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Ezekiel 17
New Catholic Bible
Ezekiel 17
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 17[a]
Allegory of the Eagles and Vine. 1 This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, propose a riddle and expound this parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
rich with multi-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar tree,
4 and plucked off its topmost shoot.
He carried it off to a land of tradesmen
and planted it in a city filled with merchants.
5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
and placed it in fertile soil.
Close to a source of abundant water
he set it like a willow tree.
6 It sprouted and became a vine,
low-lying and spreading forth.
Its branches turned toward him,
but its roots remained firmly in place.
Thus it became a vine, produced branches,
and put forth lofty shoots.
7 But there was another great eagle
with large wings and thick plumage.
From the plot where it had been planted
this vine stretched forth its roots toward him
so that he might water it.
It turned away from the bed where it was planted.
8 In a fertile field by abundant waters,
it was planted so that it might branch forth,
bear fruit, and become a noble vine.
9 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Will such a vine flourish?
Will it not be uprooted
with its fruit stripped off
and its freshly sprouted leaves becoming withered?
No great strength or a mighty army is needed
to pull it up by its roots.
10 If it is transplanted, will it flourish?
Will it not totally shrivel up
as though destroyed by the east wind
on the bed where it was growing?
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 Say now to this rebellious people: Do you not understand what all this means? Say to them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and its princes, and brought them back to Babylon with him. 13 Then he selected a prince of the royal family and made a covenant with him, binding him under oath, and he deported the leading men of the land 14 so that the kingdom would be humble and submissive and be able to survive only by keeping his covenant and obeying him.
15 However, the prince rebelled against him and sent envoys to Egypt with a request for horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and remain unscathed?
16 As I live, says the Lord God, I swear that that man will die in Babylon, in the country of the king who appointed him to rule, whose oath he forsook and whose covenant he broke. 17 Despite Pharaoh’s mighty army and hordes of troops, he will not be able to save him in war, no matter how many ramps are raised up and siege-towers are built to destroy many lives. 18 He has violated the treaty and disregarded the oath by breaking the treaty he had pledged to observe. Since he has done all this, he will not go unpunished.
19 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will bring down upon his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be trapped in my snare. I will take him to Babylon and bring him to judgment there for the treasonous acts he has committed against me. 21 All of his most valiant troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 Thus says the Lord:
I myself will break off a tender shoot
from the highest branch of a tall cedar
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the highest mountain in Israel I will plant it
so that it may put forth branches and bear fruit
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind will live beneath it;
in the shelter of its branches
winged creatures of every kind will dwell.
24 All the trees of the countryside will know
that I am the Lord.
I will bring low the tall tree
and raise high the lowly tree.
I cause the green tree to wither
and make the shriveled tree bear fruit.
I, the Lord, have spoken;
so will I do.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 17:1 The great eagle is evidently Nebuchadnezzar; he exiles Jehoiachin (v. 12), who is “the top of the cedar tree,” and replaces him with Zedekiah, the seed of verse 5 (see 2 Ki 24:15). The latter is at first a docile vassal (see 2 Chr 36:13), but he soon negotiates with the pharaoh, the second great eagle (vv. 7, 15), who is already weakened and unable to save anyone. The pessimistic description ends with a ray of hope: someday the ruined Davidic dynasty will be restored. The coming of the future shoot (v. 22), the Messiah, will show once again how the Lord acts on behalf of his people (see Ezek 21:26).
Ezekiel 17
New International Version
Ezekiel 17
New International Version
Two Eagles and a Vine
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.(A) 3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle(B) with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon.(C) Taking hold of the top of a cedar, 4 he broke off(D) its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
5 “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,(E) 6 and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches(F) turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.(G)
7 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.(H) 8 It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,(I) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
9 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.(J) 10 It has been planted,(K) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?(L)’”
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?(M)’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles,(N) bringing them back with him to Babylon.(O) 13 Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty(P) with him, putting him under oath.(Q) He also carried away the leading men(R) of the land, 14 so that the kingdom would be brought low,(S) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. 15 But the king rebelled(T) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt(U) to get horses and a large army.(V) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?(W)
16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die(X) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.(Y) 17 Pharaoh(Z) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps(AA) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.(AB) 18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge(AC) and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.
19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.(AD) 20 I will spread my net(AE) for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment(AF) on him there because he was unfaithful(AG) to me. 21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword,(AH) and the survivors(AI) will be scattered to the winds.(AJ) Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.(AK)
22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot(AL) from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.(AM) 23 On the mountain heights(AN) of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit(AO) and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.(AP) 24 All the trees of the forest(AQ) will know that I the Lord bring down(AR) the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.(AS)
“‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.(AT)’”
New International Version (NIV) 
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