1 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, put forth
a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3 and say, Thus says
the Lord Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of
feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the
cedar: 4 he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried
it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. 5 He took also
of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it
beside many waters; he set it as a willow tree. 6 It grew, and became a
spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the
roots of it were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches,
and shot forth sprigs. 7 There was also another great eagle with great
wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward
him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation,
that he might water it. 8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters,
that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it
might be a goodly vine. 9 Say you, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Shall it
prosper? shall he not pull up the roots of it, and cut off the fruit of it,
that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not
by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots of it.
10 Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly
wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it
grew. 11 Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12 Say now to
the rebellious house, Don’t you know what these things mean? tell them,
Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king of it, and
the princes of it, and brought them to him to Babylon: 13 and he took of
the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an
oath, and took away the mighty of the land; 14 that the kingdom might be
base, that it might not lift itself up, 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 much people. Shall he
prosper? shall he escape who does such things? shall he break the covenant,
and yet escape? 16 As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place
where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose
covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him
in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many
persons. 18 For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and
behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things; he shall
not escape. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely my
oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even
bring it on his own head. 20 I will spread my net on him, and he shall be
taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into
judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.
21 All his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those
who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that
I, Yahweh, have spoken it. 22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also take
of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set 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 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 birds of every wing; in the shade of the
branches of it shall they dwell. 24 All the trees of the field shall know
that I, Yahweh, 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,
Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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