Ezekiel 17

Parable of the Eagles

17The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. ^b3You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

A great eagle with great wings, ^clong pinions,

and full plumage of many colors

came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. ^d

⁴He 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; ^e

he set it like a willow, ^f

a plant ^gby abundant waters.

⁶It sprouted and became a spreading vine,

low in height with its branches turned toward him, ^h

yet its roots stayed under it.

So it became a vine,

produced branches, and sent out shoots.

⁷But there was another great eagle

with great wings and thick plumage.

And this vine bent its roots toward him!

It stretched out its branches to him

from its planting bed, ⁱ

so that he might water it.

⁸It had been planted

in a good field by abundant waters

in order to produce branches,

bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.

⁹You are to say: This is what the Lord God says:

Will it flourish?

Will he not tear out its roots ^j

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 completely wither

when the east wind strikes it? ^k

It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.”

¹¹The word of the Lord came to me: ¹²“Now say to that rebellious house: ^lDon’t you know what these things mean? Tell them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, ^mand brought them back with him to Babylon. ¹³He took one of the royal family ⁿand made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. ^oThen he took away the leading men of the land, ¹⁴so the kingdom might be humble and not exalt itself ^pbut might keep his covenant in order to endure. ¹⁵However, this king revolted against him ^qby sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army. ^rWill 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, ^swhose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. ¹⁷Pharaoh will not help him with his great army and vast horde in battle, ^twhen 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. ^uHe will not escape!”

¹⁹Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “As I live, I will bring down on his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. ²⁰I will spread My net over him, ^vand he will be caught in My snare. ^wI will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against Me. ^x21All the fugitives ^yamong his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. ^zThen you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

²²This is what the Lord God says:

I will take a sprig

from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. ^a

I will pluck a tender sprig

from its topmost shoots,

and I will plant it

on a high towering mountain.

²³I will plant it on Israel’s high mountain ^b

so that it may bear branches, produce fruit,

and become a majestic cedar.

Birds of every kind will nest under it, ^c

taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

²⁴Then all the trees of the field will know

that I am Yahweh.

I bring down the tall tree,

and make the low tree tall. ^d

I cause the green tree to wither

and make the withered tree thrive. ^e

I, Yahweh, have spoken

and I will do it. ^f