Ezekiel 17:1–16

The Eagles and the Vine

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a aparable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

b“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,

Full of feathers of various colors,

Came to Lebanon

And ctook from the cedar the highest branch.

4 He cropped off its topmost young twig

And carried it to a land of trade;

He set it in a city of merchants.

5 Then he took some of the seed of the land

And planted it in da fertile field;

He placed it by abundant waters

And set it elike a willow tree.

6 And it grew and became a spreading vine fof low stature;

Its branches turned toward him,

But its roots were under it.

So it became a vine,

Brought forth branches,

And put forth shoots.

7 “But there was 1another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;

And behold, gthis vine bent its roots toward him,

And stretched its branches toward him,

From the garden terrace where it had been planted,

That he might water it.

8 It was planted in 2good soil by many waters,

To bring forth branches, bear fruit,

And become a majestic vine.” ’

9 “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Will it thrive?

hWill he not pull up its roots,

Cut off its fruit,

And leave it to wither?

All of its spring leaves will wither,

And no great power or many people

Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

10 Behold, it is planted,

Will it thrive?

iWill it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?

It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to jthe rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed kthe king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 13 lAnd he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, mand put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 14 that the kingdom might be nbrought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But ohe rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, pthat they might give him horses and many people. qWill he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

16 ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely rin the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.