1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 3 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 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 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 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand. 15 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 ¶ 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 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 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 .
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!”
