God gives a riddle of two great eagles and a vine, representing Babylon and Egypt and the king of Judah, who broke his oath. God promises to plant a tender twig from a cedar on a high mountain, which will become a great tree.
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
2 Son of man , put forth a riddle , and speak a parable unto the house of Israel ;
3 And say , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; A great eagle with great wings , longwinged , full of feathers , which had divers colours , came unto Lebanon , and took the highest branch of the cedar :
4 He cropped off the top of his young twigs , and carried it into a land of traffick ; he set it in a city of merchants .
5 He took also of the seed of the land , and planted it in a fruitful field ; he placed it by great waters , and set it as a willow tree .
6 And it grew , and became a spreading vine of low stature , whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine , and brought forth branches , and shot forth sprigs .
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers : and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation .
8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters , that it might bring forth branches , and that it might bear fruit , that it might be a goodly vine .
9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Shall it prosper ? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither ? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring , even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
10 Yea, behold, being planted , shall it prosper ? shall it not utterly wither , when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew .
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
12 Say now to the rebellious house , Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem , and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon ;
13 And hath taken of the king's seed , and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land :
14 That the kingdom might be base , that it might not lift itself up , but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand .
15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt , that they might give him horses and much people . Shall he prosper ? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant , and be delivered ?
16 As I live , saith the Lord GOD , surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king , whose oath he despised , and whose covenant he brake , even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die .
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war , by casting up mounts , and building forts , to cut off many persons :
18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant , when, lo, he had given his hand , and hath done all these things, he shall not escape .
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; As I live , surely mine oath that he hath despised , and my covenant that he hath broken , even it will I recompense upon his own head .
20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare , and I will bring him to Babylon , and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword , and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds : and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar , and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one , and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent :
23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs , and bear fruit , and be a goodly cedar : and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell .
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought 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 spoken and have done it.