The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, present a riddle and tell a parable to the house of Israel 3 and say, ‘The Lord GOD says:
A great eagle with great wings
and long pinions,
full of feathers of various colors,
came to Lebanon,
and took the top of the cedar.
4 He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs
and carried it to a land of trading.
He planted it in a city of merchants.
5 He took some of the seed of the land
and planted it in fruitful soil.
He set it like a willow tree,
beside abundant waters.
6 It grew and became a spreading vine of low stature,
whose branches turned toward him,
but its roots remained underneath him.
So it became a vine and produced branches,
and shot out sprigs.
7 There was also another great eagle
with great wings and many feathers.
This vine bent its roots toward him
and shot out its branches toward him
from the beds of its plantation,
so that he might water it.
8 It was planted in good soil near abundant water,
that it might produce branches,
and that it might bear fruit,
that it might be a good vine.
9 Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:
Will it prosper?
Will he not pull up its roots
and cut off its fruit,
that it may wither,
that all its fresh springing leaves may wither?
It cannot be raised from its roots
by a strong arm or many people.
10 Yes, being planted, will it prosper?
Will it not utterly wither
when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the beds where it grew.’ “
The Parable Explained
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’
Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its princes and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 He took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath. He removed the leaders of the land, 14 that this kingdom might remain humble, that it might not exalt itself, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the covenant and still escape?’
16 ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells, who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, with him in the midst of Babylon he will die. 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in the war when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many people. 18 For the king of Israel has despised the oath by breaking the covenant. He gave his hand in pledge, yet he did all these things, and thus he shall not escape.
19 Therefore the Lord GOD says, ‘As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and will enter into judgment with him there for the trespasses that he has committed against me. 21 All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.
22 The Lord GOD says:
I will also take a twig from the lofty top of the cedar
and will plant it.
I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one,
and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 I will plant it in the mountain of the height of Israel,
and it will produce boughs and bear fruit
and will be a good cedar.
Birds of every kind will dwell in the shade of its branches.
24 All the trees of the field will know that I, the LORD,
have brought down the high tree,
have exalted the low tree,
have dried up the green tree,
and have made the dry tree flourish.
I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.’ ”