17This message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H559 2"Son of Man, propound a riddle and relate a parable to Israel's house.H1121H120H2330H2420H4911H4912H1004H3478 3Tell them, 'This is what the Lord God says, "A massive eagle with gigantic wings, long pinions, and full, multi-colored plumage came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.H559H559H136H3069H1419H5404H1419H3671H83H750H4392H5133H7553H935H3844H3947H6788H730 4He plucked off the top of its shoot, brought it to a land of merchants, and set it down in a city full of traders.H6998H7218H3242H935H776H3667H7760H5892H7402 5Then the eagle took a seed from the land and planted it on fertile ground. He planted it like a willow tree next to abundant waters.H3947H2233H776H5414H2233H7704H3947H7227H4325H7760H6851 6It flourished and became a spreading vine of low stature. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots spread under him to become a vine that put out shoots and spread out its branches.H6779H5628H1612H8217H6967H1808H6437H8328H1612H6213H905H7971H6288 7"All of a sudden, there was another eagle with gigantic wings and thick plumage. The vine stretched its roots hungrily toward him and spread its branches out to him in order to be watered on the terraces where it was planted.H259H1419H5404H1419H3671H7227H5133H1612H3719H8328H7971H1808H8248H6170H4302 8It was transplanted into good soil near abundant water, and it produced branches and bore fruit, becoming a magnificent vine."H8362H2896H7704H7227H4325H6213H6057H5375H6529H155H1612 9"Tell them, 'This is what the Lord God says, "Will it prosper?Won't it pull up its roots, and be stripped bare so that all of its fresh foliage dries up?It won't be by great strength or great army that its roots will be pulled out.H559H559H136H3069H6743H5423H8328H7082H6529H3001H3001H2964H6780H1419H2220H7227H5971H5375H8328 10Look! Because it's a transplanted vine, won't it wither when the east wind strikes against it?It will surely wither in the terraces where it had started to sprout."'"H8362H6743H3001H3001H6921H7307H5060H3001H6170H6780 11This message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H559 12"Tell my rebellious house, 'Don't you know what these things mean?Look! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, captured her king and princes, and took them with him to Babylon.H559H4805H1004H3045H559H4428H894H935H3389H3947H4428H8269H935H894 13Then he took one of the royal descendants, made a covenant with him, and put him under an oath of loyalty. He took the leaders of the land captiveH3947H4410H2233H3772H1285H935H423H3947H352H776 14in order to humiliate the kingdom so it wouldn't be able to come back into power, but would still be able to continue as long as he keeps his covenant.H4467H8217H5375H8104H1285H5975 15But he rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he succeed?Or will the one who did this escape?Will he break the covenant, but still yet anyway?"H4775H7971H4397H4714H5414H5483H7227H5971H6743H4422H6213H6565H1285H4422 16"As long as I live," declares the Lord God, in Babylon, "that place where the king has enthroned him, whose oath he despised so as to break his covenant, he'll die with him.H2416H5002H136H3069H4725H4428H4427H423H959H1285H6565H8432H894H4191 17Pharaoh, with his massive army and large batallions won't protect him when mounds and siege walls are built to destroy many people.H6547H1419H2428H7227H6951H6213H4421H8210H5550H1129H1785H3772H7227H5315 18He despised the oath he had made and broke the covenant. Look! Because he willingly submitted, yet he has done all these things, he won't escape.H959H423H6565H1285H5414H3027H6213H4422 19"Therefore, this is what the Lord God says, 'As long as I live, because he despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring it upon his head.H559H136H3069H2416H423H959H1285H6331H5414H7218 20I'll spread my net over him so that he'll be caught in my snare. I'll bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for his treacherous acts that he committed against me.H6566H7568H8610H4686H935H894H8199H4603H4604 21The fugitives of his troops will die by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll know that I, the Lord, have spoken.'"H4015H102H5307H2719H7604H6566H7307H3045H3068H1696 22"This is what the Lord God says, 'I'm also going to take a shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it. I'll pluck off its delicate twigs and transplant it on a high and lofty mountain.H559H136H3069H3947H6788H7311H730H5414H6998H7218H3127H7390H8362H1364H2022H8524 23I'll transplant it on Israel's land, and it will bring out branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. All sorts of birds will rest under it, and they'll settle down in the shade of its branches.H2022H4791H3478H8362H5375H6057H6213H6529H117H730H7931H6833H3671H6738H1808H7931 24Then all the trees of the fields will know that I, the Lord, bring down the lofty tree and exalt the lowly tree. I dry up the green tree and cause the dry tree to bud. I the Lord have spoken this, and I will fulfill it.'"H6086H7704H3045H3068H8213H1364H6086H1361H8217H6086H3001H3892H6086H3002H6086H6524H3068H1696H6213
Dublin, OH
