2
Son of man, propose a figure and compose an enigma unto the house of Israel
3
and say: Thus hath the Lord GOD said, A great eagle with great wings and long members, full of feathers of diverse colours, came unto Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar:
4
he cropped off the principal shoot and carried it into a land of markets; he set it in the city of the merchants.
5
He also took 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.
6
And it grew and became a vine of many branches, low of stature, whose branches looked at 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, behold, this vine joined her roots toward him and extended her branches toward him that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
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 thou: Thus hath the Lord GOD said, Shall it be prospered? Shall he not pull
it up its roots and destroy its fruit and let it wither? All of the leaves of her spring shall wither, even without great power or many people plucking it up by its roots.
10
Yea, behold,
being planted, shall it be prospered? Shall it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
11
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
12
Say now to the rebellious house: Do ye not know what these
things mean? Tell
them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem and has taken its king and its princes and led them with him to Babylon;