1 耶和华的话临到我说:
2 "人子啊! 你要向以色列家出谜语, 设比喻,
3 说: ‘主耶和华这样说: 有一只大鹰, 翅膀大, 翎毛长, 羽毛丰富, 彩色缤纷, 来到黎巴嫩, 把香柏树的树梢取去;
4 它啄断树顶的嫩枝, 把它带到贸易之地, 栽种在商人的城里。
5 它又把以色列地的种子取去, 栽种在肥沃的地土、水流的旁边, 好像栽种柳树一样;
6 它生长起来, 成了一棵矮小而蔓延的葡萄树; 树上的枝子向着那鹰, 树根在它以下。这样, 它就成了一棵葡萄树, 生出枝子, 长出嫩芽。
7 "‘另有一只大鹰, 翅膀大, 羽毛多; 这葡萄树从它栽种的苗床上, 把树根向这鹰弯过去, 又向这鹰长出枝子, 好得它的浇灌。
8 其实, 这树早已栽种在肥沃的地土、水流的旁边, 可以长枝子、结果子, 成为佳美的葡萄树。’
9 你要说: ‘主耶和华这样说: 这葡萄树怎能茂盛呢?鹰不是要拔出它的根来, 啄光它的果子, 使它和它长出的一切嫩叶都枯干吗?其实, 要把它连根拔起, 并不需要很多人或很大的气力。
10 看哪! 葡萄树被栽种了, 但它能发旺吗?东风吹袭它的时候, 它不是必然枯干吗?它必在生长的苗床上枯干。’"
11 耶和华的话临到我说:
12 "你要对那叛逆的民族说: ‘你们不知道这些事是什么意思吗?’你要告诉他们: ‘看哪! 巴比伦王曾到耶路撒冷来, 把其中的王和众领袖掳去, 带他们到巴比伦那里去。
13 他从以色列王室后裔中选出一人, 与他立约, 叫他起誓, 并且把国中那些有势力的人掳去,
14 使国衰微, 不能再兴盛, 唯有谨守条约他才可以继续存在。
15 可是这人背叛了巴比伦王, 差遣使者到埃及去, 要得战马和大军。他能亨通吗?行这样事的人, 怎能逃脱呢?他破坏条约, 怎能逃脱呢?
16 我指着我的永生起誓: 他藐视了自己所起的誓, 背弃了与王所立的约, 因此他必死在巴比伦, 就是巴比伦王立他作王的地方。这是耶和华的宣告。
17 敌人建造围城的高墙, 筑起攻城土垒要剪除多人的时候, 法老率领大军和大队人马, 还是不能帮助他作战。
18 他藐视誓言, 背弃条约; 他已宣誓效忠, 却又行了这一切事, 所以他必不能逃脱。
19 因此主耶和华这样说: 我指着我的永生起誓: 他既然藐视我的誓言, 背弃我的约, 我必使这罪归到他的头上。
20 我要把我的网撒在他身上, 他必在我的网罗中被捕获; 我要把他带到巴比伦去, 并且要在那里因他对我不忠的罪审判他。
21 他军中所有的精兵, 都必倒在刀下; 剩下的也必分散到四方; 你们就知道说这话的是我耶和华。
22 "‘主耶和华这样说: 我要从高大香柏树的树梢上取去一根树枝, 把它栽上; 我要从树顶的嫩枝中折下一根枝子, 把它栽种在高耸的山上;
23 我要把它栽种在以色列的高山上, 它要长出枝子, 结出果子, 成为佳美的香柏树; 各种各类的飞鸟都必在树下栖宿, 就是栖宿在枝子的荫下。
24 田野所有的树木都必知道我耶和华使高大的树矮小, 矮小的树高大; 使青绿的树枯干, 枯干的树茂盛。我耶和华怎样说了, 就必怎样行。’"
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 3 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: 4 he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it unto a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. 5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow-tree. 6 And 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.
7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it. 8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots thereof. 10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.
11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land; 14 that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15 But 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? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? 16 As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, 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. 17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. 18 For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head. 20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 21 And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain: 23 in 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 birds of every wing; in the shade of the branches thereof shall they dwell. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, 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, Jehovah, have spoken and have done it.