Ezekiel 17:8 - Prayer Tents

The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great

17GOD's Message came to me:H1697H3068H559 2"Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story.H1121H120H2330H2420H4911H4912H1004H3478 3Say, '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,H559H559H136H3069H1419H5404H1419H3671H83H750H4392H5133H7553H935H3844H3947H6788H730 4broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers.H6998H7218H3242H935H776H3667H7760H5892H7402 5Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank.H3947H2233H776H5414H2233H7704H3947H7227H4325H7760H6851 6It 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.H6779H5628H1612H8217H6967H1808H6437H8328H1612H6213H905H7971H6288 7"'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.H259H1419H5404H1419H3671H7227H5133H1612H3719H8328H7971H1808H8248H6170H4302 8It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine.H8362H2896H7704H7227H4325H6213H6057H5375H6529H155H1612 9"'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.H559H559H136H3069H6743H5423H8328H7082H6529H3001H3001H2964H6780H1419H2220H7227H5971H5375H8328 10Even 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?'"H8362H6743H3001H3001H6921H7307H5060H3001H6170H6780 11GOD's Message came to me:H1697H3068H559 12"Tell this house of rebels, 'Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, 'The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon.H559H4805H1004H3045H559H4428H894H935H3389H3947H4428H8269H935H894 13He 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 exileH3947H4410H2233H3772H1285H935H423H3947H352H776 14to 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.H4467H8217H5375H8104H1285H5975 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?H4775H7971H4397H4714H5414H5483H7227H5971H6743H4422H6213H6565H1285H4422 16"'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.H2416H5002H136H3069H4725H4428H4427H423H959H1285H6565H8432H894H4191 17Pharaoh 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.H6547H1419H2428H7227H6951H6213H4421H8210H5550H1129H1785H3772H7227H5315 18Because 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.H959H423H6565H1285H5414H3027H6213H4422 19"'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.H559H136H3069H2416H423H959H1285H6331H5414H7218 20I'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.H6566H7568H8610H4686H935H894H8199H4603H4604 21All 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.H4015H102H5307H2719H7604H6566H7307H3045H3068H1696 22"'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,H559H136H3069H3947H6788H7311H730H5414H6998H7218H3127H7390H8362H1364H2022H8524 23on 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.H2022H4791H3478H8362H5375H6057H6213H6529H117H730H7931H6833H3671H6738H1808H7931 24All 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.'"H6086H7704H3045H3068H8213H1364H6086H1361H8217H6086H3001H3892H6086H3002H6086H6524H3068H1696H6213