Ezekiel 17
17
The Eagles and the Vine
1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a #Ezek. 20:49; 24:3parable to the house of Israel, 3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
#Jer. 48:40; Ezek. 17:12; Hos. 8:1“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And #2 Kin. 24:12took from the cedar the highest branch.
4He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.
5Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in #Deut. 8:7–9a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it #Is. 44:4like a willow tree.
6And it grew and became a spreading vine #Ezek. 17:14of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
7“But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, #Ezek. 17:15this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.
8It was planted in good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.” ’
9“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“Will it thrive?
#2 Kin. 25:7Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
10Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
#Ezek. 19:12; Hos. 13:15Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”
11Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12“Say now to #Ezek. 2:3–5; 12:9the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed #2 Kin. 24:11–16; Ezek. 1:2; 17:3the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. 13#2 Kin. 24:17; Jer. 37:1; Ezek. 17:5And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, #2 Chr. 36:13and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, 14that the kingdom might be #Ezek. 29:14brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15But #2 Kin. 24:20; 2 Chr. 36:13; Jer. 52:3; Ezek. 17:7he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, #Deut. 17:16; Is. 31:1, 3; 36:6, 9that they might give him horses and many people. #Ezek. 17:9Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?
16‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely #Jer. 52:11; Ezek. 12:13in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17#Jer. 37:7; Ezek. 29:6Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, #Jer. 52:4; Ezek. 4:2when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. 18Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact #1 Chr. 29:24; Lam. 5:6gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”
19Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. 20I will #Ezek. 12:13spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and #Jer. 2:35; Ezek. 20:36try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. 21#Ezek. 12:14All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be #Ezek. 12:15; 22:15scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Israel Exalted at Last
22Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest #(Is. 11:1; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 3:8)branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs #Is. 53:2a tender one, and will #(Ps. 2:6)plant it on a high and prominent mountain. 23#(Is. 2:2, 3); Ezek. 20:40; (Mic. 4:1)On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. #Ezek. 31:6; Dan. 4:12Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. 24And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, #Ezek. 37:3; Amos 9:11; Luke 1:52; (Rom. 11:23, 24)have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; #Ezek. 22:14I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”
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Ezekiel 17: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ezekiel 17
17
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 "Son of man, propose an enigma and describe a parable to the house of Israel,
3 and you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: A large eagle, with great wings and elongated pinions, full of feathers with many colors, came to Lebanon. And he took the kernel of the cedar.
4 He tore off the summit of its branches, and he transported it to the land of Canaan; he placed it in a city of merchants.
5 And he took from the seed of the land and placed it in the ground for seed, so that it might take firm root above many waters; he placed it at the surface.
6 And when it had germinated, it increased into a more extensive vine, low in height, with its branches facing toward itself. And its roots were underneath it. And so, it became a vine, and sprouted branches, and produced shoots.
7 And there was another large eagle, with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine seemed to bend its roots towards him, extending its branches toward him, so that he might irrigate it from the garden of its germination.
8 It had been planted in a good land, above many waters, so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, so that it would become a large vine.
9 Speak: Thus says the Lord God: What if it does not prosper? Should he not pull up its roots, and strip off its fruit, and dry up all the branches that it has produced, and let it wither, though he is without a strong arm and without many people to pull it up by the root?
10 Behold, it has been planted. What if it does not prosper? Should it not be dried up when the burning wind touches it, and should it not wither in the garden of its germination?"
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
12 "Say to the provoking house: Do you not know what these things signify? Say: Behold, the king of Babylon arrives in Jerusalem. And he will take away its king and princes, and he will lead them away to himself in Babylon.
13 And he will take one from the offspring of the king, and he will strike a pact with him and receive an oath from him. Moreover, he will take away the strong ones of the land,
14 so that it may be a lowly kingdom, and may not lift itself up, and may instead keep his pact and serve it.
15 But, withdrawing from him, he sent messengers to Egypt, so that it would give him horses and many people. Should he who has done these things prosper and obtain safety? And should he who has broken the pact go free?
16 As I live, says the Lord God, in the place of the king, who appointed him as king, whose oath he has made void, and whose pact he has broken, under which he was living with him, in the midst of Babylon, he shall die.
17 And not with a great army, nor with many people will Pharaoh undertake a battle against him, when he will cast up ramparts and build defenses, in order to put to death many souls.
18 For he has despised an oath, in that he broke the pact. And behold, he had given his hand. And so, since he has done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Because of this, thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will place upon his head the oath that he has spurned and the pact that he has betrayed.
20 And I will spread my net over him, and he will be captured in my dragnet. And I will lead him into Babylon, and I will judge him there for the transgression by which he has despised me.
21 And all his fugitives, with all his procession, will fall by the sword. Then the remainder will be scattered into every wind. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken."
22 Thus says the Lord God: "I myself will take from the kernel of the exalted cedar, and I will establish it. I will tear off a tender twig from the top of its branches, and I will plant it on a mountain, lofty and exalted.
23 On the sublime mountains of Israel, I will plant it. And it shall spring forth in buds and bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar. And all the birds will live under it, and every bird will make its nest under the shadow of its branches.
24 And all the trees of the regions will know that I, the Lord, have brought low the sublime tree, and have exalted the lowly tree, and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and acted."
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