Ezequiel 17

1 Me llegó un mensaje del Señor que decía:

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

2 “Hijo de hombre, presenta este acertijo, compártelo como una parábola con el pueblo de Israel.

“You human, tell this story/parable [DOU] to the people [MTY] of Israel.

3 Diles que esto es lo que dice el Señor: “Había una gran águila que tenía grandes alas, largas plumas y un plumaje multicolor. Llegó al Líbano y arrancó la copa del cedro.

[Say to them, ] ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: A huge eagle that had strong wings and long beautiful feathers of many colors flew to Lebanon. It grasped the top of a cedar [tree]

4 Rompió su rama más alta y la llevó a un país de comerciantes, y la plantó en una ciudad de comerciantes.

and broke it off. Then the eagle carried it away to [Babylonia], a country that had many merchants/businessmen, and planted it in one of the cities there.

5 Tomó un poco de la semilla de la tierra y la plantó en buena tierra junto a un gran río, donde pudo crecer como un sauce.

Then that eagle took a seedling from [your] country and planted it in a fertile field. He planted it like people plant a willow tree, alongside [a stream that had] plenty of water.

6 La semilla brotó y creció hasta convertirse en una vid baja y extendida, con sus ramas orientadas hacia él, y sus raíces se hundieron en el suelo. Así se desarrolló la vid, creciendo hojas y ramas.

It grew and became a low grapevine that spread [along the ground]. Its branches turned up towards the eagle, but its roots grew down into the ground. So it became a [good] vine and produced [lots of] branches and leaves.

7 “Pero había otra gran águila que tenía grandes alas y muchas plumas. Esta enredadera echó sus raíces hacia él. Extendía sus ramas hacia él desde el lugar donde había sido plantada, deseando que la regara.

But there was another huge eagle that had strong wings and beautiful feathers. And [some of] the roots of the vine grew toward that eagle, and its branches [also] turned toward it, hoping that the eagle would bring more water to it.

8 Pero había sido plantada en buena tierra, junto a un gran río, para que creciera fuerte, diera fruto y se convirtiera en una magnífica vid.

[That happened in spite of the fact that] the vine had [already] been planted in good soil, where there was plenty of water, with the result that it had produced branches and produced grapes and had become a very healthy/productive vine.’

9 “Así que diles que esto es lo que dice el Señor Dios: ‘¿Crecerá bien? ¿No será desarraigada y sus frutos arrancados para que se marchite? Todas sus hojas se secarán. No se necesitarán brazos fuertes ni mucha gente para arrancarlo de raíz.

Then [after you have told that to the people, say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: That vine] will certainly not [RHQ] remain healthy/productive. It will be [RHQ] pulled up by its roots by the eagle [that planted it], and all its fruit will be stripped off and its leaves will wither. And it will not need someone with strong arms or many people to pull it out by its roots.

10 Incluso si se trasplanta, ¿sobrevivirá? ¿No se marchitará por completo cuando sople el viento del este? De hecho, se marchitará justo donde fue plantada’”.

Even if that vine is transplanted, it certainly will not continue to grow [RHQ]. When the hot wind from the east blows against it, it will completely wither, there where it was planted! [RHQ]’”

11 Me llegó un mensaje del Señor que decía:

Then Yahweh gave this message to me:

12 “Dile a este pueblo rebelde: ‘¿No sabes lo que significa este enigma?’ “Explícales: ‘Mira, el rey de Babilonia vino a Jerusalén, hizo prisioneros a su rey y a sus funcionarios, y los llevó con él a Babilonia.

“Ask these rebellious [Israeli] people, ‘Do you know what this parable/story means?’ Tell them that it signifies that the King of Babylon went to Jerusalem [with his army] and captured the King of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon.

13 Hizo un acuerdo con uno de los miembros de la familia real y le hizo jurar que sería un súbdito leal como rey. Luego llevó al exilio a los líderes del país,

Then he took one of the king’s close relatives [and appointed him to be the king], and made an agreement with him, forcing him to solemnly promise [to remain loyal]. The King of Babylon also took to Babylon the other important citizens of Judah,

14 para que el reino se mantuviera en sujeción y no fuera lo suficientemente fuerte como para rebelarse; sólo sobreviviría manteniendo su acuerdo con él.

in order that the kingdom of Judah would not be able to become powerful again. The King of Babylon intended that the kingdom [of Judah] would not continue to exist if the people did not obey that agreement [that he made with the King of Babylon].

