Ezekiel
Chapter 17
1 God spoke to me, saying,
2 Human, tell a puzzle and share a story with the people of Israel.
3 Say, ‘God says: A big eagle with large wings and long feathers, full of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top branch of the cedar tree.’
4 He cut off the top of the young branches and took it to a land of trade; he placed it in a city of merchants.
5 He also took some seeds from the land and planted them in a fertile area; he put them near a lot of water, like a willow tree.
6 It grew and turned into a wide, low vine. Its branches reached out to him, and its roots were beneath him. So it became a vine, grew branches, and produced new shoots.
7 There was also a big eagle with large wings and lots of feathers, and look, the vine turned its roots toward him and spread out its branches so that he could give it water where it was planted.
8 It was put in good soil near plenty of water so it could grow branches and bear fruit, becoming a fine vine.
9 Say this, “This is what God says: Will it succeed? Will he not pull out its roots and cut off its fruit so it dries up? It will dry up with all the leaves of its growth, even without strong force or many people to uproot it.”
10 Yes, look, if it is planted, will it thrive? Won’t it completely dry up when the east wind blows on it? It will dry up in the beds where it sprouted.
11 Also, God’s message came to me, saying,
12 Speak to the stubborn people and ask them if they understand what this means: tell them, “The king of Babylon has come to Jerusalem, has captured its king and leaders, and has taken them with him to Babylon.”
13 He has taken a descendant of the king, made an agreement with him, and sworn him to an oath; he has also taken the powerful people of the land.
14 To make the kingdom humble, so it would not rise up, but by following his agreement it would remain stable.
15 He turned against God by sending messengers to Egypt to get horses and many soldiers. Will he succeed? Can he get away with this? Or can he ignore the agreement and still be safe?
16 I swear, says God, the king who rejected his promise and broke his agreement will die in Babylon, where he was made king.
17 Pharaoh and his strong army and large group won’t help him in battle by making mounds and building forts to kill many people.
18 Because he looked down on his promise by breaking the agreement, after he had shaken hands, and did all these things, he will not get away.
19 So this is what God says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for ignoring my promise and breaking my agreement right on his own head.
20 I will set my net for him, and he will get caught in my trap. Then I will take him to Babylon and talk to him about the wrong he did to me.
21 Everyone running away with him will be killed by the sword, and those left will be spread out in all directions. Then you will know that I, God, have said this.
22 God says: I will take a twig from the top of a tall cedar and plant it on a high and prominent mountain.
23 I will plant it on the high mountain in Israel: it will grow branches, produce fruit, and become a magnificent cedar. All kinds of birds will live underneath it, resting in the shade of its branches.
24 All the trees in the land will know that I, God, have made the tall tree fall, raised the small tree, dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree grow. I, God, have said it and made it happen.