1And this word of the LORD came to me, 2“Son of man, put forth a riddle to the Israelites, in the form of this parable, 3Thus says the LORD God: ‘A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers, and plumage of various colors, came to Lebanon, and took hold of the highest branch of the cedar. 4It cropped off the topmost tender young twig, and carried it into a land of merchants; and planted it in a city of traders. 5He also took one of the seedlings of the land, and planted it in fertile soil by an abundant water source. The eagle planted it like a willow tree. 6And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under it; and so it became a vine, and produced branches, and put out new shoots. 7But there was also another great eagle with powerful wings, many feathers and full plumage; and the vine bent its roots toward him (the 2^nd eagle), and shot forth her branches toward him from the bed where it was planted, to him for its water, 8Even though it had been planted in good soil by abundant water, so that it might produce branches, and bear fruit, and become a splendid, well-favored vine.’ 9Then say (to the Israelites), ‘Thus says the LORD God: “Shall it be allowed to prosper? Shall he (the 1^st eagle) not pull it up by its roots, and cut off its fruit, so that it withers? It and all its leaves shall wither, and be uprooted without much effort. 10Yes, it has been planted, but shall it thrive? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind blows upon it? It shall wither in the very plot where it was planted and flourished.”’”

11And then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12“Now say to the rebellious Israelites, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Look, the king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem, and has taken her king and her princes with him to Babylon; 13And has taken a member of the king's family, and made a covenant with him, and has taken an oath of him; he has also taken the leaders of the land, 14That the kingdom might be humbled, so that it cannot rise up and resist, but only survive by abiding by his covenant. 15But still the king rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might supply him with horses and troops. Shall he succeed? Shall he, that does such things, escape? Shall he break his oath, and still escape punishment? 16As sure as I live,’ says the LORD God, ‘He shall die in the center of Babylon, in the homeland of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke; 17Nor shall Pharaoh, with his great and mighty army, help him in the war, when siege mounds, and forts are built to destroy many persons. 18Because he despised and violated the oath, breaking the covenant, after he had given his pledge, and has done all these things. He shall not escape. 19Therefore, thus says the LORD God: “A sure as I live, My oath (the oath that Zedekiah made in the LORD’s Name to Nebuchadnezzar) that he has despised, and My covenant that he has broken, I will repay him for. 20And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be caught in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will pronounce judgment upon him there for his trespass in which he has been unfaithful to Me. 21And all his best troops shall fall by the sword, and they that survive shall be scattered to the four winds; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.

22“Thus says the LORD God: ‘I, Myself, will also take the highest branch of the high cedar, and will plant it; I will crop off a tender one from the very top of its young twigs, and will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain; 23On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it, and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a splendid cedar, and under the shadow of its branches shall dwell all fowl of every type. 24And all the trees of the forest shall know that I, the LORD, bring down the high and lofty tree, and exalt and cause the low tree to grow tall; I dry up the green tree, and cause the dry tree to flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.’”’”