Ezekiel 17

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Suddenly, I felt a profound message from the Lord wash over me, whispering,

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

Hey human, pose a riddle and share a symbolic story with the people of Israel.

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

The Lord God declares: A majestic eagle, with vast, colorful wings, flew to Lebanon and chose the tallest branch of the cedar tree.

He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

He gently cut the tips of his youthful branches, taking them to a bustling marketplace. There, in a city teeming with traders, he planted it.

He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

He lovingly sowed seeds from the earth into a fertile field, near a vast body of water, nurturing it to grow strong like a willow tree.

And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

It flourished, transforming into a sprawling vine, humble in height. Its branches reached out to him, its roots anchored beneath him. It thrived as a vine, sprouting branches and budding new growth.

There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

Another mighty eagle, with expansive wings and countless feathers, appeared. The vine, sensing his presence, reached out to him with her roots and branches, yearning for the life-giving water he could provide from the grooves of her land.

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

In fertile soil by abundant waters, it was lovingly planted. Its purpose was to sprout branches and bear fruit, becoming a magnificent vine.

Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

God asks, "Will it thrive? Won't he pull it up by its roots and strip its fruit, causing it to wither? All its fresh leaves will surely wither, and it won't take a strong force or a crowd to tear it from its roots."

Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

Indeed, once planted, will it truly thrive? Won't it completely shrivel when the east wind strikes it? It will wilt right where it sprouted.

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Then, I felt a profound message from the Lord resonate within me, as if He was speaking directly to me, saying,

Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

Speak to those who resist, don't you understand the meaning of these events? Tell them, Look, the Babylonian king has arrived in Jerusalem. He has captured our king and our leaders, and has taken them back to Babylon with him.

And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

He took a promise from the king's heir, binding him with a solemn vow. He also claimed the strongest of the land.

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

He did this so the kingdom would be kept low and unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping its covenant with him.

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

He defied him, sending envoys to Egypt for horses and a crowd of people. Will he succeed? Can he escape the consequences of such actions? Or can he betray the agreement and still find salvation?

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

God promises, "As surely as I live, the king who broke his oath and covenant will die in the land of the king who put him on the throne - in the heart of Babylon."

Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

Even with his powerful army and vast forces, Pharaoh won't come to his aid in the war, when siege ramps are raised and walls built to wipe out many lives.

Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

He disrespected the promise, shattered the agreement, even after making a solemn vow. Despite all this, he won't avoid the consequences.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

The Lord God declares, "By my life, the oath he scorned and the covenant he broke, I will surely make him pay for it."

And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

I will ensnare him in my trap, capture him, and take him to Babylon. There, I will bring him to judgment for the treachery he committed against me.

And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

Everyone who has fled, along with their groups, will meet their end by the sword. Those who survive will be dispersed in every direction. You will then realize that these words are mine, the Lord's.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:

The Lord God declares, "I will take a piece from the tallest cedar, and plant it. I will trim a tender twig from its top and place it on a prominent, high mountain."

In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

I will plant a magnificent cedar on Israel's highest peak. It will flourish, bearing fruit and providing shelter. All birds, regardless of their kind, will find a home in its protective shade.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

Every tree will realize that I, the LORD, have humbled the proud, uplifted the humble, withered the lush, and revived the barren. I, the LORD, have promised and fulfilled it.