¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

¹Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great² eagle with great wings³, longwinged, full⁴ of feathers, which had divers colours⁵, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest⁶ branch of the cedar⁷:

He cropped off the top⁸ of his young twigs, and carried it into⁹ a land¹⁰ of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

He took also of the seed¹¹ of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field¹²; he placed¹³ it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

And it grew¹⁴, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose¹⁵ branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

There was also another¹⁶ great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend¹⁷ her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

It was planted in a good soil¹⁸ by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that¹⁹ it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it²⁰ prosper? shall he²¹ not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit²² thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even²³ without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

¶ Yea, behold, being planted, shall it²⁴ prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Say now to the²⁵ rebellious house, Know²⁶ ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold,²⁷ the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led²⁸ them with him to Babylon;

And hath taken²⁹ of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him:³⁰ he hath also³¹ taken the mighty of the land:

That the kingdom³² might be base³³, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand³⁴.

But he rebelled³⁵ against him in³⁶ sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper³⁷? shall he escape³⁸ that doeth such things? or shall³⁹ he break the covenant, and be delivered?

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath⁴⁰ he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even⁴¹ with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

Neither shall⁴² Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by⁴³ casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

Seeing⁴⁴ he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he⁴⁵ had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall⁴⁶ not escape.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely⁴⁷ mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

¶ And I will spread⁴⁸ my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead⁴⁹ with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

And all his fugitives⁵⁰ with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know⁵¹ that I the LORD have spoken it.

¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest⁵² branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender⁵³ one, and will plant it upon⁵⁴ an high mountain and eminent:

In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it⁵⁵ shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under⁵⁶ it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

And all the trees⁵⁷ of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought⁵⁸ down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken⁵⁹ and have done it.