17:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
17:2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell the house of Israel a parable.
17:3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,
17:4 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
17:5 “‘He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,
17:6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
17:7 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.
17:8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
17:9 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.
17:10 Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it–wither away in the plot where it grew?’”
17:11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
17:12 “Say to this rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
17:13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
17:14 so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.
17:15 But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?
17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.
17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.
17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke.
17:20 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there because he was unfaithful to me.
17:21 All his fleeing troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.
17:22 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
17:23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
17:24 All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. “‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’”
17:1 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
17:2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and utter a parable to the house of Israel;
17:3 And say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.
17:4 He cropped off its topmost young twig and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.
17:5 He also took some of the seed of the land and put it in a fertile field; he took it and set it by abundant waters like a willow,
17:6 That it might sprout and become a low, running vine with its branches turned toward him and its roots under him. And it became a vine and produced offshoots and sent forth boughs.
17:7 And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and then this vine bent its roots toward him, and from the beds where it was planted it sent out its branches toward him that he might water it.
17:8 In a good field by abundant waters it had been transplanted so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, that it might be a magnificent vine.
17:9 Say then, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit so that it withers? All its fresh sprouting leaves will wither, even without great strength or a mighty people pulling it up from its roots.
17:10 And indeed, though it has been transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely once the east wind touches it? In the beds where it was planted it will wither.
17:11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
17:12 Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Say, Indeed the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and he took its king and its rulers and brought them to him at Babylon.
17:13 And he took someone of the royal seed and made a covenant with him and put him under an oath. He also took the mighty men of the land,
17:14 That the kingdom might be humble, that it might not lift itself up, but by keeping his covenant, it might stand.
17:15 But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does these things escape? Can he break the covenant and slip away?
17:16 As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, surely in the land of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, with him in the midst of Babylon he will die.
17:17 And Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not aid him in battle, when they cast up mounds and build siegeworks to cut off many lives.
17:18 Indeed, he despised the oath by breaking the covenant; yes, he even gave his hand and yet did all these things; he will not slip away.
17:19 Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah, As I live, surely My oath, which he despised, and My covenant, which he broke, I will bring upon his head.
17:20 And I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon and will enter into judgment with him there concerning his unfaithfulness by which he has been unfaithful to Me.
17:21 And all his choice men with all his armies will fall by the sword, and those who are left will be scattered into every wind; and you will know that I, Jehovah, have spoken.
17:22 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, I will also take a twig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out; from the topmost of its young twigs I will crop off a tender one, and I will transplant it upon a high and prominent mountain.
17:23 On the high mountain of Israel I will transplant it; and it will bear branches and produce fruit and will become a magnificent cedar; and under it all birds of every kind will nest; in the shade of its branches they will nest.
17:24 And all the trees of the field will know that I, Jehovah, have brought down the exalted tree and have exalted the lowly tree, that I have dried up the green tree and have made the dry tree bud. I, Jehovah, have spoken, and I will do it.