Ezekiel 17
The Lord tells Ezekiel to describe a parable of two eagles and a vine, where the first eagle takes a cedar branch to a city of merchants and plants it, and it grows into a vine. However, the vine turns to another eagle for nourishment, despite being planted in a good land. The Lord says that the vine will wither and be destroyed because it has turned away from its original nourishment. The parable is then explained as a representation of the king of Judah, who has turned to Egypt for help instead of trusting in the Lord, and will therefore be punished and taken captive by the king of Babylon. The Lord then promises to plant a new cedar tree, representing a new and faithful kingdom, which will flourish and provide shelter for all.
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying2"Son of man, propose an enigma and describe a parable to the house of Israel3and you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: A large eagle, with great wings and elongated pinions, full of feathers with many colors, came to Lebanon. And he took the kernel of the cedar4He tore off the summit of its branches, and he transported it to the land of Canaan; he placed it in a city of merchants5And he took from the seed of the land and placed it in the ground for seed, so that it might take firm root above many waters; he placed it at the surface6And when it had germinated, it increased into a more extensive vine, low in height, with its branches facing toward itself. And its roots were underneath it. And so, it became a vine, and sprouted branches, and produced shoots7And there was another large eagle, with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine seemed to bend its roots towards him, extending its branches toward him, so that he might irrigate it from the garden of its germination8It had been planted in a good land, above many waters, so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, so that it would become a large vine9Speak: Thus says the Lord God: What if it does not prosper? Should he not pull up its roots, and strip off its fruit, and dry up all the branches that it has produced, and let it wither, though he is without a strong arm and without many people to pull it up by the root10Behold, it has been planted. What if it does not prosper? Should it not be dried up when the burning wind touches it, and should it not wither in the garden of its germination?11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying12"Say to the provoking house: Do you not know what these things signify? Say: Behold, the king of Babylon arrives in Jerusalem. And he will take away its king and princes, and he will lead them away to himself in Babylon13And he will take one from the offspring of the king, and he will strike a pact with him and receive an oath from him. Moreover, he will take away the strong ones of the land14so that it may be a lowly kingdom, and may not lift itself up, and may instead keep his pact and serve it15But, withdrawing from him, he sent messengers to Egypt, so that it would give him horses and many people. Should he who has done these things prosper and obtain safety? And should he who has broken the pact go free16As I live, says the Lord God, in the place of the king, who appointed him as king, whose oath he has made void, and whose pact he has broken, under which he was living with him, in the midst of Babylon, he shall die17And not with a great army, nor with many people will Pharaoh undertake a battle against him, when he will cast up ramparts and build defenses, in order to put to death many souls18For he has despised an oath, in that he broke the pact. And behold, he had given his hand. And so, since he has done all these things, he shall not escape19Because of this, thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will place upon his head the oath that he has spurned and the pact that he has betrayed20And I will spread my net over him, and he will be captured in my dragnet. And I will lead him into Babylon, and I will judge him there for the transgression by which he has despised me21And all his fugitives, with all his procession, will fall by the sword. Then the remainder will be scattered into every wind. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.22Thus says the Lord God: "I myself will take from the kernel of the exalted cedar, and I will establish it. I will tear off a tender twig from the top of its branches, and I will plant it on a mountain, lofty and exalted23On the sublime mountains of Israel, I will plant it. And it shall spring forth in buds and bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar. And all the birds will live under it, and every bird will make its nest under the shadow of its branches24And all the trees of the regions will know that I, the Lord, have brought low the sublime tree, and have exalted the lowly tree, and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and acted.
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