Ezekiel 17
17
Parable of the Eagles and the Vine
1Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 2“Son of man, propose this riddle to Israel, and speak this parable # 17:2 There is a play on words in the Hebrew. The words for “speak” and “parable” come from the same Hebrew triliteral root word. to the people. 3Tell them to guess the meaning of what I, Yahweh, have to say to them:
“There once was this great eagle with huge wings,
whose wingspan was very wide,
with many beautiful colored feathers around its head.
One day he came to the Lebanon Mountains,
and taking a new branch of a cedar tree,
4he broke it off and carried it off to a land of traders.
He planted it there in a city of merchants.
5Next, he took a young seedling from the land
and planted it in a fertile field.
He placed it like a willow tree
by the side of a flowing stream.
6The young plant sprouted until it became a low spreading vine.
Its branches grew up toward the great eagle, # 17:6 The “great eagle,” the king of birds, represents King Nebuchadnezzar, whose power (wings) extended over a large area. He deported King Jehoiachin and put Zedekiah on the throne in 597 BC.
and its roots grew down deep into the soil.
So, it became a vine,
branching out and sprouting new shoots.
7But another great eagle # 17:7 This second great eagle is Egypt. King Zedekiah trusted in vain for Egypt’s help against the Babylonian invaders. appeared
with huge wings and many feathers around its head.
And soon the vine bent its roots toward him
and stretched its branches toward this eagle
from the place where it was planted,
expecting this eagle to nourish it.
8The vine was planted in good soil,
by the side of a generous stream # 17:8 See Jer. 51:13.
so that the vine could branch out,
bear fruit, and become a wonderful vine.
9So I, Lord Yahweh, ask you:
Will the vine thrive?
Will not the first eagle come and tear out its roots?
Will it not strip off its grapes
so that all its foliage withers?
Then, even weak ones could easily uproot it!
10Yes, it is planted—but will it thrive?
Will it not shrivel up when the east wind # 17:10 That is, the Babylonian armies. blows?
Will it not wither in the fertile soil where it had grown?”
Yahweh Unlocks His Riddle
11Then Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 12“Ask that tribe of rebels if they know the meaning of my parable. Tell them: ‘Listen, the king of Babylon swooped into Jerusalem. Then he carried away the king and top officials and took them off to Babylon. # 17:12 See 2 Kings 24:10–17. Babylon and Egypt (see Ezek. 17:17) also represent spiritual forces that affect the growth and advance of the church today. We, too, are a vine, a low spreading vine that is meant to bear much fruit in our union with Christ (see v. 6; John 15). Babylon pictures the world system, and Egypt pictures leaning on the strength of man (the flesh). We need to be set free from our captivity to the world and our trust in man. 13He took one from the royal family # 17:13 That is, Zedekiah, who was the uncle of King Jehoiachin of Judah. and made a treaty with him, forcing him to swear an oath of allegiance to him. He also carried off to Babylon the leading men of Israel 14so that their kingdom would be humbled and not rise again and to ensure that the treaty would be kept. # 17:14 Or “surviving only by keeping his treaty.” 15But he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and sent envoys to Egypt to procure himself horses and a large army. Will he get away with that? Will a man who has done this go unpunished? Will he break the treaty and still escape? 16As surely as I, Lord Yahweh, live, this king will die in Babylon! He will die in the country of the king who put him on the throne, because he despised his oath and broke the treaty he had made. 17Despite Pharaoh’s mighty army and numerous troops, he will not be able to save him in war. When the Babylonians build siege ramps and wooden towers to kill many in the city, the Egyptians will not lift a finger to help! 18For he despised his oath by breaking the treaty to which he had pledged himself, and he will not go unpunished.
19“ ‘Therefore, I, Lord Yahweh, decree, as surely as I live, I swear it. It was my oath that he has despised and my treaty which he has broken. I will punish him for this! 20I will throw my net over him and trap him in it. I will take him to Babylon and render judgment against him there for all the wicked things he did against me. # 17:20 See Ezek. 12:13. 21All his elite troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. And then you will know that I, Yahweh, have decreed it.’ ”
Parable of the Cedar Tree
22Lord Yahweh says:
“I will take the highest branch from a cedar tree.
I will break off from the very top a tender shoot
and plant it myself on a high and lofty mountain.
23I will plant it on the highest mountain in Israel,
where it will put out branches and bear fruit # 17:23 See John 15:1–16; Gal. 5:22–23.
and grow into a stately cedar tree. # 17:23 This image is similar to the one in vv. 3–4, except here it is God, not an eagle, who takes the top cedar branch and plants it. This is a parable of God restoring the kingdom of Israel (cedar tree) and giving hope to his people once again.
