וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בֶּן־אָדָם חוּד חִידָה וּמְשֹׁל מָשָׁל אֶל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

Son of man, pose an allegory and relate a parable, a vision relayed in meter and poetic form, to the house of Israel.

וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הַנֶּשֶׁר הַגָּדוֹל גְּדוֹל הַכְּנָפַיִם אֶרֶךְ הָאֵבֶר מָלֵא הַנּוֹצָה אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ הָרִקְמָה בָּא אֶל־הַלְּבָנוֹן וַיִּקַּח אֶת־צַמֶּרֶת הָאָרֶז

Say: So said the Lord God: The great eagle, great of wings, long of pinion, abundant of plumage that is multicolored, came to the Lebanon, a mountain renowned for its tall cedars, and took the top of the cedar.

אֵת רֹאשׁ יְנִיקוֹתָיו קָטָף וַיְבִיאֵהוּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן בְּעִיר רֹכְלִים שָׂמוֹ

It cropped the highest of its young twigs, with the soft shoots, and brought it to the land of merchants; it placed it in a city of peddlers. The eagle took the highest branch from its natural place and location and brought it to a commercial city.

וַיִּקַּח מִזֶּרַע הָאָרֶץ וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ בִּשְׂדֵה־זָרַע קָח עַל מַיִם רַבִּים צַפְצָפָה שָׂמוֹ

It, the eagle, took from the seed of the land and placed it in a fertile field, a plot of land designated for sowing; it took it to alongside many waters; placed it as a poplar, a tree that grows quickly in well-irrigated areas. After breaking the branch from the top of the cedar tree, the eagle planted it in a suitably fertile location.

וַיִּצְמַח וַיְהִי לְגֶפֶן סֹרַחַת שִׁפְלַת קוֹמָה לִפְנוֹת דָּלִיּוֹתָיו אֵלָיו וְשָׁרָשָׁיו תַּחְתָּיו יִהְיוּ וַתְּהִי לְגֶפֶן וַתַּעַשׂ בַּדִּים וַתְּשַׁלַּח פֹּראוֹת

It, the seed, grew, and it became a creeping vine, low of stature. The vine’s purpose was to turn its tendrils, long branches, toward it, the eagle, to recognize it as its master to whom it would turn for all its needs. Alternatively, the vine’s branches were pointed toward its center, so that it would not spread sideways or rise. And its roots will be and stay beneath it, unlike the tendrils, which spread. It became a full-fledged vine, and produced branches and sprouted sprigs [porot]. Porot may also be branches that are generally considered to be long and beautiful. The vine grew and thickened, and although it was sprawled along the ground with its branches entwined over itself, the vine was still capable of rising and spreading.

וַיְהִי נֶשֶׁר־אֶחָד גָּדוֹל גְּדוֹל כְּנָפַיִם וְרַב נוֹצָה וְהִנֵּה הַגֶּפֶן הַזֹּאת כָּפְנָה שָׁרָשֶׁיהָ עָלָיו וְדָלִיּוֹתָיו שִׁלְחָה־לּוֹ לְהַשְׁקוֹת אוֹתָהּ מֵעֲרֻגוֹת מַטָּעָהּ

There was one other great eagle, great of wings and abundant of plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward it, this other eagle, and the vine sprouted its tendrils toward it, in order to strike roots for this other eagle, to water it from the furrows of its orchard. The vine sought to find a new patron, but not because it lacked anything.

אֶל־שָׂדֶה טּוֹב אֶל־מַיִם רַבִּים הִיא שְׁתוּלָה לַעֲשׂוֹת עָנָף וְלָשֵׂאת פֶּרִי לִהְיוֹת לְגֶפֶן אַדָּרֶת

In a good field with abundant water it was planted, to produce branches and to bear fruit, and to be a stately vine.

אֱמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים תִּצְלָח הֲלוֹא אֶת־שָׁרָשֶׁיהָ יְנַתֵּק וְאֶת־פִּרְיָהּ יְקוֹסֵס וְיָבֵשׁ כָּל־טַרְפֵּי צִמְחָהּ תִּיבָשׁ וְלֹא־בִזְרֹעַ גְּדוֹלָה וּבְעַם רָב לְמַשְׂאוֹת אוֹתָהּ מִשָּׁרָשֶׁיהָ

Say, Son of man, to your listeners: So said the Lord God: Will it, the vine, prosper and succeed in its endeavor to improve its status by going beyond its boundaries and attempting to find foreign support for its move? Won’t it, the first eagle, sever its roots and gnaw its fruit and wither? All the leaves of its growth will wither. Not with great might or with a great people will it be torn from its roots. The vine will be uprooted without much effort.

