Ezekiel 17–19

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17The word of the Lord came to me: ^2c“Son of man, ^dpropound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; ³say, Thus says the Lord God: ^eA great eagle ^fwith great wings and long pinions, ^frich in plumage of many colors, came ^gto Lebanon ^hand took the top of the cedar. ⁴He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. ⁵Then he took of the seed of the land ⁱand planted it in fertile soil.¹ He placed it beside abundant waters. ^jHe set it like a willow twig, ⁶and it sprouted and became a ^klow ^lspreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

^7m“And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, ^mand behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from ⁿthe bed where it was planted, that he might water it. ⁸ⁱIt had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

⁹“Say, Thus says the Lord God: ^mWill it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. ¹⁰Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? ^oWill it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?”

¹¹Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹²“Say now to ^pthe rebellious house, ^qDo you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, ^rthe king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. ^13sAnd he took one of the royal offspring^{2 t}and made a covenant with him, ^uputting him under oath (^vthe chief men of the land he had taken away), ¹⁴that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. ^15wBut he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors ^xto Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. ^yWill he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he ^zbreak the covenant and yet escape?

^16a“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely ^bin the place where the king dwells ^cwho made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. ^17dPharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, ^ewhen mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. ¹⁸He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape. ¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. ^20fI will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon ^gand enter into judgment with him there ^hfor the treachery he has committed against me. ²¹And all the pick³ of his troops shall fall by the sword, ⁱand the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that ^jI am the Lord; I have spoken.”

²²Thus says the Lord God: ^k“I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. ^lI will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and ^mI myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ⁿOn the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. ^oAnd under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. ²⁴And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; ^pI bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up ^qthe green tree, and make ^qthe dry tree flourish. ^rI am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18The word of the Lord came to me: ²“What do you¹ mean ^sby repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ^t‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? ^3uAs I live, declares the Lord God, ^vthis proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: ^wthe soul who sins shall die.

⁵“If a man is righteous and does ^xwhat is just and right— ⁶if he ^ydoes not eat upon the mountains or ^zlift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, ^adoes not defile his neighbor’s wife ^bor approach ^ca woman in her time of menstrual impurity, ^7ddoes not oppress anyone, but ^erestores to the debtor his pledge, ^fcommits no robbery, ^ggives his bread to the hungry ^gand covers the naked with a garment, ^8hdoes not lend at interest ^hor take any profit,² withholds his hand from injustice, ⁱexecutes true justice between man and man, ^9jwalks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; ^khe shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

¹⁰“If he fathers a son who is violent, ^la shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹(though he himself did none of these things), ^mwho even eats upon the mountains, ⁿdefiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹²oppresses the poor and needy, ^ocommits robbery, ^odoes not restore the pledge, ^plifts up his eyes to the idols, ^qcommits abomination, ^13rlends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; ^shis blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴“Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶does not oppress anyone, ^texacts no pledge, ^ucommits no robbery, ^vbut gives his bread to the hungry ^vand covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷withholds his hand from iniquity,³ takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, ^wand walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; ^xhe shall surely live. ¹⁸As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, ^ybehold, he shall die for his iniquity.

¹⁹“Yet you say, ^z‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done ^awhat is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, ^bhe shall surely live. ^20cThe soul who sins shall die. ^dThe son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. ^eThe righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, ^fand the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

^21g“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does ^hwhat is just and right, ⁱhe shall surely live; he shall not die. ^22jNone of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. ^23kHave I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? ^24lBut when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? ^mNone of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for ⁿthe treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

^25o“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ^26lWhen a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷Again, ^pwhen a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰“Therefore ^qI will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. ^rRepent and turn from all your transgressions, ^slest iniquity be your ruin.^{4 31t}Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and ^umake yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ^vWhy will you die, O house of Israel? ^32wFor I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; ^rso turn, and live.”

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

19And you, ^xtake up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, ²and say:

What was your mother? ^yA lioness!

Among lions she crouched;

in the midst of young lions

she reared her cubs.

³And she brought up one of her cubs;

^zhe became a young lion,

^aand he learned to catch prey;

he devoured men.

⁴The nations heard about him;

^bhe was caught in their pit,

^cand they brought him with hooks

to the land of Egypt.

⁵When she saw that she waited in vain,

that her hope was lost,

^dshe took another of her cubs

and made him a young lion.

⁶He prowled among the lions;

he became a young lion,

and he learned to catch prey;

he devoured men,

⁷and seized¹ their widows.

He laid waste their cities,

and the land was appalled and all who were in it

at the sound of his roaring.

^8eThen the nations set against him

from provinces on every side;

^fthey spread their net over him;

^bhe was taken in their pit.

⁹With hooks ^ethey put him in a cage²

and ^gbrought him to the king of Babylon;

they brought him into custody,

that his voice should no more be heard

on ^hthe mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Your mother was ⁱlike a vine in a vineyard³

planted by the water,

^jfruitful and full of branches

^kby reason of abundant water.

¹¹Its strong stems became

rulers’ scepters;

it towered aloft

among the thick boughs;⁴

it was seen in its height

with the mass of its branches.

¹²But the vine was…