Ezekiel 17

1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 and he seide, Sone of man, sette forth a derk speche, and telle thou a parable to the hous of Israel;

Son of man, give out a dark saying, and make a comparison for the children of Israel,

3 and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis. A greet egle of grete wyngis, with long stretchyng out of membris, ful of fetheris and of dyuersite, cam to the Liban, and took awei the merowe of the cedre.

And say, This is what the Lord has said: A great eagle with great wings, full of long feathers of different colours, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:

4 He pullide awei the hiynesse of boowis therof, and bar it ouer in to the lond of Chanaan, and settide it in the citee of marchauntis.

Biting off the highest of its young branches, he took it to the land of Canaan, and put it in a town of traders.

5 And he took of the seed of the lond, and settide it in the lond for seed, that it schulde make stidfast roote on many watris; he settide it in the hiyere part.

And he took some of the seed of the land, planting it in fertile earth, placing it by great waters; he put it in like a willow-tree.

6 And whanne it hadde growe, it encreesside in to a largere vyner, in lowe stature; for the boowis therof bihelden to that egle, and the rootis therof weren vndur that egle; therof it was maad a vyner, and it made fruyt in to siouns, and sente out boowis.

And its growth went on and it became a vine, low and widely stretching, whose branches were turned to him and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, putting out branches and young leaves.

7 And another greet egle was maad, with grete wyngis, and many fetheris; and lo! this vyner as sendynge hise rootis to that egle, stretchide forth his siouns to that egle, that he schulde moiste it of the cornfloris of his seed.

And there was another eagle with great wings and thick feathers: and now this vine, pushing out its roots to him, sent out its branches in his direction from the bed where it was planted, so that he might give it water.

8 Which is plauntid in a good lond on many watris, that it make boowis, and bere fruyt, that it be in to a greet vyner.

He had it planted in a good field by great waters so that it might put out branches and have fruit and be a strong vine.

9 Seie thou, Ezechiel, The Lord God seith these thingis, Therfor whether he schal haue prosperite? Whether Nabugodonosor schal not pulle awei the rootis of hym, and schal streyne the fruytis of hym? And he schal make drie alle the siouns of buriowning therof, and it schal be drie; and not in greet arm, nether in myche puple, that he schulde drawe it out bi the rootis.

Say, This is what the Lord has said: Will it do well? will he not have its roots pulled up and its branches cut off, so that all its young leaves may become dry and it may be pulled up by its roots?

10 Lo! it is plauntid, therfor whether it schal haue prosperite? Whether not whanne brennynge wynd schal touche it, it schal be maad drye, and schal wexe drie in the cornfloris of his seed?

And if it is planted will it do well? will it not become quite dry at the touch of the east wind, drying up in the bed where it was planted?

11 And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide, Seie thou to the hous terrynge to wraththe,

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

12 Witen ye not what these thingis signefien? Seie thou, Lo! the king of Babiloyne cometh in to Jerusalem; and he schal take the kyng and the princis therof, and he schal leede hem to hym silf in to Babiloyne.

Say now to this uncontrolled people, Are these things not clear to you? Say to them, See, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its rulers away with him to Babylon;

13 And he schal take of the seed of the rewme, and schal smyte with it a boond of pees, and he schal take of it an ooth; but also he schal take awei the stronge men of the lond,

And he took one of the sons of the king and made an agreement with him; and he put him under an oath, and took away the great men of the land:

14 that it be a meke rewme, and be not reisid, but that it kepe the couenaunt of hym, and holde it.

So that the kingdom might be made low with no power of lifting itself up, but might keep his agreement to be his servants.

15 Which yede awei fro hym, and sente messangeris in to Egipt, that it schulde yyue to hym horsis and miche puple. Whether he that dide these thingis, schal haue prosperite, ether schal gete helthe? and whether he that brekith couenaunt, schal ascape?

But he went against his authority in sending representatives to Egypt to get from them horses and a great army. Will he do well? will he be safe who does such things? if the agreement is broken will he be safe?

16 Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for in the place of the king that made hym kyng, whos ooth he made voide, and brak the couenaunt, which he hadde with hym, in the myddis of Babiloyne he schal die.

By my life, says the Lord, truly in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he put on one side and let his agreement with him be broken, even in Babylon he will come to his death.

17 And not in greet oost, nether in myche puple Farao schal make batel ayens hym, in the castyng of erthe, and in bildyng of palis, that he sle many persones.

And Pharaoh with his strong army and great forces will be no help to him in the war, when they put up earthworks and make strong walls for the cutting off of lives:

18 For he dispiside the ooth, that he schulde breke the boond of pees, and lo! he yaf his hond; and whanne he hath do alle these thingis, he schal not ascape.

For he put his oath on one side in letting the agreement be broken; and though he had given his hand to it, he did all these things; he will not get away safe.

19 Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, Y lyue, for Y schal sette on his heed the ooth which he dispiside, and the boond of pees which he brak.

And so the Lord has said, By my life, truly, for my oath which he put on one side, and my agreement which has been broken, I will send punishment on his head.

20 And Y schal spredde abrood my net on hym, and he schal be takun in my net, and Y schal brynge hym in to Babiloyne; and there Y schal deme hym in the trespassyng, bi which he dispiside me.

My net will be stretched out over him, and he will be taken in my cords, and I will send him to Babylon, and there I will be his judge for the wrong which he has done against me.

21 And alle hise flieris a wei with al his cumpenye schulen falle doun bi swerd, forsothe the remenauntis schulen be schaterid in to ech wynd; and ye schulen wite, that Y the Lord spak.

All his best fighting-men will be put to the sword, and the rest will be sent away to every wind: and you will be certain that I the Lord have said it.

22 The Lord God seith these thingis, And Y schal take of the merowe of an hiy cedre, and Y schal sette a tendir thing of the cop of hise braunchis; Y schal streyne, and Y schal plaunte on an hiy hil, and apperynge fer.

This is what the Lord has said: Further, I will take the highest top of the cedar and put it in the earth; cutting off from the highest of his young branches a soft one, I will have it planted on a high and great mountain;

23 In the hiy hil of Israel Y schal plaunte it; and it schal breke out in to buriownyng, and it schal make fruyt, and it schal be in to a greet cedre, and alle briddis schulen dwelle vndur it; ech volatil schal make nest vndur the schadewe of hise boowis.

It will be planted on the high mountain of Israel: it will put out branches and have fruit and be a fair cedar: under it all birds of every sort will make their living-place, resting in the shade of its branches.

24 And alle trees of the cuntrei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord; Y made low the hiy tre, and Y enhaunside the low tre, and Y made drie the greene tree, and Y made the drie tree to brynge forth boowis; Y the Lord haue spoke, and Y haue do.

And it will be clear to all the trees of the field that I the Lord have made low the high tree and made high the low tree, drying up the green tree and making the dry tree full of growth; I the Lord have said it and have done it.