Two Eagles and the Vine

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

3And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had various colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

4He cropped off the top of its young twigs, and carried it into a land of trade; he set it in a city of merchants.

5He 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.

6And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

7There 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 bed of its planting.

8It 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 splendid vine.

9Say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, so that it withers? it shall wither in all its leaves of spring, not requiring great power or many people to pluck it up by its roots.

10Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the bed where it grew.

11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

12Say now to the rebellious house, Know you not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem, and has taken its king, and its princes, and led them with him to Babylon;

13And has taken the king's descendant, and made a covenant with him, and has taken an oath from him: he has also taken the mighty of the land:

14That the kingdom might be humble, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that does such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

16As I live, says the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwells that 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, by casting up siege mounds, and building walls, to cut off many persons:

18Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, 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, even it will I recompense 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 will execute judgment on him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.

21And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and you shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

22Thus says 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 a high and prominent mountain:

23In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a splendid cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every sort; in the shadow of its branches shall they 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 and have done it.