1The word of the LORD came to me. He said:
2"Son of man, put forward a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel."
3"Say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: A great eagle came to Lebanon. It had great wings and long feathers, and it was covered with plumage of many colours. It took the highest branch of the cedar."
4"'It broke off the top of the young twigs and carried it to a land of trade. It set it down in a city of merchants."
5"'It also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a fertile field. It put it beside plenty of water and set it like a willow tree."
6"'It grew and became a spreading vine, low to the ground. Its branches turned toward the eagle, and its roots were under him. So it became a vine, and it put out branches and sent out shoots."
7"'There was another great eagle too, with great wings and many feathers. And look, this vine bent its roots toward him and stretched out its branches toward him, so that he might water it from the furrows where it was planted."
8"'It had been planted in good soil beside plenty of water, so that it might grow branches and bear fruit and be a fine vine.'"
9"Say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Will it do well? Will he not pull up its roots and strip off its fruit, so that it withers? All its fresh leaves will wither. It will not take great strength or many people to pull it up by the roots."
10"'Yes, look, though it is planted, will it do well? Will it not wither completely when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the furrows where it grew.'"
11Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said:
12"Say now to the rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Tell them, 'Look, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. He took away its king and its princes and led them with him to Babylon."
13"'He took one of the king's family and made a covenant with him and put him under an oath. He also took away the strong men of the land."
14"'He did this so that the kingdom would be brought low and could not lift itself up, but would stand only by keeping his covenant."
15"'But that king rebelled against him. He sent his messengers to Egypt, asking them to give him horses and many men. Will he do well? Will a man who does such things escape? Can he break the covenant and still be saved?"
16"'As surely as I live, says the Lord GOD, he will die in the place where the king lives who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. He will die there with him, in the middle of Babylon."
17"'Pharaoh will not help him in the war with his mighty army and great crowd of men, when ramps are thrown up and forts are built to destroy many lives."
18"'He despised the oath and broke the covenant. Look, he had given his hand on it, and yet he did all these things. He will not escape."
19"'So this is what the Lord GOD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his own head my oath, which he despised, and my covenant, which he broke."
20"'I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon, and there I will judge him for the wrong he has done against me."
21"'All those who run away with him, and all his troops, will fall by the sword. Those who are left will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.'"
22"This is what the Lord GOD says: I myself will take a shoot from the highest branch of the tall cedar, and I will plant it. I will break off a tender shoot from the top of its young twigs, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain."
23"I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow branches and bear fruit and become a fine cedar. Birds of every kind will live under it. They will nest in the shade of its branches."
24"And all the trees of the field will know that I the LORD have brought the tall tree low and have lifted the low tree high. I have dried up the green tree and have made the dry tree grow green. I the LORD have spoken it, and I have done it."