וְהִנֵּה שְׁתוּלָה הֲתִצְלָח! הֲלֹא כְּגַעַת בָּהּ רוּחַ הַקָּדִים תִּיבַשׁ יָבֹשׁ עַל־עֲרֻגֹת צִמְחָהּ תִּיבָשׁ

Behold, although it was planted in its spot, will it prosper? Won’t it wither when the hot east wind touches it? In the furrows of its growth it will wither. The vine cannot possibly rely on the waters of the new eagle, as the easterly wind is strong enough to easily dry it up.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

The word of the Lord was with me, saying. The prophet articulates the meaning of the parable:

אֱמָר־נָא לְבֵית הַמֶּרִי הֲלֹא יְדַעְתֶּם מָה אֵלֶּה! אֱמֹר הִנֵּה־בָא מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּקַּח אֶת־מַלְכָּהּ וְאֶת־שָׂרֶיהָ וַיָּבֵא אוֹתָם אֵלָיו בָּבֶלָה

Say now to the house of defiance, a standard reference in the book of Ezekiel to the people of the house of Israel, as they defied the word of God: Do you not know what these metaphors are? Say and explain to them: Behold, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who is “the great eagle” (verse 3), came to Jerusalem, which is likened to the summit of Lebanon, and he took its king, the young King Yekhonya, and its princes, symbolized by the highest of the cedar’s young twigs (verse 4) and the top of the cedar (verse 3), respectively, and he brought them to him, to Babylon, the “city of peddlers” in the parable above (verse 4).

וַיִּקַּח מִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה וַיִּכְרֹת אִתּוֹ בְּרִית וַיָּבֵא אֹתוֹ בְּאָלָה וְאֶת־אֵילֵי הָאָרֶץ לָקָח

He, Nebuchadnezzar, took one of royal descent, Yekhonya’s uncle Matanya, also known as Tzidkiyahu, as the new king of Judah, and established a covenant with him and placed him under oath. The word used here for oath also means curse, for the oath Tzidkiyahu accepted upon himself to fulfill the covenant with Nebuchadnezzar incorporated a curse if he did not comply. And he took, as guarantors for fulfillment of the covenant, the mighty, the dignitaries and powerful people, of the land,

לִהְיוֹת מַמְלָכָה שְׁפָלָה לְבִלְתִּי הִתְנַשֵּׂא לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ לְעָמְדָהּ

in order to render it, Judah, a lowly kingdom that would not exalt itself, to keep his covenant for it to endure. Nebuchadnezzar’s objective was not to destroy Judah, but to allow it to survive as a small kingdom under his patronage, loyal to the covenant made with its king, whom he himself had appointed.

וַיִּמְרָד־בּוֹ לִשְׁלֹחַ מַלְאָכָיו מִצְרַיִם לָתֶת־לוֹ סוּסִים וְעַם־רָב הֲיִצְלָח! הֲיִמָּלֵט הָעֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה! וְהֵפֵר בְּרִית וְנִמְלָט!

But he, Tzidkiyahu, rebelled against him, Nebuchadnezzar, by sending his emissaries to Egypt, the second eagle in the parable, to provide him with horses and many people. Will he who does these prosper? Will he escape? Will he breach the covenant, thereby betraying the king who appointed him, and yet escape unscathed?

חַי־אָנִי נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים אִם־לֹא בִּמְקוֹם הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמַּמְלִיךְ אֹתוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּזָה אֶת־אָלָתוֹ וַאֲשֶׁר הֵפֵר אֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ אִתּוֹ בְתוֹךְ־בָּבֶל יָמוּת

As I live – the utterance of the Lord God – surely in the place of the king who crowned him king, whose oath he scorned and whose covenant he breached, with him in the midst of Babylon he will die.

