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Chapter 17
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1
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And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, |
2
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Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable
unto the house of Israel; |
3
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And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with
great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had
divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest
branch of the cedar: |
4
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He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried
it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. |
5
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He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it
in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and
set it as a willow tree. |
6
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And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature,
whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof
were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth
branches, and shot forth sprigs. |
7
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There was also another great eagle with great wings
and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her
roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward
him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. |
8
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It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that
it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear
fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. |
9
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Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper?
shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the
fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all
the leaves of her spring, even without great power or
many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. |
10
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Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall
it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it?
it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. |
11
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Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, |
12
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Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these
things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is
come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and
the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon; |
13
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And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant
with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also
taken the mighty of the land: |
14
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That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift
itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might
stand. |
15
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But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors
into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much
people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth
such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? |
16
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As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place
where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath
he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him
in the midst of Babylon he shall die. |
17
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Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great
company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts,
and building forts, to cut off many persons: |
18
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Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant,
when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these
things, he shall not escape. |
19
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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely
mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that
he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own
head. |
20
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And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be
taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and
will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath
trespassed against me. |
21
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And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall
by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered
toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have
spoken it. |
22
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Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest
branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop
off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and
will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: |
23
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In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant
it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit,
and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl
of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof
shall they dwell. |
24
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And all the trees of the field shall know that I the
LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the
low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made
the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and
have done it. |
