Ezekiel

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1The LORD's message came to me. He said:

2Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

2"Son of man, tell a riddle. Speak a story with a hidden meaning to the people of Israel.

3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

3Tell them this is what the Lord GOD says: A great eagle came to Lebanon. It had wide wings, long feathers, and feathers of many colors. It took the top of a cedar tree.

4He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

4He broke off the highest young shoot and carried it to a land of traders. He planted it in a city of merchants.

NoteThe KJV says "a land of traffick." In 1611 "traffick" meant trade, not cars on a road. It means a land of merchants and buying and selling.

5He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

5He also took a seed from that land and planted it in rich soil. He set it beside plenty of water, like a willow.

6And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

6It grew into a spreading vine that stayed low to the ground. Its branches turned toward the eagle, and its roots stayed where they were. So it became a vine with branches and new shoots.

7There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

7But there was another great eagle with wide wings and many feathers. This vine bent its roots toward him. It stretched its branches toward him from its garden bed, hoping he would water it.

8It was planted 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.

8It had already been planted in good soil beside plenty of water. It could have grown branches, made fruit, and become a fine vine.

9Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

9Tell them this is what the Lord GOD says: Will it do well? Won't its roots be torn up and its fruit stripped off, so it shrivels? All its new leaves will dry up. It will not take a strong arm or a big crowd to pull it out.

10Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

10Even if it is planted again, will it do well? When the hot east wind hits it, it will dry up completely. It will wither in the bed where it sprouted."

11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

11Then the LORD's message came to me again:

12Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

12"Say to this rebellious people: Don't you know what these things mean? Tell them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. He carried off its king and its officials and took them back with him to Babylon.

13And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

13He took a man from the royal family, made an agreement with him, and made him swear an oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land.

14That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

14He did this so the kingdom would stay low and weak and could not rise up. It would survive only by keeping that agreement.

15But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

15But that king rebelled against Babylon. He sent messengers to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he do well? Can a man who does such things get away? Can he break an agreement and still go free?

16As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

16As surely as I live, says the Lord GOD, he will die in Babylon. He will die in the land of the king who put him on the throne, the king whose oath he scorned and whose agreement he broke.

17Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

17Pharaoh with his mighty army and huge crowd of soldiers will not help him in the war. Dirt ramps will be piled up and siege walls built, and many people will be killed.

18Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

18He scorned the oath by breaking the agreement. He had shaken hands on his promise, yet he did all these things. He will not escape.

Note"He had given his hand" was the old way of saying he shook hands to seal a promise, the way people sign a contract today.

19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

19So this is what the Lord GOD says: As surely as I live, it was my oath he scorned and my agreement he broke. I will bring it back on his own head.

20And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

20I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon and put him on trial there for turning against me.

NoteThe KJV says God will "plead with him" in Babylon. Here "plead" does not mean beg. It means to bring a legal case against him, like a trial.

21And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

21All his best soldiers will die by the sword, and any who survive will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.

22Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:

22This is what the Lord GOD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of the tall cedar, and I will plant it. I will break off a tender sprig from its highest branches and plant it on a high mountain.

23In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

23I will plant it on the high mountains of Israel. It will grow branches, make fruit, and become a fine cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it and rest in the shade of its branches.

24And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

24Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree bloom. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it."