְתַתִּיו לָאֵשׁ לְאָכְלָה כֵּן נָתַתִּי   15:6                אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃

Ezek. 15:6   “Therefore thus says the Master, the Lord:  As the vine tree among the trees of the forest that I gave it to the fire for fuel, so do I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

I believe there is an error in spelling in this verse that is not recognized by the sages or scholars.  The word I put in the parentheses, translated as among trees [of the forest], should be plural but it is shown as singular.  I think it should match the spelling of the same word in v. 15:2 (next to last in that verse) where it has a yad suffix, making it  plural: בַּעֲצֵי.

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־פָּנַי בָּהֶם מֵהָאֵשׁ יָצָאוּ וְהָאֵשׁ תֹּאכְלֵם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה בְּשׂוּמִי אֶת־פָּנַי בָּהֶם׃   15:7

Ezek. 15:7   “And I will set My ‘face’ against them; from the fire they shall emerge and the fire shall consume them; so you may know that I am the Lord by My setting My ‘face’ against them.”

וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ שְׁמָמָה יַעַן מָעֲלוּ מַעַל נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃   15:8

Ezek. 15:8   “And I shall make the land a waste, because they committed transgression, declares the Master, the Lord.”

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