Ezekiel 17:1-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Two Eagles and the Vine
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 O mortal, propound a riddle and speak an allegory to the house of Israel.(A) 3 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,
rich in plumage of many colors,
came to the Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar,(B)
4 broke off its topmost shoot;
he carried it to a land of trade,
set it in a city of merchants.
5 Then he took a seedling from the land,
placed it in fertile soil;
a plant[a] by abundant waters,
he set it like a willow twig.(C)
6 It sprouted and became a vine
spreading out but low;
its branches turned toward him;
its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine;
it brought forth branches,
put forth foliage.
7 There was another great eagle
with great wings and much plumage.
And see! This vine stretched out
its roots toward him;
it shot out its branches toward him
from the bed where it was planted
so that he might water it.(D)
8 It had been transplanted
to good soil by abundant waters,
so that it might produce branches
and bear fruit
and become a noble vine.
9 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
Will it prosper?
Will he not pull up its roots,
cause its fruit to rot[b] and wither,
its fresh sprouting leaves to fade?
No strong arm or mighty army will be needed
to pull it from its roots.
10 Look, it has been transplanted. Will it thrive?
When the east wind strikes it,
will it not utterly wither,
wither on the bed where it grew?(E)
Luke 13:6-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.(A) 7 So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’(B) 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
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