The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites a parable 3 to let them know what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree, 4 which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field, where there was always water to make it grow. 6 The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.
7 “There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing. 8 But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine.
9 “So I, the Sovereign Lord, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won't the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up. 10 Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won't it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won't it wither there where it is growing?”
The Parable Is Explained
11 The Lord said to me, 12 “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia. 13 He took one of the king's family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages 14 to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept. 15 But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!
16 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne. 17 Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people. 18 He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape.”
19 The Sovereign Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep. 20 I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me. 21 His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
God's Promise of Hope
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“I will take the top of a tall cedar
and break off a tender sprout;
I will plant it on a high mountain,
23 on Israel's highest mountain.
It will grow branches and bear seed
and become a magnificent cedar.
Birds of every kind will live there
and find shelter in its shade.
24 All the trees in the land will know
that I am the Lord.
I cut down the tall trees
and make small trees grow tall.
I wither up the green trees
and make the dry trees become green.
I, the Lord, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do.”
Līdzība par diviem ērgļiem un vīnakoku
1 Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 2 “Cilvēka dēls, uzdod Israēla namam atminēt mīklu. Stāsti tiem līdzību. 3 Saki: tā saka Kungs Dievs:
liels ērglis
lieliem spārniem,
varenām vēzdām,
kuplām spalvām,
daudzkrāsainām –
tas nāk uz Lebanonu,
tas ciedram galotni paņem,
4 nolauž augšējos zarus
un aiznes uz tirgoņu zemi,
mijēju pilsētā dēsta.
5 Viņš ņem no tās zemes sēklas
un stāda auglīgā laukā pie lieliem ūdeņiem,
kā vītolu viņš to iedēsta,
6 tas izaug un kļūst par vīnakoku, zemu lapotni,
zariem tas tiecas ērglim pretī
un saknes laiž zemē.
Tas kļuva par vīnakoku,
tam izauga zari, kuploja stīgas.
7 Bet tur bija vēl viens liels ērglis
lieliem spārniem,
kuplām spalvām,
un redzi –
šis vīnakoks,
saknēm alkstot, tiecas pie tā,
zarus stiepj tam pretī,
lai gādā tam ūdeni
no saviem dēstu strautiem.
8 Bet tas jau bija dēstīts
auglīgā laukā pie vareniem ūdeņiem,
lai tā zari kuplotu
un tas nestu augļus –
lai būtu izcils vīnakoks!
9 Saki: tā saka Kungs Dievs:
vai tas zels?
Vai tā saknes neizraus
un tā augļus nenošķīs,
ka visas svaigās lapas
kalstu un vīstu?
Tad nevajadzēs ne stipru roku,
ne pulka ļaužu –
to izcels ar visām saknēm!
10 Redzi, to pārstādīja, bet vai tas zels?
Vai, austrumvēja skarts,
tas kaltin nenokaltīs?
Pie dēstu ūdens strautiem tas nokaltīs!”
11 Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 12 “Saki jel dumpinieku saimei: vai jūs to nezināt? – Redzi, Bābeles ķēniņš ir nācis uz Jeruzālemi, ņēmis tās ķēniņu un augstmaņus un aizvedis uz Bābeli. 13 Viņš ir arī ņēmis vienu no ķēniņa dzimtas un slēdzis ar to derību, likdams tam zvērēt. Viņš ir aizvedis zemes pārvaldniekus, 14 lai valsts būtu pazemīga un nepaaugstinātos, un turētu derību, lai tā pastāvētu. 15 Bet tas sacēlās pret viņu un sūtīja vēstnešus uz Ēģipti, lai tam dod zirgus un karapulku. Vai tad te kas zels? Vai, tā darīdams, viņš izglābsies? Viņš lauzīs derību – bet vai izglābsies?!
16 Kā es esmu dzīvs, saka Kungs Dievs, Bābelē viņš mirs! Tā ķēniņa pilsētā, kurš viņu iecēla par valdnieku un kura zvērestu viņš nicināja un lauza derību! 17 Un faraons viņam karā nelīdzēs ne ar lielu karaspēku, ne ar milzīgiem pulkiem, kad valnis būs uzmests un uzcelti nocietinājumi, lai daudziem atņemtu dzīvību, 18 jo viņš nicināja zvērestu un lauza derību. Redzi, viņš bija devis roku, taču darījis visu šo, tādēļ viņš neizglābsies.
19 Tādēļ, kā es esmu dzīvs, saka Kungs Dievs, es vērsīšu pret viņu savu zvērestu, ko viņš nicināja, un savu derību, ko viņš lauza. 20 Es pret viņu izpletīšu tīklu, un viņu saķers manos valgos. Es viņu aizvedīšu uz Bābeli, un tur es tiesāšos viņa neuzticības dēļ, jo viņš man neuzticējās! 21 Visi, kas paglābušies, viss viņa pulks kritīs no zobena, bet atlikušos izkaisīs pa visiem vējiem, tad jūs zināsiet, ka es, Kungs, esmu runājis!
Israēls tiks paaugstināts
(Sal. Ech 31:1–9)22 Tā saka Kungs Dievs: es ņemšu no pašas ciedra galotnes un iedēstīšu; no augšējiem jaunajiem dzinumiem es plūkšu un pārstādīšu visaugstajā un dižajā kalnā! 23 Es stādīšu visaugstākajā Israēla kalnā, lai sakuplo zari un nes augļus. Lai tas kļūst par varenu ciedru, ka zem tā var dzīvot, – lai viņa zaru pavēnī dzīvo visādi putni un spārnaiņi! 24 Tad visi lauka koki zinās, ka es, Kungs, esmu pazemojis augstāko koku, bet zemo koku esmu paaugstinājis, ka es zaļo koku esmu nokaltējis, bet nokaltušo esmu darījis zaļoksnu! Es, Kungs, esmu runājis, un es to esmu darījis!”
