Ezekiel 17:1–10

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Son of man,b tell a riddle and quote a proverb to the house of Israel, 3 and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “⌊The great eagle with great wings and long feathers⌋c and ⌊full of variegated plumage⌋d came to Lebanon and he took the treetop of the cedar. 4 He plucked the top of its new plant shoot, and he brought it to the land of Canaan and put it in a city of merchants, 5 and he took from the seed of the land and placed it in ⌊fertile soil⌋e onf many waters; like a willow he planted it. 6 And it sprouted, and ⌊it became a vine spreading out⌋,g low of height, turning its branches to him, and its roots were under it, and ⌊it became a vine⌋,h and it madei branches, and it sent out foliage.

7 “ ‘ “And there was another great eagle, great of wings and with abundant plumage, and look! This vine stretched out its roots toward him and extended its branches to him to water it from the garden bed ⌊where it was planted⌋.j 8 It was planted ink a good field byl many watersm to produce branchesn and to bear fruit to becomeo ⌊a beautiful vine⌋.” ’p 9 Say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Will it prosper? Will he not tear out its roots, and will he not make its fruit scaly, and it will wither, and all of the freshness of its vegetation will dry up? And to lift it from its roots ⌊will not require great strength or many people⌋.q 10 And look! Though it is planted, will it prosper? ⌊When the east wind strikes it⌋,r will it not dry up completely? On the garden bed of its vegetation it will dry up!” ’ ”