1And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2"Son of man, put forth a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. 3And say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "A great eagle with great wings, long of pinion, full of feathers, who had different colors, came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. 4He plucked off the top of its young twigs and carried it into a land of traders. He set it in a city of merchants. 5He also took of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field. He placed it by abundant waters and set it as a willow tree. 6And it grew and became a spreading low vine, whose branches turned toward him. But its roots remained under him. So it became a vine and brought out branches and shot out boughs.

7There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot out its branches toward him, from the beds where it was planted, that He might water it. 8It was planted in a good soil by great majestic waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, to be a splendid vine." 9Say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, and it withers? Even all its sprouting leaves shall wither, neither shall great power or much people be at hand when it is plucked up by its roots. 10And behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It shall wither in the furrows where it sprouted." ' "

11And 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, 'Behold, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem and has taken its king and its rulers, and brings them to himself to Babylon. 13And he has taken of the king's seed and has made a covenant with him, and has taken an oath from him. He has also taken the mighty of the land, 14So that the kingdom might be low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, to give him horses and many people. Shall he be blessed? Shall he who does such things escape? Or shall he break the covenant and be delivered? 16As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build siege forts to cut off many persons. 18And he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant. And, behold, he had given his hand, and has done all these, he shall not escape. ' " 19Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "As I live, surely My oath that he has despised, and My covenant that he has broken, I will even repay it upon his own head. 20And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will judge him there for his sin which he has sinned against Me. 21And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward all winds. And you shall know that I the LORD have spoken it."

22Thus says the Lord GOD, "I, even I, will also take of the top of the highest cedar and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23In the mountain of the height of Israel, I will plant it. And it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. And under it shall dwell birds of every kind; in the shadow of its branches they shall dwell. 24And 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 it and have done it."