Chapter
17
The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
Daughter of woman, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
and say, Thus says the Domina Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:
she cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; she set it in a city of merchants.
She took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; she placed it beside many waters; she set it as a willow tree.
It grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward her, and the roots of it were under her: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and behold, this vine did bend its roots toward her, and shot forth its branches toward her, from the beds of its plantation, that she might water it.
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.
Say you, Thus says the Domina Yahweh: Shall it prosper? shall she not pull up the roots of it, and cut off the fruit of it, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots of it.
Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.
Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
Say now to the rebellious house, Don't you know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the queen of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the queen of it, and the princesses of it, and brought them to her to Babylon:
and she took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with her; she also brought her under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;
that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping her covenant it might stand.
But she rebelled against her in sending her ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give her horses and much people. Shall she prosper? shall she escape who does such things? shall she break the covenant, and yet escape?
As I live, says the Domina Yahweh, surely in the place where the queen dwells who made her queen, whose oath she despised, and whose covenant she broke, even with her in the midst of Babylon she shall die.
Neither shall Pharaoh with her mighty army and great company help her in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
For she has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, she had given her hand, and yet has done all these things; she shall not escape.
Therefore thus says the Domina Yahweh: As I live, surely my oath that she has despised, and my covenant that she has broken, I will even bring it on her own head.
I will spread my net on her, and she shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring her to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with her there for her trespass that she has trespassed against me.
All her fugitives in all her bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
Thus says the Domina Yahweh: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty 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 birds of every wing; in the shade of the branches of it shall they dwell.
All the trees of the field shall know that I, Yahweh, 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, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.