A Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 17:2 “Son of man, offer a riddle,1 and tell a parable to the house of Israel. 17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:2

“ ‘A great eagle3 with broad wings, long feathers,4

with full plumage which was multi-hued,5

came to Lebanon6 and took the top of the cedar.

17:4 He plucked off its topmost shoot;

he brought it to a land of merchants

and planted it in a city of traders.

17:5 He took one of the seedlings7 of the land,

placed it in a cultivated plot;8

a shoot by abundant water,

like a willow he planted it.

17:6 It sprouted and became a vine,

spreading low to the ground;9

its branches turning toward him,10 its roots were under itself.11

So it became a vine; it produced shoots and sent out branches.

17:7 “ ‘There was another great eagle12

with broad wings and thick plumage.

Now this vine twisted its roots toward him

and sent its branches toward him

to be watered from the soil where it was planted.

17:8 In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted

to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine.

17:9 “ ‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘Will it prosper?

Will he not rip out its roots

and cause its fruit to rot13 and wither?

All its foliage14 will wither.

No strong arm or large army

will be needed to pull it out by its roots.15

17:10 Consider! It is planted, but will it prosper?

Will it not wither completely when the east wind blows on it?

Will it not wither in the soil where it sprouted?’ ”

17:11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 17:12 “Say to the rebellious house of Israel:16 ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’17 Say: ‘See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem18 and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon. 17:13 He took one from the royal family,19 made a treaty with him, and put him under oath.20 He then took the leaders of the land 17:14 so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep its treaty with him in order to stand. 17:15 But this one from Israel’s royal family21 rebelled against the king of Babylon22 by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?

17:16 “ ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, surely in the city23 of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—in the middle of Babylon he will die! 17:17 Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help24 him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people. 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note25—he gave his promise26 and did all these things—he will not escape!

17:19 “ ‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him27 for despising my oath and breaking my covenant! 17:20 I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me. 17:21 All the choice men28 among his troops will die29 by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!

17:22 “ ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘I will take a sprig30 from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it.31

I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs;

I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

17:23 I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel,

and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar.

Every bird will live under it;

Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches.

17:24 All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord.

I make the high tree low; I raise up the low tree.

I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout.

I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!’ ”