1. And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2. Son of Man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;

3. and say, Thus says the Sovereign Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had diverse colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:

4. he cropped off the topmost of its young twigs, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

5. He also took of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow-tree.

6. And 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.

7. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, look, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the rows of its plantation, that he might water it.

8. It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

9. Say, Thus says the Sovereign Yahweh: Will it prosper? Will 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.

10. Yes, look, being planted, will it prosper? Will it not completely wither, when the east wind touches it? It will wither on the rows where it grew.

11. Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

12. Say now to the rebellious house, Don't you+ know what these things mean? Tell them, Look, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to himself to Babylon:

13. and he took 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;

14. that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

15. But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he escape that does such things? Will he break the covenant, and yet escape?

16. As I live, says the Sovereign Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he will die.

17. Neither will 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.