Ezekiel 17:1

THE MESSAGE

God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The word of the Lord came to me:

Hebrew Names Version
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

King James Version
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

English Standard Version
The word of the Lord came to me:

New American Standard Bible
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

New Century Version
The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

Amplified Bible
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

World English Bible
The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the worde of the Lorde came vnto mee, saying,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying,

Berean Standard Bible
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said:

Complete Jewish Bible
The word of Adonai came to me:

Darby Translation
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said,

George Lamsa Translation
AND the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Good News Translation
The Lord spoke to me.

Lexham English Bible
And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Literal Translation
And the Word of Jehovah was to me, saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The worde of the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge:

American Standard Version
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

Bible in Basic English
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

King James Version (1611)
And the word of the Lord came vnto mee, saying,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The worde of the Lord came vnto me, saying:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

English Revised Version
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

Update Bible Version
And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

New English Translation
The word of the Lord came to me:

New King James Version
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

New Living Translation
Then this message came to me from the Lord :

New Life Bible
The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

New Revised Standard
The word of the Lord came to me:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Revised Standard Version
The word of the LORD came to me:

Young's Literal Translation
And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

Contextual Overview

¹ God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches. ⁷"‘There was another great eagle with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered. This vine sent out its roots toward him from the place where it was planted. Its branches reached out to him so he could water it from a long distance. It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine. ⁹"‘ God , the Master, says, Will it thrive? Won't he just pull it up by the roots and leave the grapes to rot And the branches to shrivel up, a withered, dead vine? It won't take much strength or many hands to pull it up. Even if it's transplanted, will it thrive? When the hot east wind strikes it, won't it shrivel up? Won't it dry up and blow away from the place where it was planted?'" ¹¹ God 's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future. "‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free? "‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape. "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God , have spoken. "‘ God , the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God , made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God , said it—and I did it.'" ¹³The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches. "‘There was another great eagle with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered. This vine sent out its roots toward him from the place where it was planted. Its branches reached out to him so he could water it from a long distance. It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine. "‘ God , the Master, says, Will it thrive? Won't he just pull it up by the roots and leave the grapes to rot And the branches to shrivel up, a withered, dead vine? It won't take much strength or many hands to pull it up. Even if it's transplanted, will it thrive? When the hot east wind strikes it, won't it shrivel up? Won't it dry up and blow away from the place where it was planted?'" God 's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future. "‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free? "‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape. "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God , have spoken. "‘ God , the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God , made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God , said it—and I did it.'" ¹⁴The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches. "‘There was another great eagle with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered. This vine sent out its roots toward him from the place where it was planted. Its branches reached out to him so he could water it from a long distance. It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine. "‘ God , the Master, says, Will it thrive? Won't he just pull it up by the roots and leave the grapes to rot And the branches to shrivel up, a withered, dead vine? It won't take much strength or many hands to pull it up. Even if it's transplanted, will it thrive? When the hot east wind strikes it, won't it shrivel up? Won't it dry up and blow away from the place where it was planted?'" God 's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future. ¹⁵ "‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free? ¹⁶"‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape. ¹⁹"‘Therefore, God , the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God , have spoken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked steadily with God. And then one day he was simply gone: God took him.

Genesis 12:1
God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.

Genesis 12:7
God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.

Genesis 18:1
God appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them.

Genesis 28:3
"And may The Strong God bless you and give you many, many children, a congregation of peoples; and pass on the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants so that you will get this land in which you live, this land God gave Abraham."

Genesis 35:11
God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!— will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.

Numbers 11:23
God answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."

Deuteronomy 18:13
Be completely loyal to God , your God. These nations that you're about to run out of the country consort with sorcerers and witches. But not you. God , your God, forbids it.

1 Kings 3:6
Solomon said, "You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne.

Job 1:1
Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. After the prophet had been sent to charge the Jews with breaking the covenant with God, he is sent to rebuke and threaten them for breaking covenant with men, even with the king of Babylon; by whom they were in part carried into captivity, and another part remained in the land, as will be hereafter seen.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ezekiel, after describing by a figure the circumstances and conditions of the Jews and Zedekiah, the vassal of the Assyrian monarch, warns them of the delusive character of their hopes of help from Egypt, protests against the perfidy which must accompany such alliance, and points out that the restoration of the people of God will be effected by a very different son of David. The close of this chapter is a striking prediction of the kingdom of the Messiah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XVII

This chapter begins with a new allegory or parable, 1-10;

to which an explanation is immediately subjoined, 11-21.

In the remaining verses the prophet, by a beautiful metaphor,

makes an easy and natural transition to the Messiah, and

predicts the security, increasing prosperity, and ultimate

universality of his kingdom, 22-24.

From the beauty of its images, the elegance of its composition,

the perspicuity of its language, the rich variety of its

matter, and the easy transition from one part of the subject to

another, this chapter forms one of the most beautiful and

perfect pieces of its kind that can possibly be conceived in so

small a compass; and then the unexpected change from objects

that presented nothing to the view but gloom and horror, to a

prospect of ineffable glory and beauty, has a most happy

effect. Every lowering cloud is dispelled, and the fields again

smile in the beams of midday. The traveller, who this moment

trembled as he looked around for shelter, now proceeds on his

way rejoicing.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVII