44 Look! Everyone quoting a proverbi against you, he will quote, ⌊saying⌋,j ‘Like her mother is her daughter!’ 45 You are a daughter of your mother who abhorred her husband and her children, and you are a sister of your sisters who abhorred their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46 And your elder sister, she is Samaria, and her daughters, who are dwelling on your north, and your younger sister is the one dwelling on your south; she is Sodom and her daughters. 47 And you have not only gone in their ways, butk you also did according to their detestable things. ⌊In such a short time⌋l you behaved more corruptly than they in all of your ways. 48 ⌊As surely as I live⌋,’m ⌊declares⌋n the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely your sister Sodom and her daughters did not do aso you and your daughters did. 49 Look! This was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: Pride, abundance of food, and ⌊prosperous ease⌋p was to her and to her daughters, and ⌊she did not sustain the needy and the poor⌋.q 50 And they were proud, and they did a detestable thing ⌊before me⌋,r and I removed them ⌊because⌋s I saw it. 51 And Samaria did not sin ⌊according to even half of your sins⌋,t and you caused your detestable things to increase more than they, and you made your sister righteous in comparison with all of your detestable things that you did.u 52 Also,v you bear your disgrace, by which you furnished justification to your sistersw through your sins by which you acted more abominably than they; they were more righteous than you, and also,x you be ashamed and bear your disgrace through your making your sister righteous.

53 And I will restore their fortune, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and even the fortunes of your captivity in the midst of them, 54 in order that you may bear your disgrace and you may be put to shame because of all that you did at your consoling them. 55 And as for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56 And was not Sodom, your sister, a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride 57 ⌊before⌋y your evil was uncovered? It was like the time of the scorn of the daughters of Aram and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who are despising you. 58 Your wickedness and your detestable things, you, you must bear them,’ ⌊declares⌋z Yahweh. 59 ‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh: And I will do ita to you ⌊according to what you have done⌋,b who despised the oath to break covenant. 60 And I, I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you ⌊an everlasting covenant⌋.c 61 And you will remember your ways, and you will be ashamed when you take your sisters, ⌊both the older and the younger⌋,d and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of your covenant. 62 And I, I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh, 63 in order that you will remember, and you will be ashamed, and ⌊you will not open your mouth again⌋e ⌊because of⌋f your disgrace when I forgive you for all that you have done!’ ” ⌊declares⌋g the Lord Yahweh.

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!” ’ ”

11 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ⌊saying⌋, 12 “Say now to the rebellious house of Israel, ‘Do you not know what these are?’s Say, ‘Look! The king of Babylon will come to Jerusalem, and he will take its king and its officials, and he will bringt them to himself,u to Babylon. 13 And he took from the seed of the kingship, and he made with him a covenant, and ⌊he brought him under oath⌋,v and he took the rulers of the land, 14 so that they would be a humble kingdom and not lift itself up to keep his covenant ⌊in order for it to stand⌋.w 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape? 16 ⌊As I live⌋,’x ⌊declares⌋y the Lord Yahweh, ‘⌊surely⌋z in the place of the king ⌊who made⌋a him king, who despised his oath and who broke his covenant with him—in the midst of Babylon he will die. 17 And not with a great army and with a great crowd will Pharaoh workb with him in the war, at the pouring out of a siege ramp and the building of siege works to destroy many lives. 18 And he despised the oath to break covenant. And, look, he gave his hand in pledge, and yet he did all of these things. He will not escape.’ 19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘⌊As I live⌋,c ⌊surely⌋d my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke I will return upon his head. 20 And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will enter into judgment with him there about his infidelity that he displayed against me. 21 And all of his choice troops, among all of his troops, they will fall by the sword, and those who are remaining,e they will be scattered to all the directions of the wind, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have spoken.’