EZEKIEL 17

[당찬 엄마]

Two Eagles and a Vine

   1 The word of the LORD came to me:   2 "Son of

man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the

Israelites as a parable.   3 Say to them, 'This is

what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with

powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of

varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of

the top of a cedar,   4 he broke off its topmost

shoot and carried it in a city of traders.

   5 " 'He took one of the seedlings of the land

and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow

by abundant water,   6 and it sprouted and

became a low, spreading vine. Its branches

turned toward him, but its roots remained under

it. So it became a vine and produced branches

and put out leafy boughs.

   7 " 'But there was another great eagle with

powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now

sent out its roots toward him from the plot where

it was planted and stretched out its branches to

him for water.   8 It had been planted in good soil

by abundant water so that it would produce

branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.'

   9 "Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and

stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new

growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or

many people to pull it up by the roots.   10 It has

been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither

completely when the east wind strikes it--wither

away in the plot where it grew?' "

   11 Then the word of the LORD came to me:

  12 "Say to this rebellious people, 'Do you not

know what these things mean?' Say to them:

'The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and

carried off her king and her nobles, bringing

them back with him to Babylon.   13 Then he took

a member of the royal family and made a treaty

with him, putting him under oath. He also carried

away the leading men of the land,   14 so that the

kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise

again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.   15 But

the king rebelled against him by sending his

envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army.

Will he succeed? Will he who does such things

escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?

   16 " 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign

LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the

king who put him on the throne, whose oath he

despised and whose treaty he broke.   17 Pharaoh

with his mighty army and great horde will be of

no help to him in war, when ramps are built and

siege works erected to destroy many lives.   18 He

despised the oath by breaking the covenant.

Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet

did all these things, he shall not escape.

   19 " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD
says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for

despising my oath and breaking my covenant.   20 I

will spread my net for him, and he will be caught

in my snare. I will bring him to Babbylon and

execute judgment on him there because he was

unfaithful to me.   21 All his choice troops will fall

by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered

to the winds. Then you will know that the LORD

have spoken.

   22 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I

myself will take a shoot from the very top of a

cedar and plant it; I wll break off a tender sprig

from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high

and lofty mountain.   23 On the mountain heights

of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches

and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.

Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find

shelter in the shade of its branches.   24 All the

trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring

down the tall tree and make the low tree grow

tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree

flourish.

   " 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "