鷹和葡萄樹的比喻
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要向以色列人出謎語，講比喻， 3告訴他們，主耶和華說，『有一隻大鷹翅膀寬大，羽毛豐滿，色彩繽紛。這隻鷹飛到黎巴嫩的香柏樹上，折去樹梢， 4叼到一個商賈雲集的城市，栽在那裡。 5牠又把以色列的樹苗像柳樹一樣栽在水源豐沛的沃土裡。 6樹苗很快發了芽，成了向四面蔓延的矮小葡萄樹，根深葉茂，枝子向著鷹伸展開去。
7「『又有一隻大鷹飛來，翅膀寬大，羽毛豐滿。這葡萄樹把根和枝子轉向這隻鷹，渴望得到牠的澆灌。 8但這樹已栽在水源豐沛的沃土裡，可以長得枝繁葉茂，成為結實纍纍的好葡萄樹。』
9「你要告訴他們，主耶和華這樣說，『這樹能長得枝繁葉茂嗎？難道那鷹不把它連根拔起，摘掉它的果子，使樹和嫩葉全部枯萎嗎？不必費多大力氣，也不需要多少人就可以把它連根拔起。 10這樹雖然被栽種了，又豈能長得茂盛呢？東風一吹，它豈不完全枯萎在園圃中了嗎？』」
11耶和華對我說： 12「你要對這些悖逆的人說，『你們不明白這比喻的意思嗎？』要告訴他們，巴比倫王攻取了耶路撒冷，把其中的君王和大臣擄到巴比倫， 13並從猶大王室中選出一人與他立約，要他效忠。巴比倫王擄去猶大國的重臣， 14使猶大國臣服於他，無法圖強，只能遵守盟約，以求生存。 15後來，猶大王背叛了巴比倫王，派使者到埃及請求支援軍隊馬匹。他能成功嗎？他這樣做怎能逃脫懲罰呢？他這樣背約怎能逃脫懲罰呢？
16「我憑我的永恆起誓，巴比倫王立他做王，他卻棄約背誓，他必死在巴比倫。 17敵人築起圍攻的土壘和高臺大肆殺戮的時候，法老雖然兵強馬壯，人多勢眾，仍無法幫他抗敵。 18他起誓降服，卻棄約背誓，所以絕不能逃避後果。 19因此，主耶和華說，『我憑我的永恆起誓，他既藐視與我所立的誓言，背棄與我所定的約，我必懲罰他。 20我要撒開網羅抓住他，把他帶到巴比倫，審判他對我不忠的罪。 21他所有的精兵都要喪身刀下，餘下的也要四散逃竄。這樣，你們就知道這是我耶和華說的。
22「主耶和華說，『我要從高大的香柏樹梢折下一根嫩枝，種植在以色列巍峨的高山上。 23它會生枝結果，成為一棵美麗的香柏樹，各類飛鳥都要棲息在它的樹枝上。 24田野所有的樹都會知道我耶和華使高樹倒下、矮樹長高、青樹枯萎、枯樹發榮。我耶和華言出必行。』」
Two eagles and a vine
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable. 3Say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: a great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colours came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, 4he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted 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, 6and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned towards 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 towards him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. 8It 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. 10It 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?” ’
11Then 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. 13Then 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, 14so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. 15But 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. 17Pharaoh 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. 18He 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. 20I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me. 21All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I 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 will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23On 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. 24All 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.” ’
