1And the word of Yehovah came to me, saying, 2Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3and say, Thus says the Lord Yehovah: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: 4he broke off the topmost of its young twigs, and carried it to a land of merchants; he set it in a city of merchants. 5He also took some of the seed of the land, and planted it in fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it like a willow tree. 6And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds where it was planted, that he might water it. 8It was planted in good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9Say, Thus says the Lord Yehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or many people can it be raised from its roots. 10Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew. 11Moreover the word of Yehovah came to me, saying, 12Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to himself to Babylon. 13And he took one of the royal seed, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land; 14that the kingdom might be lowly, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape who does such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? 16As I live, says the Lord Yehovah, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17Nor shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. 18For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things; he shall not escape. 19Therefore thus says the Lord Yehovah: As I live, surely my oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it on his own head. 20And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me. 21And all his fugitives in all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that I, Yehovah, have spoken it. 22Thus says the Lord Yehovah: I will also take some of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain: 23on the mountain of the height of Israel I will plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches they shall dwell. 24And all the trees of the field shall know that I, Yehovah, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree flourish: I, Yehovah, have spoken and have done it.