CHAPTER 17

1 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, put forth an enigma and utter a proverb to the house of Israel;

3 And say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, A mighty eagle, with great wings, long feathers, and full of plumage, Of various colors, came to Mount Lebanon, And took the highest branch of a cedar;

4 He cropped off the top of its young twigs, And carried it into the land of the merchant; He planted it in a city of merchants.

5 He took also of the seed of the land, And put it in a fruitful field; He planted it near many waters, like a willow. ³³⁹³³⁹     Newcome adopts the rendering of the Septuagint and Cocceius, “with much care,” curatio, observatio, but quotes Dathe and Golius, page 1362, for the Arabic, in the same sense as Calvin, “a willow.”

6 Then it grew and became a luxuriant vine, low of stature, So that its branches turned towards the eagle, And its roots were under him; and it became a vine, And brought forth branches, and sent out boughs.

7 There was also another large eagle, ³⁴⁰³⁴⁰     See vol. 2, p. 192, note. of great wings and of copious plumage, And lo! this vine bent its roots towards him, And sent forth its branches towards him, That he might water it from the beds of his plantation.

8 In a good soil near many streams was it planted, That it should produce leaves and bring forth fruit, So as to be a magnificent vine.

9 Say you, Thus says the, Lord Jehovah, Shall it prosper? Shall not one pluck up its roots and cut down its fruits, And dry up all its branches, that it may wither? Then it shall not be for a great arm or much people To take it ³⁴¹³⁴¹     See vol. 2, p. 193, note. away from its roots.

10 Yet, behold, when planed, shall it prosper? Shall it not completely wither when the east wind has touched it.? Upon the beds of its plantation shall it wither.

11 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

12 Say, I pray thee, to the rebellious house, Know you not what this means? Say, Lo! the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, And has taken away its king and its elders, and carried them with him to Babylon;

13 Then he took from the royal seed, and struck an agreement with him, And made him descend to an oath; Then he took also the mighty of the land;

14 That the kingdom should be low, and not raise itself up, And keep its agreement and stand in it.

15 But he rebelled against him, by sending his ambassadors To Egypt, that horses and much people might be given him: Shall he who doeth these things prosper and escape? Shall he who breaks the treaty get off?

16 As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, if he shall not die In the place of the king who made him reign, Whose oath he has despised, and whose treaty he has made vain, In the midst of Babylon.

17 Neither with a mighty army nor a great host Shall Pharaoh meet with him in battle, By throwing up a mound and by building a tower, to cut off many souls.

18 Through breaking the covenant he has despised his oath, And, behold, he has stretched forth his hand, And has done all this, and shall not escape.

19 Besides, thus says the Lord Jehovah, As I live, If I do not recompense on his own head My oath which he has despised, and my covenant which he has broken,

20 Then I will stretch my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare; And I will lead him to Babylon, and will plead with him there, Concerning the transgression which he has transgressed against me.

21 And all his fugitives,. with all his forces, shall fall by the sword; And the remnant shall be scattered to every wind; And you shall know that I Jehovah have spoken.

22 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, I will take from the top of the lofty cedar, And I will tear off a tender branch from its twigs and will set it: And I will plant it on a lofty and elevated mountain;

23 On a lofty mountain of Israel will I plant it; And it shall bring forth a bough and bear fruit, and shall be a tall cedar; ³⁴²³⁴²     See vol. 2, p. 208, note. Then every bird shall dwell under it; Every winged thing shall shelter itself under the shadow of its branches.

24 Then all the trees of the field shall know that I am Jehovah, Who humble the high tree and raise aloft the low tree; I dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree fruitful I Jehovah have spoken and have done it.