Ezekiel 17
A Tender Twig Planted on a High Mountain
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The Parable of the Two Eagles
17:1The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
17:2“Son of man, tell a narrative and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
17:3and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: The great eagle, great-winged, long in span, full of talons, which has authority to enter Lebanon, took the cedar’s choice parts;
17:4he nipped off the tips of its tender growth, carried them to the land of Canaan, and set them in a fortified city.
17:5He took some of the land’s seed and put it in the plain, a plant beside abundant water; he appointed it to be watched over.
17:6It sprouted and became a weak vine, small in size so that it might appear. Its branches were upon it and its roots beneath it. It became a vine, produced offshoots and extended its climbing growth.
17:7There was another great eagle, great-winged and abundant in talons. Behold, this vine was intertwined toward him, its roots toward him; it sent its branches to him to water it together with the clod of its planting.
17:8It grows fat in a good plain beside abundant water, to produce shoots, bear fruit and become a great vine.
17:9Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord: Will it prosper? Will not the roots of its tender growth and its fruit rot, and all its early shoots dry up? No great arm or numerous people will be needed to pull it from its roots.
17:10Behold, it grows fat—surely it will not prosper? Will it not dry up completely as soon as the scorching wind touches it? It will dry up together with the clod of its growth.’”
The Interpretation of the Parable
17:11The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
17:12“Son of man, say now to the embittering house, ‘Do you not understand what these things were?’ Say, ‘When Babylon’s king comes against Jerusalem, he will take her king and her rulers and bring them to himself in Babylon.
17:13He will take one of the royal seed, make a covenant with him, and bring him under a curse-oath. He will take the land’s leaders,
17:14so that it may become a weak kingdom, not exalt itself at all, and keep his covenant and establish it.
17:15He will revolt from him, sending his messengers to Egypt to give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will the one doing contrary things be rescued? Will one transgressing a covenant be saved?
17:16As I live, says the Lord, surely in the place of the king who made him king—he who dishonored My curse-oath and transgressed My covenant—with him in the midst of Babylon he will die.
17:17Pharaoh will not wage war against him with great power or a numerous crowd, amid siegeworks and the building of missile stations to remove lives.
17:18He dishonored a sworn oath by transgressing a covenant; behold, he has given his hand and did all these things to him. Surely he will not be saved?
17:19Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord: As I live, surely My covenant that he transgressed and My sworn oath that he dishonored—I will bring them upon his head.
17:20I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in his enclosure.
17:21In all his battle array they will fall by the sword, and I will scatter the survivors to every wind. You will recognize that I, the Lord, have spoken.’
The Tender Shoot Planted on the Lofty Mountain
17:22For thus says the Lord: I Myself will take from the cedar’s choice parts, nip off from the top of their heart, and I Myself will plant it upon a high mountain. I will suspend it
17:23upon Israel’s lofty mountain and plant it. It will produce a shoot, bear fruit and become a great cedar. Every beast will rest beneath it, every bird will rest under its shade, and its branches will be restored.
17:24All the plain’s trees will know that I am the Lord who lowers a high tree, raises a low tree, dries a green tree and makes a dry tree flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.