| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1The word of the LORD came to me: | 1The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2"Son of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel. | 2"Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable. |
| 3Say to them: 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: "'A great eagle with broad wings, long feathers, with full plumage which was multi-hued, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. | 3Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, |
| 4He plucked off its topmost shoot; he brought it to a land of merchants and planted it in a city of traders. | 4he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders. |
| 5He took one of the seedlings of the land, placed it in a cultivated plot; a shoot by abundant water, like a willow he planted it. | 5"'He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, |
| 6It sprouted and became a vine, spreading low to the ground; its branches turning toward him, its roots were under itself. So it became a vine; it produced shoots and sent out branches. | 6and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs. |
| 7"'There was another great eagle with broad wings and thick plumage. Now this vine twisted its roots toward him and sent its branches toward him to be watered from the soil where it was planted. | 7"'But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. |
| 8In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine. | 8It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.' |
| 9"'Say to them: This is what the sovereign LORD says: "'Will it prosper? Will he not rip out its roots and cause its fruit to rot and wither? All its foliage will wither. No strong arm or large army will be needed to pull it out by its roots. | 9"Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. |
| 10Consider! It is planted, but will it prosper? Will it not wither completely when the east wind blows on it? Will it not wither in the soil where it sprouted?'" | 10It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it--wither away in the plot where it grew?'" |
| 11Then the word of the LORD came to me: | 11Then the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 12"Say to the rebellious house of Israel: 'Don't you know what these things mean?' Say: 'See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon. | 12"Say to this rebellious people, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Say to them: 'The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon. |
| 13He took one from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. He then took the leaders of the land | 13Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land, |
| 14so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep its treaty with him in order to stand. | 14so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. |
| 15But this one from Israel's royal family rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape? | 15But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape? |
| 16"'As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, surely in the city of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke--in the middle of Babylon he will die! | 16"'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. |
| 17Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people. | 17Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. |
| 18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note--he gave his promise and did all these things--he will not escape! | 18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. |
| 19"'Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant! | 19"'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant. |
| 20I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me. | 20I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me. |
| 21All the choice men among his troops will die by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken! | 21All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken. |
| 22"'This is what the sovereign LORD says: "'I will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. | 22"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. |
| 23I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel, and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar. Every bird will live under it; Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches. | 23On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. |
| 24All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I make the high tree low; I raise up the low tree. I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it!'" | 24All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. "'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'" |
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