15 “Sin embargo, este rey se rebeló contra Babilonia y envió embajadores a Egipto para pedirle ayuda, suministrándole caballos y muchos soldados. ¿Le irá bien? ¿Tendría éxito alguien que actúa así? ¿Podría romper un acuerdo y no ser castigado?’

But the King of Judah rebelled against the King of Babylon by sending officials to Egypt to request from them horses and a large army [to fight against the army of Babylonia]. But the King of Judah will certainly not [RHQ] be sucessful. Rulers who [rebel like that and] and refuse to obey solemn agreements will never [RHQ] escape.

16 “Vivo yo, declara el Señor Dios, que va a morir en Babilonia, en el país del rey que lo puso en el trono, cuyo juramento despreció y cuyo acuerdo rompió.

[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that [as surely] as I am alive, the King of Judah will die in Babylon, in the city where the King of Babylon appointed him to be the King [MTY] [of Judah]. He will die because he despised the solemn agreement and refused to do what he promised to do.

17 El faraón, con su poderoso ejército de muchos soldados, no le ayudará en la batalla, cuando se amontonen las rampas de ataque y se construyan los muros de asedio y acabe muriendo mucha gente.

The King of Egypt with all his very huge army [DOU] will not [be able to] help the King of Judah: [The soldiers from Babylonia] will build ramps up against the walls of Jerusalem and set up devices to batter the walls. They will [enter Jerusalem and] kill many of its people.

18 No respetó su juramento al romper el acuerdo. Como estrechó la mano en señal de la promesa que hizo, y sin embargo se rebeló de esta manera, ¡no quedará impune!

The King of Judah despised the solemn agreement by disregarding the treaty. Although he had solemnly promised to be under the control of the King of Babylon, [he sent officials to request help from Egypt]. Therefore he will not escape being punished [by the King of Babylon].

19 “Así que esto es lo que dice el Señor Dios: Vivo yo, lo castigaré por haber faltado a mi juramento y por romper mi acuerdo.

Therefore this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: 'Just as surely as I am alive, I will cause the King of Judah to be punished [IDM] for ignoring the solemn agreement that he made [with the King of Babylon] and then refusing to obey it.

20 Lanzaré mi red sobre él y lo atraparé; lo atraparé en mi trampa. Lo llevaré a Babilonia y lo condenaré a un castigo allí por su traición hacia mí.

[It will be as though] I will spread a net to capture him, and he will be caught in it. He will [be captured and] taken to Babylon and punished because he rebelled against me.

21 Todos sus mejores soldados morirán en la batalla, y los que sobrevivan serán dispersados en todas direcciones. Entonces sabrás que yo, el Señor, he hablado.

Most [HYP] of his soldiers who try to escape will be killed by [their enemies’] swords, and those who survive will be scattered in all directions. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].'”

22 “Esto es lo que dice el Señor: Voy a arrancar una rama de la copa alta del cedro y la plantaré en la cima de un monte alto.

This is [also] what Yahweh the Lord says: “[It will be as though] I will take a shoot from the top of a very tall cedar [tree] and plant it [DOU] in another place. I will plant it on a very high [DOU] mountain.

23 Lo plantaré en el monte alto de Israel para que le salgan ramas, produzca frutos y se convierta en un magnífico cedro. En él vivirán toda clase de aves que anidarán a la sombra de sus ramas.

[It will be as though] I will plant it on a mountain in Israel, and it will grow and become a beautiful cedar [tree]. Many [HYP] kinds of birds will make their nests in the tree, and they will have shade in its branches.

24 Todos los árboles del campo sabrán que yo soy el Señor. Puedo derribar al alto y hacer que el árbol bajo crezca en altura. Puedo hacer que el árbol verde se seque, y hacer que el árbol marchito vuelva a ser verde. Yo, el Señor, he hablado y lo haré”.

And [it will be as though] all the trees in the field will know that I, Yahweh, get rid of tall trees and make little ones grow. I cause [big] green trees to wither, and I cause dry trees to become green. I, Yahweh have said this, and I will [certainly] do what I have said that I will do.”