³ Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle^(A) with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon.^(B) Taking hold of the top of a cedar,

Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

⁴⁰ This is what the Lord says:

⁷ “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.^(A)

²⁸ Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.^(A)

⁴ “The first was like a lion,^(A) and it had the wings of an eagle.^(B) I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

³⁸ in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.^(A) You are that head of gold.

¹² “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?^(A)’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles,^(B) bringing them back with him to Babylon.^{(C) 13} Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty^(D) with him, putting him under oath.^(E) He also carried away the leading men^(F) of the land, ¹⁴ so that the kingdom would be brought low,^(G) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But the king rebelled^(H) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt^(I) to get horses and a large army.^(J) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?^(K)

¹⁶ “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die^(L) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.^{(M) 17} Pharaoh^(N) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps^(O) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.^{(P) 18} He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge^(Q) 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.^{(R) 20} I will spread my net^(S) for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment^(T) on him there because he was unfaithful^(U) to me. ²¹ All his choice troops will fall by the sword,^(V) and the survivors^(W) will be scattered to the winds.^(X) Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.^(Y)