Every kind of bird will find a home in it. # 17:23 Or “live beneath it.” See Ezek. 31:6; Matt. 13:32.
Yes, in the shade of its branches the birds will make their nests.
24And all the trees of the field # 17:24 That is, the nations of the earth. will know that I, Yahweh, am the one
who brings the tall tree low and raises the low tree high,
who withers the green tree and makes the withered tree sprout again. # 17:24 Both humiliation and exaltation are the work of the sovereign God. He will humble the proud and give grace to the humble. See also 1 Sam. 2:7; Pss. 18:27; 75:8; 147:6; Prov. 3:34; James 4:6.
I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it!”
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Ezekiel 17: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationEzekiel 17
17
Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
1And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 2“Son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” tell a riddle and quote a proverb to the house of Israel, 3and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The great eagle with great wings and long feathers#Literally “the eagle the great great of the wings long of the feather” and full of variegated plumage#Literally “full of the plumage which is for him the variegated” came to Lebanon and he took the treetop of the cedar. 4He plucked the top of its new plant shoot, and he brought it to the land of Canaan and put it in a city of merchants, 5and he took from the seed of the land and placed it in fertile soil#Literally “a field of seed” on#Or “by” many waters; like a willow he planted it. 6And it sprouted, and it became a vine spreading out,#Literally “he was to vine spreading out” low of height, turning its branches to him, and its roots were under it, and it became a vine,#Literally “and it was to a vine” and it made#Or “sprouted” branches, and it sent out foliage.
7“ ‘ “And there was another great eagle, great of wings and with abundant plumage, and look! This vine stretched out its roots toward him and extended its branches to him to water it from the garden bed where it was planted.#Literally “from the garden bed of its planting” 8It was planted in#Or “to” a good field by#Or “to” many waters#Hebrew “water” to produce branches#Hebrew “branch” and to bear fruit to become#Hebrew “be” a beautiful vine.” ’#Literally “to a vine of splendor” 9Say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Will it prosper? Will he not tear out its roots, and will he not make its fruit scaly, and it will wither, and all of the freshness of its vegetation will dry up? And to lift it from its roots will not require great strength or many people.#Literally “not with strong arm and with many people” 10And look! Though it is planted, will it prosper? When the east wind strikes it,#Literally “at striking her/it the wind of the east” will it not dry up completely? On the garden bed of its vegetation it will dry up!” ’ ”
11And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying, 12“Say now to the rebellious house of Israel, ‘Do you not know what these are?’#Or “mean” Say, ‘Look! The king of Babylon will come to Jerusalem, and he will take its king and its officials, and he will bring#Or “take” them to himself,#Hebrew “him” to Babylon. 13And he took from the seed of the kingship, and he made with him a covenant, and he brought him under oath,#Literally “and he brought him into oath” and he took the rulers of the land, 14so that they would be a humble kingdom and not lift itself up to keep his covenant in order for it to stand.#Literally “to standing her”; or “to let her stand” 15But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape? 16As I live,’#Literally “live I” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely#Literally “if not” in the place of the king who made#Literally “who he was making” him king, who despised his oath and who broke his covenant with him—in the midst of Babylon he will die. 17And not with a great army and with a great crowd will Pharaoh work#Or “help/aid” with him in the war, at the pouring out of a siege ramp and the building of siege works to destroy many lives. 18And he despised the oath to break covenant. And, look, he gave his hand in pledge, and yet he did all of these things. He will not escape.’ 19Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘As I live,#Literally “live I” surely#Literally “if not” my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke I will return upon his head. 20And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will enter into judgment with him there about his infidelity that he displayed against me. 21And all of his choice troops, among all of his troops, they will fall by the sword, and those who are remaining,#Or “left over” they will be scattered to all the directions of the wind, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have spoken.’ 22Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘And I will take, even I, from the treetop of the high cedar, and I will plant it, from the head of its new plant shoot I will pluck a tender one, and I will plant it, even I, on a high and lofty mountain. 23On the height of the mountain of Israel I will plant it, and it will carry#Or “bear” branches,#Hebrew “branch” and it will bear fruit, and it will become a noble cedar,#Literally “he will be to a cedar noble” and all of the birds of all wings#Or “kinds” will dwell under it in the shade of its branches. 24And all of the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, I will bring low a high tree, and I will exalt a low, fresh tree, and I will make a dry tree flourish. I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will do it.’ ”
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