CHAPTER 17
1 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
2 Son of man, set forth a dark speech, and tell thou a parable to the house of Israel;
3 and thou shalt say, The Lord God saith these things. A great eagle of great wings, with long stretching out of members, full of feathers and of diversity, came to the Lebanon, and took away the marrow of the cedar.
4 He pulled away the highness of boughs thereof, and bare it over into the land of Canaan, and setted it in the city of merchants.
5 And he took of the seed of the land, and setted it in the land for seed, that it should make steadfast root on many waters; and he setted it in the higher part.
6 And when it had grown, it increased into a larger vinery [or a broad vineyard], in low stature; for the boughs thereof beheld to that eagle, and the roots thereof were under that eagle; therefore it was made a vinery [or vineyard], and it made fruit into scions, and sent out boughs.
7 And another great eagle was made, with great wings, and many feathers; and lo! this vinery [or this vineyard] as sending his roots to that eagle, stretched forth his scions to that eagle, that he should moist it out of the cornfloors of his seed.
8 Which is planted in a good land on many waters, that it make boughs, and bear fruit, that it be into a great vinery [or vineyard].
9 Say thou, Ezekiel, The Lord God saith these things, Therefore whether he shall have prosperity? Whether Nebuchadnezzar shall not pull away the roots of him, and shall constrain the fruits of him? And he shall make dry all the scions of burgeoning thereof, and it shall be dry; and not in great arm, neither in much people, that he should draw it out by the roots.
10 Lo! it is planted, therefore whether it shall have prosperity? Whether not when burning wind shall touch it, it shall be made dry, and shall wax dry in the cornfloors of his seed?
11 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
12 Say thou to the house of Israel stirring me to wrath, Know ye not what these things signify? Say thou, Lo! the king of Babylon cometh into Jerusalem; and he shall take the king and the princes thereof, and he shall lead them to himself into Babylon.
13 And he shall take of the seed of the realm, and shall smite with it a bond of peace, and he shall take of it an oath; but also he shall take away the strong men of the land,
14 that it be a meek realm, and be not raised [up], but that it keep the covenant of him, and hold it.
15 Which went away from him, and sent messengers into Egypt, that it should give to him horses and much people. Whether he that did these things, shall have prosperity, either shall get health? and whether he that breaketh [a] covenant, shall escape?
16 I live, saith the Lord God, for in the place of the king that made him king, whose oath he made void, and brake the covenant, which he had with him, in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 And not in great host, neither in much people, Pharaoh shall make battle against him, in the casting up of [an heap of] earth, and in building of pales or posts, that he slay many persons.
18 For he despised the oath, that he should break the bond of peace, and lo! he gave his hand; and when he hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, I live, for I shall set [or put] on his head the oath which he despised, and the bond of peace which he brake.
20 And I shall spread abroad my net [up] on him, and he shall be taken in my net, and I shall bring him into Babylon; and there I shall deem him in the trespassing, by which he despised me.
21 And all his fleers-away with all his company shall fall down by sword, forsooth the remnants shall be scattered into each wind; and ye shall know, that I the Lord spake.
22 The Lord God saith these things, And I shall take of the marrow of an high cedar, and I shall set a tender thing of the cop [or top] of his branches; I shall constrain, and I shall plant it on an high hill, and appearing far off.
23 In the high hill of Israel I shall plant it; and it shall break out into burgeoning, and it shall make fruit, and it shall be into a great cedar, and all birds shall dwell under it; each volatile shall make nest under the shadow of his boughs.
24 And all [the] trees of the country shall know, that I am the Lord; I made low the high tree, and I enhanced the low tree, and I made dry the green tree, and I made the dry tree to bring forth boughs; I the Lord have spoken, and I have done.