Open English Translation EZE Chapter 17

17 Then Yahweh gave me another message: 2 “Humanity’s child, present a riddle and speak a parable to the Israeli people. 3 Tell them, ‘The master Yahweh says this: ‘A large eagle with large wings full of multi-coloured feathers, and long pinions, went to Lebanon and grabbed hold of the top of a cedar tree. 4 He broke the top shoot of the tree off, and took it to Canaan where he placed it in a city full of merchants. 5 He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil, beside a large body of water where a willow might grow. 6 Then the seed sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew down below, so it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.

7 But there was another large eagle with large wings and many feathers. Oh wow, that vine turned its roots toward this eagle, and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it might get watered. 8 It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water so it would grow branches and produce fruit, to become a magnificent vine.’

9 Ask the people: ‘The master Yahweh wants to know if it will prosper? Won’t it be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will dry out? You wouldn’t have to be very strong or get lots of people to help to pull it out by its roots. 10 So listen. After it had been planted, would it thrive? Wouldn’t it wither up when the eastern wind touches it? Yes, it would wither right up in the garden plot where it sprouted.’ ”

11 Then Yahweh gave me another message: 12 “Ask those rebellious people, ‘Don’t you know what those things mean? Listen, the king of Babylon came to Yerushalem and took her king and her princes and took them with him to Babylon.[ref] 13 Then he took a member of the royal family, made an agreement with him—forcing him to make various commitments. Then he took away the country’s former powerful people, 14 so the kingdom would remain subjected and not be able to become powerful again. However, by keeping the agreement, the country would at least survive. 15 But the king of Yerushalem rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt (Heb. Mitsrayim) to acquire horses and an army. Will he succeed? Will the one doing these things escape? If he breaks the agreement, will he survive? 16 This is the master Yahweh’s declaration: As I live he’ll definitely die in the land of the king who made him king, the king whose promises he despised, and whose agreement he broke. He’ll die in the middle of Babylon. 17 Egypt’s Far-oh (Pharaoh) with his mighty army and a large company won’t help him in battle, when ramps are constructed and siege walls are built up to cut off many lives 18 because the king despised his promise by breaking the agreement. Wow, he reached out to make a promise and yet afterwards he did all those things. He won’t escape. 19 Therefore the master Yahweh says this: ‘As I live, wasn’t it my promise that he despised and my agreement that he broke? Therefore I’ll cause him to be punished for what he did. 20 I’ll spread my net out over him, and he’ll be caught in my trap, and I’ll take him to Babylon and handle his judgement there for the treason he committed when he betrayed me. 21 All of his refugees in his armies will fall by the sword, and the ones who remain will be scattered in every direction. Then you’ll all know that I am Yahweh because I’ve declared that that will happen.”

22 The master Yahweh says this, ‘So I myself will take away the highest part of the cedar tree, and I will plant it away from its tender branches. I’ll break it off, and I myself will plant it on a very high mountain. 23 I’ll plant it on Yisrael’s highest mountain so it will bear branches and produce fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar so that every winged bird will live under it. They’ll nest in the shade of its branches, 24 then all the trees in the countryside will know that I am Yahweh. I bring down the high trees and I raise up the low trees. I wither the watered tree and I cause the dried tree to bloom. I am Yahweh, I have declared that that will happen; and I will do it.’ ”