1  And the word of YHWH came unto me, saying

2  'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,

2  Son of man, relate a tale, and speak a parable to the house of Israel

2  “Son of man, propose an enigma and describe a parable to the house of Israel,

3  and say: Thus saith YHWH GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar;

3  and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; A great eagle with large wings, spreading them out very far, with many claws, which has the design of entering into Libanus—and he took the choice branches of the cedar

3  and you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: A large eagle, with great wings and elongated pinions, full of feathers with many colors, came to Lebanon. And he took the kernel of the cedar.

4  He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

4  He tore off the summit of its branches, and he transported it to the land of Canaan; he placed it in a city of merchants.

5  He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters, he set it as a slip.

5  And he took of the seed of the land, and sowed it in a field planted by much water; he set it in a conspicuous place.

5  And he took from the seed of the land and placed it in the ground for seed, so that it might take firm root above many waters; he placed it at the surface.

6  And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose tendrils might turn toward him, and the roots thereof be under him; so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

6  And when it had germinated, it increased into a more extensive vine, low in height, with its branches facing toward itself. And its roots were underneath it. And so, it became a vine, and sprouted branches, and produced shoots.

7  There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.

7  And there was another great eagle, with great wings and many claws: and, behold, this vine bent itself round toward him, and her roots were turned towards him, and she sent forth her branches towards him, that he might water her together with the growth of her plantation.

8  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 stately vine.

8  She thrives in a fair field by much water, to produce shoots and bear fruit, that she might become a great vine.

8  It had been planted in a good land, above many waters, so that it would produce branches and bear fruit, so that it would become a large vine.

9  Say thou: Thus saith YHWH GOD: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither, yea, wither in all its sprouting leaves? neither shall great power or much people be at hand when it is plucked up by the roots thereof.

9  Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; Shall it prosper? shall not the roots of her tender stem and her fruit be blighted? yea, all her early shoots shall be dried up, and that not by a mighty arm, nor by many people, to tear her up from her roots.

9  Say now, Thus says the LORD God: It shall not prosper, but its roots shall be cut off, and its fruit shall dry up; and all the foliage which it has put forth shall wither; and it will not require a strong arm, nor many people to pluck it up by its roots.

10  Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.'

10  And, behold, it thrives: shall it prosper? shall it not wither as soon as the east wind touches it? it shall be withered together with the growth of its shoots.

10  Behold, it has been planted. What if it does not prosper? Should it not be dried up when the burning wind touches it, and should it not wither in the garden of its germination?”

11  Moreover the word of YHWH came unto me, saying

11  And the word of the Lord came to me, saying

12  'Say now to the rebellious house: Know ye not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;

12  Son of man, say now to the provoking house, Know ye not what these things were? say to them, Whenever the king of Babylon shall come against Jerusalem, then he shall take her king and her princes, and shall take them home to Babylon.

12  “Say to the provoking house: Do you not know what these things signify? Say: Behold, the king of Babylon arrives in Jerusalem. And he will take away its king and princes, and he will lead them away to himself in Babylon.

13  and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;

13  And he shall take of the seed royal, and shall make a covenant with him, and shall bind him with an oath: and he shall take the princes of the land

13  And he will take one from the offspring of the king, and he will strike a pact with him and receive an oath from him. Moreover, he will take away the strong ones of the land,

14  that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

14  that it may become a weak kingdom, so as never to lift itself up, that he may keep his covenant, and establish it.

14  That the kingdom might be humbled, and that they might keep his covenant, and stand by him.

15  But he rebelled against him 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? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?

15  And if he shall revolt from him, to send his messengers into Egypt, that they may give him horses and much people; shall he prosper? shall he that acts as an adversary be preserved? and shall he that transgresses the covenant be preserved?

15  But, withdrawing from him, he sent messengers to Egypt, so that it would give him horses and many people. Should he who has done these things prosper and obtain safety? And should he who has broken the pact go free?

16  As I live, saith YHWH GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

16  As I live, says the Lord God, in the place of the king, who appointed him as king, whose oath he has made void, and whose pact he has broken, under which he was living with him, in the midst of Babylon, he shall die.

16  As I live, says the LORD God, surely in the very place where dwells the king of Babylon, who made him king and he despised my oath and nullified my covenant, even in the midst of Babylon, he shall die.

17  Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company succour him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many souls;

17  And Pharao shall make war upon him not with a large force or great multitude, in throwing up a mound, and in building of forts, to cut off souls.

17  And not with a great army, nor with many people will Pharaoh undertake a battle against him, when he will cast up ramparts and build defenses, in order to put to death many souls.

18  seeing he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

18  Because he has despised the oaths and nullified the covenant, he shall surrender, but he shall not be delivered, because he has done all these things.

19  Therefore thus saith YHWH GOD: As I live, surely Mine oath that he hath despised, and My covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.

19  Because of this, thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will place upon his head the oath that he has spurned and the pact that he has betrayed.

20  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 treachery that he hath committed against Me.

20  And I will spread a net upon him, and he shall be caught in its snare.

21  And all his mighty men in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind; and ye shall know that I YHWH have spoken it.

21  In every battle of his they shall fall by the sword, and I will scatter his remnant to every wind: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

21  And all his fugitives, with all his procession, will fall by the sword. Then the remainder will be scattered into every wind. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

22  Thus saith YHWH GOD: Moreover I will take, even I, 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 upon a high mountain and eminent;

22  For thus saith the Lord; I will even take of the choice branches of the cedar from the top thereof, I will crop off their hearts, and I will plant it on a high mountain

22  Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take from the kernel of the exalted cedar, and I will establish it. I will tear off a tender twig from the top of its branches, and I will plant it on a mountain, lofty and exalted.

23  in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a stately cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

23  and I will hang it on a lofty mountain of Israel: yea, I will plant it, and it shall put forth shoots, and shall bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar: and every bird shall rest beneath it, even every fowl shall rest under its shadow: its branches shall be restored.

23  On the sublime mountains of Israel, I will plant it. And it shall spring forth in buds and bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar. And all the birds will live under it, and every bird will make its nest under the shadow of its branches.

24  And all the trees of the field shall know that I YHWH 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 YHWH have spoken and have done it.'