Ezekiel 17
The Parable of the
Eagles and the Vine |
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And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak
a parable unto the house of Israel;
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and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full
of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took
the highest branch of the cedar:
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he cropped off the top of his young
twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of
merchants.
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He took also of the seed of the land, and
planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
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And it grew, and became a spreading vine
of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots
thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth
branches, and shot forth sprigs.
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There was also another great eagle with
great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her
roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he
might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
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It was planted in a good soil by great
waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear
fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
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Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots
thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall
wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or
many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
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Yea, behold, being planted, shall
it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth
it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
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Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye
not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the
king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king
thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to
Babylon;
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and hath taken of the king's seed, and
made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath
also taken the mighty of the land:
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that the kingdom might be base, that it
might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant
it might stand.
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But he rebelled against him 2 Kgs.
24.15-20 · 2
Chr. 36.10-13 in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that
they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall
he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the
covenant, and be delivered?
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As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and
whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of
Babylon he shall die.
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Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up
mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
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seeing he despised the oath by breaking
the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all
these things, he shall not escape.
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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath
despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I
recompense upon his own head.
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And I will spread my net upon him, and he
shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and
will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed
against me.
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And all his fugitives with all his bands
shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered
toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
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Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the
high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of
his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high
mountain and eminent:
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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 fowl of every
wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they
dwell.
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And all the trees of the field shall know
that I the LORD 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 the LORD have spoken and have done it.
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