Ezekiel 17:1-10

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

17¹ Now the word of the Lord came to me saying , ² "Son of man , propound a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel , ³ saying , 'Thus says the Lord GOD , "A great eagle with great wings , long pinions and a full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar . ⁴ "He plucked off the topmost of its young twigs and brought it to a land of merchants ; he set it in a city of traders . ⁵ "He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil . He placed it beside abundant waters ; he set it like a willow . ⁶ "Then it sprouted and became a low , spreading vine with its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and yielded shoots and sent out branches . ⁷ "But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage ; and behold , this vine bent its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the beds where it was planted , that he might water it. ⁸ "It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters , that it might yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine ."' ⁹ "Say , 'Thus says the Lord GOD , "Will it thrive ? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit , so that it withers -so that all its sprouting leaves wither ? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again. ¹⁰ "Behold , though it is planted , will it thrive ? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it-wither on the beds where it grew ?""'