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The Two Eagles and the Vine

17The word of the Lord came to me: ²O mortal, propound a riddle, and speak an allegory to the house of Israel. ³Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle, with great wings and long pinions,
   rich in plumage of many colours,
   came to the Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar,
⁴   broke off its topmost shoot;
he carried it to a land of trade,
   set it in a city of merchants.
⁵ Then he took a seed from the land,
   placed it in fertile soil;
a plant^* by abundant waters,
   he set it like a willow twig.
⁶ It sprouted and became a vine,
   spreading out, but low;
its branches turned towards him,
   its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine;
   it brought forth branches,
   put forth foliage.

⁷ There was another great eagle,
   with great wings and much plumage.
And see! This vine stretched out
   its roots towards him;
it shot out its branches towards him,
   so that he might water it.
From the bed where it was planted
⁸   it was transplanted
to good soil by abundant waters,
   so that it might produce branches
   and bear fruit
   and become a noble vine.
⁹Say: Thus says the Lord God:
Will it prosper?
Will he not pull up its roots,
   cause its fruit to rot^* and wither,
   its fresh sprouting leaves to fade?
No strong arm or mighty army will be needed
   to pull it from its roots.
¹⁰ When it is transplanted, will it thrive?
When the east wind strikes it,
   will it not utterly wither,
   wither on the bed where it grew?

11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹²Say 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 back with him to Babylon. ¹³He took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (he had taken away the chief men of the land), ¹⁴so that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and that by keeping his covenant it might stand.