Ezekiel 17:1-6

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.  You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: A huge eagle with powerful wings,  long feathers, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.  He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders. Then he took some of the land’s seed and put it in a fertile field;  he set it like a willow,  a plant  by abundant water. It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him,  yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.