Ezekiel 17
1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,
And the word of Yhwh came unto 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, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house 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, Thus saith the Lord Yhwh; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch 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.
He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.
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.
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as 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 it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
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.
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
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.
It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly 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 thou, Thus saith the Lord Yhwh; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
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?
Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
11 And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide, Seie thou to the hous terrynge to wraththe,
Moreover the word of Yhwh came unto 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 the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them 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 hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty 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.
That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
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 rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
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.
As I live, saith the Lord Yhwh, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
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.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
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.
Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
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.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Yhwh; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own 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.
And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed 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.
And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I Yhwh have spoken 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.
Thus saith the Lord Yhwh; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
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.
In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
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 all the trees of the field shall know that I Yhwh have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I Yhwh have spoken and have done it.
