Ezekiel's Riddle of the Eagles and the Vine

The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel with a riddle and a parable for the house of Israel. The prophet was commanded to speak of a great eagle with great wings, long pinions, and feathers of many colors. This eagle came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar, cropping off the topmost of its young twigs and carrying it to a land of traffic, a city of merchants.

The same eagle also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful soil beside many waters. It set the seed as a willow tree, and the seed grew into a spreading vine of low stature. Its branches turned toward the eagle, and its roots remained under it. The vine brought forth branches and shot forth sprigs, appearing to thrive under the eagle's shadow.

But then another great eagle appeared, also with great wings and many feathers. The vine bent its roots toward this second eagle and shot forth its branches toward him, as if seeking water from the beds of its own plantation. This was a betrayal of the first eagle, for the vine had been planted in good soil by many waters, with every reason to bear fruit and become a goodly vine.

The Lord asked through Ezekiel: Shall it prosper? Shall not the first eagle pull up the roots, cut off the fruit, and cause all its fresh springing leaves to wither? No strong arm or much people could raise it from its roots once the judgment came. The vine would utterly wither when the east wind touched it, withering in the very beds where it grew.

The Lord then explained the riddle plainly to the rebellious house. The first eagle was the king of Babylon, who came to Jerusalem and took its king and its princes, bringing them to Babylon. He took of the seed royal—Zedekiah—and made a covenant with him, bringing him under an oath. He also took away the mighty of the land so that the kingdom might be base, unable to lift itself up, and might stand only by keeping the covenant.

But Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. He sent ambassadors into Egypt to request horses and much people, breaking the covenant he had sworn. The Lord asked: Shall he prosper? Shall he escape who does such things? Shall he break the covenant and yet escape?

The Lord swore by his own life that Zedekiah would die in Babylon, in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. Neither Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company would help him in the war, when the Babylonians cast up mounds and built forts to cut off many persons.

Because Zedekiah despised the oath by breaking the covenant—having given his hand in pledge and then done all these things—he would not escape. The Lord declared that he would bring the despised oath and broken covenant upon Zedekiah's own head. He would spread his net upon him, take him in his snare, bring him to Babylon, and enter into judgment with him there for his trespass against the Lord.

All of Zedekiah's fugitives in all his bands would fall by the sword, and those who remained would be scattered toward every wind. Then they would know that the Lord had spoken it.

Yet the riddle did not end in judgment alone. The Lord himself declared that he would take of the lofty top of the cedar and set it. He would crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one and plant it upon a high and lofty mountain—in the mountain of the height of Israel. There it would bring forth boughs, bear fruit, and become a goodly cedar. Under it all birds of every wing would dwell, finding shade in its branches.

Then all the trees of the field would know that the Lord had brought down the high tree, exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree to flourish. The Lord had spoken and had done it.