Ezekiel 17:3–10

³Say: Thus says the Lord God:

A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,

rich in plumage of many colors,

came to the Lebanon.

He took the top of the cedar,^*

⁴broke off its topmost shoot;

he carried it to a land of trade,

set it in a city of merchants.

⁵Then he took a seedling from the land,

placed it in fertile soil;

a plant^a by abundant waters,

he set it like a willow twig.^*

⁶It sprouted and became a vine

spreading out but low;

its branches turned toward him;

its roots remained where it stood.

So it became a vine;

it brought forth branches,

put forth foliage.

⁷There was another great eagle

with great wings and much plumage.

And see! This vine stretched out

its roots toward him;

it shot out its branches toward him

from the bed where it was planted

so that he might water it.^*

⁸It had been transplanted

to good soil by abundant waters,

so that it might produce branches

and bear fruit

and become a noble vine.

⁹Say: Thus says the Lord God:

Will it prosper?

Will he not pull up its roots,

cause its fruit to rot^b and wither,

its fresh sprouting leaves to fade?

No strong arm or mighty army will be needed

to pull it from its roots.

¹⁰Look, it has been transplanted. Will it thrive?

When the east wind strikes it,

will it not utterly wither,

wither on the bed where it grew?^*