VIN(i)
1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;
3 and say, Thus says the Sovereign LORD: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers of various colours, came to Lebanon, and took off the top of the cedar.
4 He cropped off the top of its young shoots, and carried it into a merchants` land; he set it in a city of traders.
5 and he took from the seed of the land and placed it in fertile soil on many waters; like a willow he planted it.
6 And it grew and became a spreading low vine, whose branches turned toward him. And its roots were under him. So it became a vine and brought out branches and shot out boughs.
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. This vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 "'"It was planted in good soil beside plenty of water so that it could grow branches, bear fruit, and become a wonderful vine."'
9 Say, Thus saith the Sovereign LORD: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither? All its fresh sprouting leaves shall wither, even without a great arm and many people to pluck it up by its roots.
10 "‘"Though it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not completely wither as soon as the east wind strikes it, wither on the beds where it grew?"’"
11 Moreover, 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, 'Look, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon:
13 »He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
14 that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15 But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape?
16 As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, he shall die at Babylon: in the place where the king dwelleth, that made him king, whose oath he hath despised, and whose covenant he hath broken.
17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won't help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.
18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, see, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 “Therefore the Sovereign LORD says: 'As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken.
20 '"I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylon and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me.
21 All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered toward every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.'
22 The Sovereign LORD says thus: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar and will set it. I will crop off a tender one from the topmost of its offshoots and I will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain.
23 I will plant it in the mountain of the height of Israel; and it will produce boughs, and bear fruit, and be a good cedar. Birds of every kind will dwell in the shade of its branches.
24 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 made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken, and will do [it].