1The word of the LORD came to me and said,2Son of man, present a riddle and speak a proverb to the house of Israel.3and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of plumage that had embroidery, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.4He plucked the topmost shoot and brought it to the land of Canaan; he placed it in a city of merchants.5He took seed from the land and placed it in a seeded field; he set it beside abundant waters as a willow.6It sprouted and became a low, spreading vine whose branches turned toward him and whose roots remained beneath him; it became a vine that produced poles and sent out boughs.7Then another great eagle appeared, with great wings and abundant plumage; and behold, this vine stretched its roots toward him and sent its branches to him to draw water from the beds of its planting.8It was transplanted into a pleasant field beside abundant waters in order to produce branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.9Say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will it prosper? Will he not tear out its roots and strip its fruit so that all its foliage withers, without a mighty arm or a numerous people to lift it from its roots?10Though transplanted, will it prosper? Will it not wither when the east wind touches it, withering upon the beds of its branches?11The word of the LORD came to me and said,12Say to the rebellious house, Do you not understand what these things mean? Say, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and its officials, and brought them to Babylon.13He took a member of the royal seed, made a covenant with him, and brought him under oath; he also took the leaders of the land.14so that the kingdom would remain low and unable to exalt itself, in order to keep the covenant and maintain it.15But he rebelled by sending his envoys to Egypt to obtain horses and a large force. Will he prosper or escape, the one who does these things, by breaking the covenant and escaping?16As I live, declares the Lord GOD, he will surely die in the place of the king who made him reign, because he despised the oath and broke the covenant with him in Babylon.17Pharaoh will not rescue him with a great army or a numerous host in battle by building siege ramps and siegeworks to destroy many lives.18He despised the oath and broke the covenant; he gave his pledge and did all these things, yet he will not escape.19Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, because he despised my oath and broke my covenant, I will bring the consequences upon his own head.20I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there for the treachery he committed against me.21All his fugitives in every company will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; then you will know that I am the LORD who has spoken.22Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will take a tender shoot from the top of the lofty cedar, pluck it from the topmost branches, and plant it on a high and prominent mountain.23I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel; it will produce branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar under which every kind of bird will dwell in the shade of its boughs.24Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD: I bring low the tall tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.