Ezekiel 17

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 'Son of man, put a riddle, propound a parable to the House of Israel.	2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
3 Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: A great eagle with great wings, long-pinioned, rich with many-coloured plumage, came to the Lebanon.	3 And say: Thus saith the Lord God: A large eagle with great wings, long-limbed, full of feathers, and of variety, came to Libanus, and took away the marrow of the cedar.
4 He took the top of the cedar tree, he plucked off the top branch, he carried it off to the country ofmerchants and set it down in a city of shopkeepers.	4 He cropped off the top of the twigs thereof: and carried it away into the land of Chanaan, and he set it in a city of merchants.
5 Next, he took one of the country's seeds and put it in a fertile field; by the side of a generous stream,like a wil ow tree, he placed it.	5 And he took of the seed of the land, and put it in the ground for seed, that it might take a firm root over many waters: he planted it on the surface of the earth.
6 It grew and became a fruitful vine of modest size, grew up towards the eagle, its roots grewdownwards. So it became a vine, branching out and sprouting new shoots.	6 And it sprung up and grew into a spreading vine of low stature, and the branches thereof looked towards him: and the roots thereof were under him. So it became a vine, and grew into branches, and shot forth sprigs.
7 But there was another great eagle with great wings and thick plumage. And now the vine twisted itsroots towards him and stretched its branches towards him, for him to water it away from the bed where it wasplanted.	7 And there was another large eagle, with great wings, and many feathers: and behold this vine, bending as it were her roots towards him, stretched forth her branches to him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
8 It was in a fertile field, by the side of a wide stream that the vine had been planted, to branch out andbear fruit and become a noble vine."	8 It was planted in a good ground upon many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and bear fruit, that it might become a large vine.
9 Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it succeed? Wil the eagle not tear out its roots and strip off itsfruit, so that al the new leaves it puts out wil wither, and no great strength is needed nor many people to pul itup by the roots?	9 Say thou: Thus saith the Lord God: Shall it prosper then? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and strip off its fruit, and dry up all the branches it hath shot forth, and make it wither: and this without a strong arm, or many people, to pluck it up by the root?
10 Planted it may be -- wil it succeed? Wil it not shrivel up when the east wind blows? It wil wither inthe bed where it was growing!" '	10 Behold, it is planted: shall it prosper then? shall it not be dried up when the burning wind shall touch it, and shall it not wither in the furrows where it grew?
11 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows:	11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
12 'Say to that tribe of rebels, "Do you not know what this means?" Say this, 'Look, the king of Babyloncame to Jerusalem; he carried away the king and the princes, and took them to his home in Babylon.	12 Say to the provoking house: Know you not what these things mean? Tell them: Behold the king of Babylon cometh to Jerusalem: and he shall take away the king and the princes thereof, and carry them with him to Babylon.
13 He took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, forcing him to swear loyalty, havingalready deported the leading men of the country,	13 And he shall take one of the king's seed, and make a covenant with him, and take an oath of him. Yea, and he shall take away the mighty men of the land,
14 so that the kingdom would remain modest and without ambitions, and would keep and honour histreaty.	14 That it may be a low kingdom and not lift itself up, but keep his covenant, and observe it.
15 But the prince rebelled against him and sent envoys to Egypt to procure himself horses and a largenumber of troops. Wil he succeed? Wil a man who has done this go unpunished? Can he break a treaty and gounpunished?	15 But he hath revolted from him and sent ambassadors to Egypt, that it might give him horses, and much people. And shall he that hath done thus prosper, or be saved? and shall he escape that hath broken the covenant?
16 As I live, I swear it -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- in Babylon, in the country of the king who put himon the throne, whose oath he has disregarded and whose treaty he has broken, there he will die.	16 As I live, saith the Lord God: In the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he hath made void, and whose covenant he broke, even in the midst of Babylon shall he die.
17 Despite the pharaoh's great army and hordes of men, he wil not be able to save him by fighting,however many earthworks are raised, however many trenches dug to the loss of many lives.	17 And not with a great army, nor with much people shall Pharao fight against him: when he shall cast up mounts, and build forts, to cut off many souls.
18 He has disregarded the oath by breaking the treaty to which he had pledged himself and, havingdone al this, wil not go unpunished.	18 For he had despised the oath, breaking his covenant, and behold he hath given his hand: and having done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 "So, the Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, I swear it: my oath which he has disregarded, my treatywhich he has broken, I shall make them both recoil on his own head.	19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: As I live, I will lay upon his head the oath he hath despised, and the covenant he hath broken.
20 I shal throw my net over him, he wil be caught in my mesh; I shall take him to Babylon and punishhim there for being unfaithful to me.	20 And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my net: and I will bring him into Babylon, and will judge him there for the transgression by which he hath despised me.
21 Al the pick of al his troops wil fal by the sword, and the survivors be scattered to al the winds. Andyou wil know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.	21 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword: and the residue shall be scattered into every wind: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken.
22 "The Lord Yahweh says this: From the top of the tal cedar tree, from the highest branch I shal take ashoot and plant it myself on a high and lofty mountain.	22 Thus saith the Lord God: I myself will take of the marrow of the high cedar, and will set it: I will crop off a tender twig from the top of the branches thereof, and I will plant it on a mountain high and eminent.
23 I shal plant it on the highest mountain in Israel. It wil put out branches and bear fruit and grow into anoble cedar tree. Every kind of bird wil live beneath it, every kind of winged creature will rest in the shade of itsbranches.	23 On the high mountains of Israel will I plant it, and it shall shoot forth into branches, and shall bear fruit, and it shall become a great cedar: and all birds shall dwell under it, and every fowl shall make its nest under the shadow of the branches thereof.
24 And al the trees of the countryside wil know that I, Yahweh, am the one who lays the tal tree lowand raises the low tree high, who makes the green tree wither and makes the withered bear fruit. I, Yahweh,have spoken, and I wil do it." '	24 And all the trees of the country shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree: and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken and have done it.