Ezekiel 17:2–18

²“Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.^{h 3}You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: A huge eagle with powerful wings,ⁱ long feathers, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.^{j 4}He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders. ⁵Then he took some of the land’s seed and put it in a fertile field;^k he set it like a willow,^l a plant^D by abundant water. ⁶It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him,^m yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.

⁷“ ‘But there was another huge eagle with powerful wings and thick plumage. And this vine bent its roots toward him! It stretched out its branches to him from the plot where it was planted,ⁿ so that he might water it. ⁸It had been planted in a good field by abundant water in order to produce branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.’

⁹“You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots^o and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots. ¹⁰Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won’t it wither completely when the east wind strikes it?^p It will wither on the plot where it sprouted.’ ”

¹¹The word of the Lord came to me: ¹²“Now say to that rebellious house,^q ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials,^r and brought them back with him to Babylon. ¹³He took one of the royal family^s and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath.^t Then he took away the leading men of the land, ¹⁴so that the kingdom would be humble and not exalt itself^u but would keep his covenant in order to endure. ¹⁵However, this king revolted against him^v by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army.^w Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?

¹⁶“ ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne,^x whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. ¹⁷Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast company will not help him in battle,^y when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. ¹⁸He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. He did all these things even though he gave his hand in pledge.^z He will not escape!