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Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

¹ Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,² "Son of man, propound a riddle and speak a ^(C1)parable to the house of Israel,^3 (F1)saying, 'Thus says the Lord ^(F2)GOD, "A great ^(C1)eagle with ^(C2)great wings, long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to ^(C3)Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.⁴ "He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of traders.⁵ "He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in ^(F1)(C1)fertile soil. He ^(F2)placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a ^(C2)willow.⁶ "Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches.

⁷ "But there was ^(F1)another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was ^(C1)planted, that he might water it.⁸ "It was planted in good ^(F1)soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine."'⁹ "Say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers--so that all its sprouting leaves wither? And neither by great ^(F1)strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again.¹⁰ "Behold, though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not ^(C1)completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it--wither on the beds where it grew?"'"

Zedekiah's Rebellion

¹¹ Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,¹² "Say now to the ^(C1)rebellious house, 'Do you not ^(C2)know what these things mean?' Say, 'Behold, the ^(C3)king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes and brought them to him in Babylon.¹³ 'He took one of the royal ^(F1)(C1)family and made a covenant with him, ^(F2)putting him under ^(C2)oath. He also took away the ^(C3)mighty of the land,¹⁴ that the kingdom might ^(C1)be ^(F1)in subjection, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant that it might continue.¹⁵ 'But he ^(C1)rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ^(F1)troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^(C2)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?¹⁶ 'As I live,' declares the Lord GOD, 'Surely in the ^(F1)country of the king who ^(F2)put him on the throne, whose oath he ^(C1)despised and whose covenant he broke, ^(F3)(C2)in Babylon he shall die.¹⁷ '^(C1)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not ^(F1)help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives.¹⁸ 'Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he ^(F1)(C1)pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.'"¹⁹ Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ^(F1)inflict on his head.²⁰ "I will spread My ^(C1)net over him, and he will be ^(C2)caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^(C3)enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me.²¹ "All the ^(F1)(C1)choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken."

²² Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and I will plant it on a ^(C1)high and lofty mountain.²³ "On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit and become a stately ^(C1)cedar. And birds of every ^(F1)kind will ^(F2)nest under it; they will ^(F2)nest in the shade of its branches.²⁴ "All the ^(C1)trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree ^(C2)flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it."