17The word of the LORD came to me:H1697H3068H5592"Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell the house of Israel a parable.H1121H120H2330H2420H4911H4912H1004H34783Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar,H559H559H136H3069H1419H5404H1419H3671H83H750H4392H5133H7553H935H3844H3947H6788H7304he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.H6998H7218H3242H935H776H3667H7760H5892H74025"'He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,H3947H2233H776H5414H2233H7704H3947H7227H4325H7760H68516and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.H6779H5628H1612H8217H6967H1808H6437H8328H1612H6213H905H7971H62887"'But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.H259H1419H5404H1419H3671H7227H5133H1612H3719H8328H7971H1808H8248H6170H43028It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.'H8362H2896H7704H7227H4325H6213H6057H5375H6529H155H16129"Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.H559H559H136H3069H6743H5423H8328H7082H6529H3001H3001H2964H6780H1419H2220H7227H5971H5375H832810Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?'"H8362H6743H3001H3001H6921H7307H5060H3001H6170H678011Then the word of the LORD came to me:H1697H3068H55912"Say to this rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Say to them: 'The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.H559H4805H1004H3045H559H4428H894H935H3389H3947H4428H8269H935H89413Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,H3947H4410H2233H3772H1285H935H423H3947H352H77614so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.H4467H8217H5375H8104H1285H597515But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?H4775H7971H4397H4714H5414H5483H7227H5971H6743H4422H6213H6565H1285H442216"'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.H2416H5002H136H3069H4725H4428H4427H423H959H1285H6565H8432H894H419117Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.H6547H1419H2428H7227H6951H6213H4421H8210H5550H1129H1785H3772H7227H531518He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.H959H423H6565H1285H5414H3027H6213H442219"'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke.H559H136H3069H2416H423H959H1285H6331H5414H721820I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there because he was unfaithful to me.H6566H7568H8610H4686H935H894H8199H4603H460421All his fleeing troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.H4015H102H5307H2719H7604H6566H7307H3045H3068H169622"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.H559H136H3069H3947H6788H7311H730H5414H6998H7218H3127H7390H8362H1364H2022H852423On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.H2022H4791H3478H8362H5375H6057H6213H6529H117H730H7931H6833H3671H6738H1808H793124All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. "'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'"H6086H7704H3045H3068H8213H1364H6086H1361H8217H6086H3001H3892H6086H3002H6086H6524H3068H1696H6213