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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, ask a riddle and present a ^(C1)parable to the house of Israel,^3 (F1)saying, 'This is what the Lord ^(F2)GOD says: "A great ^(F3)(C1)eagle with ^(C2)great wings, long pinions, and a full plumage of many colors came to ^(F4)(C3)Lebanon and took away the top of the ^(F5)cedar.⁴ "He broke off the ^(F1)topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants; he set it in a ^(F2)city of traders.⁵ "He also took ^(F1)from the seed of the land and planted ^(F1)it in ^(F2)(C1)fertile soil, a ^(F3)meadow 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 produced shoots and sent out branches.

⁷ "But there was ^(F1)another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine turned its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was ^(C1)planted, so that he might water it.⁸ "It was planted in good ^(F1)soil beside abundant waters, so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, and become a splendid vine."'⁹ "Say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers—so that all its sprouting shoots 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 leaders, and brought them to him in Babylon.¹³ 'Then 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 so that the kingdom would ^(C1)be humbled, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant so that it might continue.¹⁵ 'But ^(F1)he ^(C1)revolted against ^(F2)him by sending his messengers to Egypt so that they might give him horses and many ^(F3)troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does these things ^(C2)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape?¹⁶ 'As I live,' declares the Lord GOD, '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 certainly die.¹⁷ '^(C1)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great contingent will not ^(F1)help him in the war, when they pile up assault ramps and build siege walls to eliminate 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, this is what the Lord GOD says: "As I live, My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will certainly ^(F1)inflict on his head.²⁰ "And I will spread My ^(C1)net over him, and he will be ^(C2)caught in My net. 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 This is what the Lord GOD says: "I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and ^(F1)set it out; I will break off 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, so that it may bring forth branches and bear fruit, and become a stately ^(C1)cedar. And ^(F1)birds of every ^(F2)kind will ^(F3)nest under it; they will ^(F3)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."