Ezekiel 17

1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel

3 and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.

4 He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders.

5 He took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant waters and set it out like a willow.

6 It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded branches and sent out shoots.

7 But there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him. It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed, so that he might water it.

8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant waters in order to yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

9 So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Will it flourish? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it shrivels? All its foliage will wither! It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by its roots.

10 Even if it is transplanted, will it flourish? Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’”

11 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

12 “Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.

13 He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,

14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.

15 But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’

16 ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.

17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.

18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’

19 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.

20 I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.

21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’

22 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

23 I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

24 Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

1 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed [it] by great waters, [and] set it [as] a willow tree.

6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

10 Yea, behold, [being] planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these [things mean]? tell [them], Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

13 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, [but] that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such [things]? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

16 [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place [where] the king [dwelleth] that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, [even] with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

17 Neither shall Pharaoh with [his] mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these [things], he shall not escape.

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; [As] I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken [it].

22 ¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set [it]; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant [it] upon an high mountain and eminent:

23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done [it].

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

2 Son of man, set before the house of Israel a riddle and a parable.

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, and long feathers, and full of feathers of many colours, came up to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar tree.

4 And brake off the topmost rice, and brought it into the merchant's country, and set it in the merchant's city.

5 And he took seed out of the same land, and sowed it in that good land, where there was much water, and set it by itself.

6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine, and a lowly trunk: for the branches thereof were bent toward it, and the roots thereof were under it: and it was a vine that grew branches and grapes.

7 And there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, the vine had desire in his roots toward this eagle, and stretched forth his branches toward him, that he might be watered of the place of his plants.

8 And yet he was planted in a good soil by much water, that he might bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and be a glorious vine.

9 Say therefore, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Shall he be put to death? Yea, his root shall be rooted up, and his fruit shall be plucked up, and shall wither, and all his plant shall wither, and shall not be done by great arm, nor by much people, that he may be taken away from his roots.

10 Behold, it is planted, but shall it grow? Yea, as soon as the east wind stirreth it up, it shall wither in the place of his plant.

11 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

12 Speak unto the rebellious house, saying, Know ye not what these things are? And say, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took their king and their princes, and carried them away to Babylon.

13 And he took of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and took an oath of him: but he took away the mighty men of the land,

14 That the kingdom might be humble, and not be exalted, that his covenant might be kept and stand.

15 But the same seed fell from him, and sent his message into Egypt, that they should send him horses and many people. Shall he be advised? Shall he escape that doeth these things? And shall he that breaketh the covenant escape?

16 As I live, saith the LORD GOD, in the place of the king that made him king, which oath he hath despised, and which covenant he hath broken, there shall he die, even at Babylon.

17 Neither shall Pharaoh help him in battle with a great host, and with a great people, when they shall cast up the vaults, and build strongholds, that much people shall be slain.

18 For because he hath despised the oath, and hath broken the covenant, whereon he gave his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

19 Therefore thus saith the LORD GOD; As surely as I live, I will bring my oath, which he hath despised, and my covenant, which he hath broken, upon his head.

20 For I will cast my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my pursuit: and I will bring him to Babylon, and there I will make terms with him for his trespass against me.

21 And all his fugitives that followed him shall fall by the sword, and the remnant of them shall be scattered abroad: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

22 Thus saith the LORD GOD; I will also take of the top of the high cedar tree, and will break from the top of the branches thereof a tender rice, and will plant it in a high heaped mountain,

23 I will plant it in the high mountain of Israel, and it shall have branches, and bring forth fruit, and be a glorious cedar tree. And every fowl shall dwell under it, and every flying thing shall dwell under the shadow of the branches thereof.

24 And let all the trees of the field know that I the LORD have humbled the high tree, and have exalted the low tree, and have parched the green tree, and have made green the dry tree. I the LORD speak it, and do it.