1. And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
2. Son of man, put out a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.
3. And say, So says the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings, long of pinion, full of feathers, who had different colors, came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar.
4. He plucked off the top of its young twigs and carried it into a land of traders. He set it in a city of merchants.
5. He also took of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field. He placed it by great waters and set it as a willow tree.
6. And it grew and became a spreading low vine, whose branches turned toward him. And its roots were under him. So it became a vine and brought out branches and shot out boughs.
7. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot out its branches toward him, that he might water it, away from the beds of its planting.
8. It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring out branches, and that it might bear fruit, to be a splendid vine.
9. Say, So says the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, and wither it? All the leaves of its sprouting shall wither, and not with great arm, nor by many people shall any raise it by its roots.
10. And behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It shall wither in the beds where it sprouted.
11. And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
12. Say now to the rebellious house: Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem and has taken its king and its rulers, and brings them to himself to Babylon.
13. And he has taken of the king's seed and has made a covenant with him, and has taken an oath from him. He has also taken the mighty of the land,
14. so that the kingdom might be low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15. But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, to give him horses and many people. Shall he be blessed? Shall he who does such things escape? Or shall he break the covenant and be delivered?
16. As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17. Nor shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company work for him in the war, by pouring out siege mounds and building forts, to cut off many persons.
18. And he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant. And, behold, he had given his hand, and has done all these, he shall not escape.
19. Therefore so says the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely My oath that he has despised, and My covenant that he has broken, I will even repay it on his own head.
20. And I will spread My net on him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will judge him there with his sin which he has sinned against Me.
21. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward all winds. And you shall know that I Jehovah have spoken.
22. So says the Lord Jehovah: I, even I, will also take of the top of the highest cedar and will set it; I will crop off from the first of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23. In a mountain, in a high place of Israel, I will plant it. And it shall bear boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. And under it shall dwell every bird of every wing; in the shadow of its branches they shall dwell.
24. And all the trees of the field shall know that I Jehovah have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish. I Jehovah have spoken and acted.