1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle and tell a parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: A great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and thick, colorful plumage came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. 4 It plucked off the topmost of its young shoots and brought it to a land of trade, setting it in a city of merchants. 5 It took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a field for sowing. It placed it beside abundant waters, setting it like a willow. 6 It sprouted and became a spreading vine of low growth. Its branches turned toward the eagle, and its roots remained beneath it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and put out shoots. 7 There was another great eagle with great wings and abundant plumage. This vine bent its roots toward it and stretched its branches toward it from the beds where it was planted, so that it might water the vine. 8 It had been planted in a good field beside abundant waters, to produce branches and bear fruit, to become a splendid vine.’

9 Say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Will it thrive? Will he not uproot it and cut off its fruit so that it withers? All its fresh leaves will wither. It will not take a mighty arm or many people to pull it up by its roots. 10 Though it is planted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it grew.’ ”

11 The word of the LORD came to me: 12 “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and its officials, and brought them to himself in Babylon. 13 He took someone of royal descent, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty men of the land, 14 so that the kingdom would remain low and not rise up, but could stand by keeping his covenant. 15 But he rebelled against him, sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and many people. Will he thrive? Will someone who does these things escape? Can he break a covenant and escape? 16 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, he will die in Babylon, with the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. 17 Pharaoh will not help him in the war with a great army and a large assembly, when siege ramps are piled up and siege works built to cut off many lives. 18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant, though he had given his hand. He did all these things; he will not escape.

19 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: As I live, I will bring 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 caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the unfaithfulness he committed against me. 21 All his fugitives with all his troops will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.

22 This is what the Lord GOD says: I myself will take from the top of the tall cedar and set it out. I will pluck a tender shoot from the topmost of its young shoots, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches and bear fruit and become a majestic cedar. Every bird of every wing will dwell beneath it; they will dwell in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the field will know that I, the LORD, have brought down the tall tree and raised up the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.’ ”