And the
word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
02 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a
parable unto the house of Israel;
03 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; 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:
04 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and
carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a
city of merchants.
05 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.
06 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.
07 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.
08 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.
09 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; 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 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 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying,
12 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 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:
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14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might
not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his
covenant it might stand.
15 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 As I live, saith the Lord God, 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 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 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 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; 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 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 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 the Lord have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord God; 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 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 all the trees of the field shall 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 to flourish: I
the Lord have spoken and have done it.
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