וְלֹא בְחַיִל גָּדוֹל וּבְקָהָל רָב יַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתוֹ פַרְעֹה בַּמִּלְחָמָה בִּשְׁפֹּךְ סֹלְלָה וּבִבְנוֹת דָּיֵק לְהַכְרִית נְפָשׁוֹת רַבּוֹת

Not with a large army and with a great assembly will Pharaoh Hofra engage in the war for him. Pharaoh will not come to Tzidkiyahu’s aid, despite his promise to do so. The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem will commence when a ramp is erected and a siege tower is built to annihilate numerous lives.

וּבָזָה אָלָה לְהָפֵר בְּרִית וְהִנֵּה נָתַן יָדוֹ וְכָל אֵלֶּה עָשָׂה לֹא יִמָּלֵט

He, Tzidkiyahu, scorned the oath by breaching the covenant, and behold, he had given his hand, a handshake confirming his oath of loyalty, but still he did all these things; he will not escape. Alternatively, the giving of his hand is referring to Tzidkiyahu’s alliance with the king of Egypt, which led to his acting against Babylon.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים חַי־אָנִי אִם־לֹא אָלָתִי אֲשֶׁר בָּזָה וּבְרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר הֵפִיר וּנְתַתִּיו בְּרֹאשׁוֹ

Therefore, so said the Lord God: As I live, surely due to My oath that he scorned and My covenant that he breached, I will place a fitting retribution upon his head. God will punish Tzidkiyahu, as not only did he betray the king of Babylon, but he also violated a covenant that he accepted upon himself with an oath in God’s name.

וּפָרַשְׂתִּי עָלָיו רִשְׁתִּי וְנִתְפַּשׂ בִּמְצוּדָתִי וַהֲבִיאוֹתִיהוּ בָבֶלָה וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּי אִתּוֹ שָׁם מַעֲלוֹ אֲשֶׁר מָעַל־בִּי

I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, and I will contend with him there and bring him to judgment for his trespass that he committed against Me by swearing falsely in My name.

וְאֵת כָּל־מִבְרָחָו בְּכָל־אֲגַפָּיו בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים לְכָל־רוּחַ יִפָּרֵשׂוּ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה' דִּבַּרְתִּי

All those who flee with him, Tzidkiyahu, or all those who will give him refuge, from among his troops, or from among his neighbors, will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be dispersed in every direction, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים וְלָקַחְתִּי אָנִי מִצַּמֶּרֶת הָאֶרֶז הָרָמָה וְנָתָתִּי מֵרֹאשׁ יֹנְקוֹתָיו רַךְ אֶקְטֹף וְשָׁתַלְתִּי אָנִי עַל הַר־גָּבֹהַּ וְתָלוּל

The prophecy ends on a note of consolation. So said the Lord God: I too will take from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will place, plant it; from the highest of its young twigs I will crop a tender one, and I will plant it, not in the land of the Babylonians, but upon a high and steep mountain.

בְּהַר מְרוֹם יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶשְׁתֳּלֶנּוּ וְנָשָׂא עָנָף וְעָשָׂה פֶרִי וְהָיָה לְאֶרֶז אַדִּיר וְשָׁכְנוּ תַחְתָּיו כֹּל צִפּוֹר כָּל־כָּנָף בְּצֵל דָּלִיּוֹתָיו תִּשְׁכֹּנָּה

On the mountain of the height of Israel I will plant it, and it will bear boughs and produce fruit, and it will become a stately cedar, rather than a creeping vine. This tree will not be dominated by winged creatures as before, but on the contrary, beneath it will dwell every bird, every winged creature; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

וְיָדְעוּ כָּל־עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה כִּי אֲנִי ה' הִשְׁפַּלְתִּי עֵץ גָּבֹהַּ הִגְבַּהְתִּי עֵץ שָׁפָל הוֹבַשְׁתִּי עֵץ לָח וְהִפְרַחְתִּי עֵץ יָבֵשׁ אֲנִי ה' דִּבַּרְתִּי וְעָשִׂיתִי

All the trees of the field will know that I, the Lord, lowered a tall tree, elevated a lowly tree, dried a moist tree, and made a dry tree blossom; I, the Lord, have spoken and acted. After the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah, and the exile of its population to Babylonia, Israel will rise again. God will take an insignificant branch that seemingly has no chance of survival, and ensure that it will grow and thrive. The house of Israel will be built anew.