Ezekiel 17 — AAB
The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
17Verse 1Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,Verse 2“Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of IsraelVerse 3and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,+full of feathers of many colors,came to Lebanonand took away the top of the cedar.Verse 4He plucked off its topmost shoot,carried it to the land of merchants,
and planted it in a city of traders.Verse 5He took some of the seed of the landand planted it in fertile soil;+he placed it by abundant watersand set it out like a willow.Verse 6It sprouted and became a spreading vine,low in height, with branches turned toward him;
yet its roots remained where it stood.So it became a vine and yielded branchesand sent out shoots.Verse 7But there was another great eaglewith great wings and many feathers.And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him.It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed,
so that he might water it.Verse 8It had been planted in good soilby abundant watersin order to yield branches and bear fruitand become a splendid vine.’Verse 9So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Will it flourish?Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruitso that it shrivels?All its foliage will wither!It will not take a strong arm or many peopleto pull it up by its roots.Verse 10Even if it is transplanted,will it flourish?Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes?It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’”
The Parable Explained
Verse 11Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,Verse 12“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.Verse 13He took a member of the royal family+and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,Verse 14so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.Verse 15But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’Verse 16‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.Verse 17Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.Verse 18He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’Verse 19Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.Verse 20I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.Verse 21All his choice troops+will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’Verse 22This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar,and I will set it out.I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots,and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.Verse 23I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israelso that it will bear branches;it will yield fruitand become a majestic cedar.Birds of every kind will nest under it,taking shelter in the shade of its branches.Verse 24Then all the trees of the field will knowthat I am the LORD.I bring the tall tree downand make the low tree tall.I dry up the green treeand make the withered tree flourish.I, the LORD, have spoken,and I have done it.’”