Ezekiel 17:2–18

²“Son of man, give this riddle, and tell this story to the people of Israel. ³Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“A great eagle with broad wings and long feathers,

covered with many-colored plumage,

came to Lebanon.

He seized the top of a cedar tree

⁴and plucked off its highest branch.

He carried it away to a city filled with merchants.

He planted it in a city of traders.

⁵He also took a seedling from the land

and planted it in fertile soil.

He placed it beside a broad river,

where it could grow like a willow tree.

⁶It took root there and

grew into a low, spreading vine.

Its branches turned up toward the eagle,

and its roots grew down into the ground.

It produced strong branches

and put out shoots.

⁷But then another great eagle came

with broad wings and full plumage.

So the vine now sent its roots and branches

toward him for water,

⁸even though it was already planted in good soil

and had plenty of water

so it could grow into a splendid vine

and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.

⁹“So now the Sovereign Lord asks:

Will this vine grow and prosper?

No! I will pull it up, roots and all!

I will cut off its fruit

and let its leaves wither and die.

I will pull it up easily

without a strong arm or a large army.

¹⁰But when the vine is transplanted,

will it thrive?

No, it will wither away

when the east wind blows against it.

It will die in the same good soil

where it had grown so well.”

The Riddle Explained

¹¹Then this message came to me from the Lord: ¹²“Say to these rebels of Israel: Don’t you understand the meaning of this riddle of the eagles? The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took away her king and princes, and brought them to Babylon. ¹³He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel’s most influential leaders, ¹⁴so Israel would not become strong again and revolt. Only by keeping her treaty with Babylon could Israel survive.

¹⁵“Nevertheless, this man of Israel’s royal family rebelled against Babylon, sending ambassadors to Egypt to request a great army and many horses. Can Israel break her sworn treaties like that and get away with it? ¹⁶No! For as surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, the king of Israel will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him in power and whose treaty he disregarded and broke. ¹⁷Pharaoh and all his mighty army will fail to help Israel when the king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem again and destroys many lives. ¹⁸For the king of Israel disregarded his treaty and broke it after swearing to obey; therefore, he will not escape.