< Ezekiel 17 >

1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,
And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
2 'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and use a simile unto the house of Israel,
Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
3 and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The great eagle, great-winged, long-pinioned, Full of feathers, that hath diverse colours, Hath come in unto Lebanon, And it taketh the foliage of the cedar,
and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle, with great wings, with long feathers, full of plumage, which had divers colors, came to Lebanon, and took the highest branch of a cedar.
4 The top of its tender twigs it hath cropped, And it bringeth it in to the land of Canaan. In a city of merchants it hath placed it.
He cropped off the top of its young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 And it taketh of the seed of the land, And doth put it in a field of seed, To take by many waters, In a conspicuous place it hath set it.
He took also one of the shoots of the land, and put it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow-tree.
6 And it springeth up, and becometh a spreading vine, humble of stature, To turn its thin shoots toward itself, And its roots are under it, And it becometh a vine, and maketh boughs, And sendeth forth beauteous branches.
And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned towards him, and whose roots were under him. It became a vine, that brought forth branches, and shot forth boughs.
7 And there is another great eagle, Great-winged, and abounding with feathers, And lo, this vine hath bent its roots toward him, And its thin shoots it hath sent out toward him, To water it from the furrows of its planting,
There was also another great eagle, with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, that he might water it from the beds where it was planted.
8 On a good field, by many waters, it is planted, To make branches, and to bear fruit, To be for an goodly vine.
And yet it was planted in a good soil, by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, and be a goodly vine.
9 Say: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: It prospereth — its roots doth he not draw out, And its fruit cut off, and it is withered? [In] all the leaves of its springing it withereth, And not by great strength, and by a numerous people, To lift it up by its roots.
Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? Shall not he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it wither? In all the leaves of its branching shall it wither; even without a mighty arm, or many people, shall he pluck it up by the roots.
10 And lo, the planted thing — doth it prosper? When come against it doth the east wind, Doth it not utterly wither? On the furrows of its springing it withereth.'
Yea, behold, it is planted; but shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the beds where it grew.
11 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:
Moreover, the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:
12 'Say, I pray thee, to the rebellious house, Have ye not known what these [are]? Say, Lo, come hath the king of Babylon to Jerusalem, And he taketh its king, and its princes, And bringeth them to himself to Babylon.
Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? Say, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes, and led them with him to Babylon,
13 And he taketh of the seed of the kingdom, And maketh with him a covenant, And bringeth him in to an oath, And the mighty of the land he hath taken,
and took one of the king's offspring, and made a covenant with him, and took an oath of him, and the mighty of the land he took away,
14 That the kingdom may be humble, That it may not lift itself up, To keep his covenant — that it may stand.
that the kingdom might be brought low, so as not to lift itself up; that the covenant might be kept, and stand.
15 And he rebelleth against him, To send his messengers to Egypt, To give to him horses, and much people, Doth he prosper? doth he escape who is doing these things? And hath he broken covenant and escaped?
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? Shall he break the covenant and be delivered?
16 I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Doth he not — in the place of the king who is causing him to reign, Whose oath he hath despised, And whose covenant he hath broken, With him — in the midst of Babylon — die?
As I live saith the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon shall he die.
17 And not with a great force, and with a numerous assembly, Doth Pharaoh maintain him in battle, By pouring out a mount, and in building a fortification, To cut off many souls.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great multitude accomplish anything for him in war, when they shall cast up mounds, and build forts to cut off many persons,
18 And he despised the oath — to break covenant, And lo, he hath given his hand, And all these he hath done, he escapeth not.
he hath despised the oath, and broken the covenant; behold, he hath given the hand, and yet done all these things; he shall not escape!
19 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live — Mine oath that he hath despised, And My covenant that he hath broken, Have I not put it on his head?
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath, which he hath despised, and my covenant, which he hath broken, will I recompense upon his own head.
20 And I have spread out for him My snare, And he hath been caught in My net, And I have brought him in to Babylon, And pleaded with him there his trespass, That he hath trespassed against 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 contend with him there for his trespass which he hath committed against me.
21 And all his fugitives, with all his bands, By sword do fall, and those remaining, To every wind they are spread out, And ye have known that I, Jehovah, have spoken.
And all his fugitives with all his hosts shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered to all the winds; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it.
22 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have taken of the foliage of the high cedar, And I have set [it], From the top of its tender shoots a tender one I crop, And I — I have planted [it] on a mountain high and lofty.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I also will take from the top of the high cedar, and will get it; and from the highest of its twigs will I crop a tender one, and plant it upon a high and lofty mountain.
23 In a mountain — the high place of Israel, I plant it, And it hath borne boughs, and yielded fruit, And become a goodly cedar, And dwelt under it have all birds of every wing, In the shade of its thin shoots they dwell.
Upon a high mountain 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 birds of every wing; in the shadow of its branches shall they dwell.
24 And known have all trees of the field That I, Jehovah, have made low the high tree, I have set on high the low tree, I have dried up the moist tree, And I have caused the dry tree to flourish, I, Jehovah, have spoken, and have done [it]!'
And all the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree; that I have dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree green. I, Jehovah, have spoken, and will do it.

< Ezekiel 17 >