*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 17 ©
Under the parable of an eagle fetching a cedar branch from Lebanon, and planting a new vine; as also another great eagle to whom that vine bowed itself, God presents before His people the captive carrying away of king Jeconiah and others by the king of Babel, the appointment of Zedekiah to be king in his stead, and Zedekiah’s perjury, and revolt unto the king of Egypt, verses 1, 2, 3, etc. For which God foretells that he would be forsaken of Egypt and of his own people, and would be carried away captive to Babel, 15. Nevertheless, He promises another new evangelical cedar branch, for the salvation of His people, 22.
AND the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Son of man, put forth a 1riddle, and speak a 2parable 3unto the house of Israel;
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; 4A great eagle with 5great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had 6divers colours, came unto 7Lebanon, and took the 8highest branch of the 9cedar:
He cropped off the top 10of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of 11traffick; he set it in 12a city of 13merchants.
14He took also of 15the seed of the land, and 16planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it 17by great waters, and set it 18as a willow tree.
And 19it grew, and became a spreading vine 20of low 21stature, whose branches turned 22toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so 23it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
There was also another 24great eagle with 25great wings and many feathers: and, behold, 26this vine did bend 27her roots 28toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that 29he might water 30it 31by the furrows 32of her plantation.
It was 33planted 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.
Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall 34it prosper? shall 35he not pull up 36the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, 37even 38without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
Yea, behold, being planted, 39shall it prosper? 40shall it not 41utterly wither, when 42the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither 43in the furrows 44where it grew.
¶Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Say now to 45the rebellious house, Know ye not what 46these things 47mean? tell them, 48Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken 49the king thereof, and the 50princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
And hath taken of the 51king’s seed, and made aa covenant with him, and hath taken 52an oath of him: he hath also 53taken the 54mighty of the land:
That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of 55his covenant it might stand.
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, thatb they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break 56the covenant, and be delivered?
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely 57in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even 58with him in the midst of Babylon he 59shall die.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company makec for 60him in the war, 61by 62casting up mounts,d and building forts,e to cut off 63many persons:
Seeing 64he despised the 65oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his 66hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely 67mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense 68upon his own head.
And I will spread 69my netf upon 70him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will pleadg with him 71there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
And all 72his fugitives with all his 73bands shall fall 74by the sword,h and they that remain shall be scatteredi75toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
¶Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also 76take 77of the highest branch of the high 78cedar, and will 79set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs 80a tender one, and will plant it upon 81an high mountain and eminent:
In the mountain 82of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and 83bear 84fruit, and be a 85goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell 86all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
And all the 87trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down 88the high tree, have exalted 89the low tree, have dried up 90the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.