Zedekiah’s Rebellion

11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Say now to the (A)rebellious house, ‘Do you not (B)know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the (C)king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and leaders, and brought them to him in Babylon. 13 Then he took one of the royal [a](D)family and made a covenant with him, [b]putting him under (E)oath. He also took away the (F)mighty of the land, 14 so that the kingdom would (G)be humbled, not exalting itself, but keeping his covenant so that it might continue. 15 But [c]he (H)revolted against [d]him by sending his messengers to Egypt so that they might give him horses and many [e]troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does these things (I)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? 16 As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘In the [f]country of the king who [g]put him on the throne, whose oath he (J)despised and whose covenant he broke, [h](K)in Babylon he shall certainly die. 17 (L)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great contingent will not [i]help him in the war, when they pile up assault ramps and build siege walls to eliminate many lives. 18 Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he [j](M)pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “As I live, My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will certainly [k]inflict on his head. 20 And I will spread My (N)net over him, and he will be (O)caught in My net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and (P)enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. 21 All the [l](Q)choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

22 This is what the Lord God says: “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and [m]set it out; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a (R)high and lofty mountain. 23 On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, so that it may bring forth branches and bear fruit, and become a stately (S)cedar. And [n]birds of every [o]kind will [p]nest under it; they will [q]nest in the shade of its branches. 24 All the (T)trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree (U)flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 17:13 Lit seed
  2. Ezekiel 17:13 Lit and caused him to enter into an oath
  3. Ezekiel 17:15 I.e., Zedekiah
  4. Ezekiel 17:15 I.e., Nebuchadnezzar
  5. Ezekiel 17:15 Lit people
  6. Ezekiel 17:16 Lit place
  7. Ezekiel 17:16 Lit made him king
  8. Ezekiel 17:16 Lit with him in Babylon
  9. Ezekiel 17:17 Lit act with
  10. Ezekiel 17:18 Lit gave his hand
  11. Ezekiel 17:19 Lit give it
  12. Ezekiel 17:21 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT refugees
  13. Ezekiel 17:22 Lit give
  14. Ezekiel 17:23 Lit every bird
  15. Ezekiel 17:23 Lit wing
  16. Ezekiel 17:23 Lit dwell
  17. Ezekiel 17:23 Lit dwell

The Meaning of the Parable

11 This message came to me from the Lord: 12 “Tell my[a] rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean? Look! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, captured her king and princes, and took them with him to Babylon. 13 Then he took one of the royal descendants, made a covenant with him, and put him under an oath of loyalty, taking the leaders of the land captive 14 in order to humiliate the kingdom so it wouldn’t be able to return to power, but would still be able to continue as long as he keeps his covenant. 15 But he rebelled against the king of Babylon[b] by sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Or will the one who did this escape? Will he break the covenant, but still be delivered?’”

God will Punish the King

16 “As long as I live,” declares the Lord God, “in Babylon, that place where the king has enthroned him, whose oath he despised so as to break his covenant, he’ll die with him. 17 Pharaoh, with his massive army and large battalions won’t protect him when mounds and siege walls are built to destroy many people.[c] 18 He despised the oath he had made and broke the covenant. Look! Because he willingly submitted,[d] yet he has done all these things, he won’t escape.

19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says, “As long as I live, because he despised my oath and broke my covenant, he’s going to suffer the consequences.[e] 20 I’ll spread my net over him so that he’ll be caught in my snare. I’ll bring him to Babylon and carry out my sentence there because of his treachery toward me. 21 The fugitives of his troops will die by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the four[f] winds. Then you’ll know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Transplanted Vine

22 This is what the Lord God says, “I’m also going to take a shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it. I’ll pluck off its delicate twigs and transplant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 I’ll transplant it on Israel’s land, and it will grow branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. All sorts[g] of birds will rest under it, and they’ll settle down in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the fields will know that I, the Lord, bring down the lofty tree and exalt the lowly tree. I dry up the green[h] tree and cause the dry tree to bud. I the Lord have spoken this, and I will fulfill it.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 17:12 Lit. the
  2. Ezekiel 17:15 Lit. against him
  3. Ezekiel 17:17 Lit. souls
  4. Ezekiel 17:18 Lit. He has given his hand
  5. Ezekiel 17:19 Lit. covenant, I’ll bring it upon his head
  6. Ezekiel 17:21 Lit. to all the
  7. Ezekiel 17:23 Lit. wing
  8. Ezekiel 17:24 Or fresh