Ezekiel

17 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

2 Son of man, Put thou forth a riddle And speak thou a parable,—Unto the house of Israel:

3 So then thou shalt say, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh,—A great eagle with large wings of long pinion, full of plumage which had divers colours came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

4 The crown of its young twigs plucked he off, and brought it into a land of traffic, in a city of merchants he set it.

5 So he took of the seed of the land, and planted it in a field for seed,—He took it near mighty waters, Like a willow-tree he set it.

6 And it shot forth and became a spreading vine of lowly stature, Its branches turning towards him, And its roots under him spread,—So it became a vine, And brought forth shoots, And sent forth boughs.

7 And it came to pass that there was another great eagle, with large wings and abundant plumage,—And lo! this vine stretched its roots hungrily towards him And its branches sent it forth unto him, That he might cause it to drink out of the beds where it was planted:

8 In a goodly field by mighty waters was it planted,—That it might bring forth boughs and bear fruit, That it might become a splendid vine.

9 Say thou, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Shall it thrive? Its roots will he not tear up? Its fruit will he not cut off that it wither? All the fresh leaves it hath caused to spring forth shall wither without a strong arm or many people, to pull it up by its roots.

10 Lo! therefore though [it remain] planted shall it thrive? As soon as an east wind toucheth it will it not utterly wither? On the beds where it sprang up will it not wither?

11 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me saying:

12 Say, I pray thee, unto the perverse house, Know ye not what these things are? Say thou, Lo! the King of Babylon entered Jerusalem And took her king and her princes, And brought them unto him in Babylon;

13 Yea took of the seed royal, And solemnised with him a covenant,—And brought him into an oath, Also the mighty ones of the land did he take.

14 That the kingdom might be abased, so as not to lift itself up,—By the keeping of his covenant might be made to stand.

15 But he hath rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt, that there should be given to him horses and much people. Shall he thrive? Shall he escape that doeth these things? Shall he break a covenant and escape?

16 As I live Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Verily! in the place where dwelleth the king that made him king, Whose oath he hath despised, And whose covenant he hath broken With him in the midst of Babylon shall he die.

17 Neither shall Pharaoh with a great force or with a large gathered host work with him in the war, by casting up an earthwork and by building a siege-wall,—to the cutting off of many lives.

18 Seeing he hath despised an oath by breaking a covenant,—yea lo! hath given his hand and all these things hath done he shall not escape.

19 Therefore Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, As I live Surely it is mine oath which he hath despised, And my covenant which he hath broken, Therefore will I bring it upon his own head:

20 And I will spread over him my net, And he shall be taken in my snare, And I will bring him into Babylon and will enter into judgment with him there, as to his treachery wherewith he hath been treacherous against me;

21 And all his fugitives throughout all his bands by the sword shall fall, And they who are left to every wind shall be scattered,—So shall ye know that I Yahweh have spoken!

22 Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Therefore will I myself take of the highest branch of the lofty cedar and set it,—Of the crown of its young twigs a tender one will I pluck off, and I myself will plant it upon a mountain high and terraced,

23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, And it shall put forth boughs And bear fruit, And become a majestic cedar,—And every bird of every wing shall dwell under it, In the shade of its branches shall they dwell.

24 So shall all the trees of the field know that I Yahweh Have laid low the high tree, Have exalted the low tree, Have dried up the moist tree, And have caused to flourish the tree that was dry,—I Yahweh have spoken and performed.