Ezekiel 17
17
The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great
1-6 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘God, the Master, says:
“‘A great eagle
with a huge wingspan and long feathers,
In full plumage and bright colors,
came to Lebanon
And took the top off a cedar,
broke off the top branch,
Took it to a land of traders,
and set it down in a city of shopkeepers.
Then he took a cutting from the land
and planted it in good, well-watered soil,
like a willow on a riverbank.
It sprouted into a flourishing vine,
low to the ground.
Its branches grew toward the eagle
and the roots became established—
A vine putting out shoots,
developing branches.
7-8“‘There was another great eagle
with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered.
This vine sent out its roots toward him
from the place where it was planted.
Its branches reached out to him
so he could water it
from a long distance.
It had been planted
in good, well-watered soil,
And it put out branches and bore fruit,
and became a noble vine.
9-10“‘God, the Master, says,
Will it thrive?
Won’t he just pull it up by the roots
and leave the grapes to rot
And the branches to shrivel up,
a withered, dead vine?
It won’t take much strength
or many hands to pull it up.
Even if it’s transplanted,
will it thrive?
When the hot east wind strikes it,
won’t it shrivel up?
Won’t it dry up and blow away
from the place where it was planted?’”
* * *
11-12a God’s Message came to me: “Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?’
12b-14 “Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn’t get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future.
15“‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that’s going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free?
16-18“‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won’t lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won’t escape.
19-21“‘Therefore, God, the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I’ll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I’ll send out a search party and catch him. I’ll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you’ll realize that I, God, have spoken.
22-24“‘God, the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They’ll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God, made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God, said it—and I did it.’”
Currently Selected:
Ezekiel 17: MSG
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Ezekiel 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.’ ”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software