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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.

Israel Exalted at Last

22 Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
   from the lofty top of a cedar;
   I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
   from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
   on a high and lofty mountain.
²³ On the mountain height of Israel
   I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
   and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
   in the shade of its branches will nest
   winged creatures of every kind.
²⁴ All the trees of the field shall know
   that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
   I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
   and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
   I will accomplish it.