< 以西结书 17 >
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Son of man, relate a tale, and speak a parable to the house of Israel:
3 说主耶和华如此说:有一大鹰,翅膀大,翎毛长,羽毛丰满,彩色俱备,来到黎巴嫩,将香柏树梢拧去,
and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; A great eagle with large wings, spreading them out very far, with many claws, which has the design of entering into Libanus—and he took the choice [branches] of the cedar:
4 就是折去香柏树尽尖的嫩枝,叼到贸易之地,放在买卖城中;
he cropped off the ends of the tender twigs, and brought them into the land of Chanaan; he laid them up in a walled city.
5 又将以色列地的枝子栽于肥田里,插在大水旁,如插柳树,
And he took of the seed of the land, and sowed it in a field planted by much water; he set it in a conspicuous place.
6 就渐渐生长,成为蔓延矮小的葡萄树。其枝转向那鹰,其根在鹰以下,于是成了葡萄树,生出枝子,发出小枝。
And it sprang up, and became a weak and little vine, so that the branches thereof appeared [upon] it, and its roots were under it: and it became a vine, and put forth shoots, and sent forth its tendrils.
7 “又有一大鹰,翅膀大,羽毛多。这葡萄树从栽种的畦中向这鹰弯过根来,发出枝子,好得它的浇灌。
And there was another great eagle, with great wings and many claws: and, behold, this vine bent itself round toward him, and her roots [were turned] towards him, and she sent forth her branches towards him, that [he] might water her together with the growth of her plantation.
8 这树栽于肥田多水的旁边,好生枝子,结果子,成为佳美的葡萄树。
She thrives in a fair field by much water, to produce shoots and bear fruit, that she might become a great vine.
9 你要说,主耶和华如此说:这葡萄树岂能发旺呢?鹰岂不拔出它的根来,芟除它的果子,使它枯干,使它发的嫩叶都枯干了吗?也不用大力和多民,就拔出它的根来。
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; Shall it prosper? shall not the roots of her tender stem and her fruit be blighted? yea, all her early shoots shall be dried up, and [that] not by a mighty arm, nor by many people, to tear her up from her roots.
10 葡萄树虽然栽种,岂能发旺呢?一经东风,岂不全然枯干吗?必在生长的畦中枯干了。”
And, behold, it thrives: shall it prosper? shall it not wither as soon as the east wind touches it? it shall be withered together with the growth of its shoots.
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying,
12 “你对那悖逆之家说:你们不知道这些事是什么意思吗?你要告诉他们说,巴比伦王曾到耶路撒冷,将其中的君王和首领带到巴比伦自己那里去。
Son of man, say now to the provoking house, Know ye not what these things were? say [to them], Whenever the king of Babylon shall come against Jerusalem, then he shall take her king and her princes, and shall take them home to Babylon.
13 从以色列的宗室中取一人与他立约,使他发誓,并将国中有势力的人掳去,
And he shall take of the seed royal, and shall make a covenant with him, and shall bind him with an oath: and he shall take the princes of the land:
that it may become a weak kingdom, so as never to lift itself up, that he may keep his covenant, and establish it.
15 他却背叛巴比伦王,打发使者往埃及去,要他们给他马匹和多民。他岂能亨通呢?行这样事的人岂能逃脱呢?他背约岂能逃脱呢?
And [if] he shall revolt from him, to send his messengers into Egypt, that [they] may give him horses and much people; shall he prosper? shall he that acts as an adversary be preserved? and shall he that transgresses the covenant be preserved?
16 他轻看向王所起的誓,背弃王与他所立的约。主耶和华说:我指着我的永生起誓,他定要死在立他作王、巴比伦王的京都。
[As] I live, saith the Lord, verily in [the] place where the king is that made him king, who dishonoured my oath, and who broke my covenant, shall he die with him in the midst of Babylon.
17 敌人筑垒造台,与他打仗的时候,为要剪除多人,法老虽领大军队和大群众,还是不能帮助他。
And Pharaoh shall make war upon him not with a large force or great multitude, in throwing up a mound, and in building of forts, to cut off souls.
18 他轻看誓言,背弃盟约,已经投降,却又做这一切的事,他必不能逃脱。”
Whereas he has profaned the oath so as to break the covenant, when, behold, I engage his hand, and he has done all these things to him, he shall not escape.
19 所以主耶和华如此说:“我指着我的永生起誓,他既轻看指我所起的誓,背弃指我所立的约,我必要使这罪归在他头上。
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; [As] I live, surely mine oath which he has profaned, and my covenant which he has transgressed, I will even recompense it upon his head.
20 我必将我的网撒在他身上,他必在我的网罗中缠住。我必带他到巴比伦,并要在那里因他干犯我的罪刑罚他。
And I will spread a net upon him, and he shall be caught in its snare.
21 他的一切军队,凡逃跑的,都必倒在刀下;所剩下的,也必分散四方。你们就知道说这话的是我—耶和华。”
In every battle of his they shall fall by the sword, and I will scatter [his] remnant to every wind: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
22 主耶和华如此说:“我要将香柏树梢拧去栽上,就是从尽尖的嫩枝中折一嫩枝,栽于极高的山上;
For thus saith the Lord; I will even take of the choice [branches] of the cedar from the top [thereof], I will crop off their hearts, and I will plant it on a high mountain:
23 在以色列高处的山栽上。它就生枝子,结果子,成为佳美的香柏树,各类飞鸟都必宿在其下,就是宿在枝子的荫下。
and I will hang it on a lofty mountain of Israel: yea, I will plant it, and it shall put forth shoots, and shall bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar: and every bird shall rest beneath it, even every fowl shall rest under its shadow: its branches shall be restored.
24 田野的树木都必知道我—耶和华使高树矮小,矮树高大;青树枯干,枯树发旺。我—耶和华如此说,也如此行了。”
And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord that bring low the high tree, and exalt the low tree, and wither the green tree, and cause the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].