Ezekiel 17:1-10

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

17¹ And the word of Jehovah 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 Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings, long-pinioned, full of feathers, which was of divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar. ⁴ He cropped off the top of its young shoots, and carried it into a merchants' land; he set it in a city of traders. ⁵ And he took of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, he set it as a willow tree. ⁶ And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, so that its branches should turn toward him, and the roots thereof be under him; and it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. ⁷ And there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and behold, from the beds of her plantation, this vine did bend her roots unto him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it. ⁸ It was planted in a good field by many waters, that it might bring forth branches and bear fruit, that it might be a noble vine. ⁹ Say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither? All its fresh sprouting leaves shall wither, even without a great arm and many people to pluck it up by its roots. ¹⁰ And behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither when the east wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the beds where it grew.