¹二鷹與葡萄樹的比喻耶和華的話臨到我說：

¹The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

²“人子啊！你要向以色列家出謎語，設比喻，

²Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;

³說：‘主耶和華這樣說：有一隻大鷹，翅膀大，翎毛長，羽毛豐富，彩色繽紛，來到黎巴嫩，把香柏樹的樹梢取去；

³and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar:

⁴牠啄斷樹頂的嫩枝，把它帶到貿易之地，栽種在商人的城裡。

⁴he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

⁵牠又把以色列地的種子取去，栽種在肥沃的地土、水流的旁邊，好像栽種柳樹一樣；

⁵He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow tree.

⁶它生長起來，成了一棵矮小而蔓延的葡萄樹；樹上的枝子向著那鷹，樹根在牠以下。這樣，它就成了一棵葡萄樹，生出枝子，長出嫩芽。

⁶It grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

⁷“‘另有一隻大鷹，翅膀大，羽毛多；這葡萄樹從它栽種的苗床上，把樹根向這鷹彎過去，又向這鷹長出枝子，好得牠的澆灌。

⁷There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.

⁸其實，這樹早已栽種在肥沃的地土、水流的旁邊，可以長枝子、結果子，成為佳美的葡萄樹。’

⁸It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

⁹你要說：‘主耶和華這樣說：這葡萄樹怎能茂盛呢？鷹不是要拔出它的根來，啄光它的果子，使它和它長出的一切嫩葉都枯乾嗎？其實，要把它連根拔起，並不需要很多人或很大的氣力。

⁹Say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or many people can it be raised from its roots.

¹⁰看哪！葡萄樹被栽種了，但它能發旺嗎？東風吹襲它的時候，它不是必然枯乾嗎？它必在生長的苗床上枯乾。’”

¹⁰Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.

¹¹解釋比喻的意義耶和華的話臨到我說：

¹¹Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

¹²“你要對那叛逆的民族說：‘你們不知道這些事是甚麼意思嗎？’你要告訴他們：‘看哪！巴比倫王曾到耶路撒冷來，把其中的王和眾領袖擄去，帶他們到巴比倫那裡去。

¹²Say now to the rebellious house, Don’t you know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon:

¹³他從以色列王室後裔中選出一人，與他立約，叫他起誓，並且把國中那些有勢力的人擄去，

¹³and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;

¹⁴使國衰微，不能再興盛，唯有謹守條約他才可以繼續存在。

¹⁴that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

¹⁵可是這人背叛了巴比倫王，差遣使者到埃及去，要得戰馬和大軍。他能亨通嗎？行這樣事的人，怎能逃脫呢？他破壞條約，怎能逃脫呢？

¹⁵But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape who does such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?

¹⁶我指著我的永生起誓：他藐視了自己所起的誓，背棄了與王所立的約，因此他必死在巴比倫，就是巴比倫王立他作王的地方。這是耶和華的宣告。

¹⁶As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

¹⁷敵人建造圍城的高牆，築起攻城土壘要剪除多人的時候，法老率領大軍和大隊人馬，還是不能幫助他作戰。

¹⁷Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons.

¹⁸他藐視誓言，背棄條約；他已宣誓效忠，卻又行了這一切事，所以他必不能逃脫。

¹⁸For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things; he shall not escape.

¹⁹因此主耶和華這樣說：我指著我的永生起誓：他既然藐視我的誓言，背棄我的約，我必使這罪歸到他的頭上。

¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely my oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it on his own head.

²⁰我要把我的網撒在他身上，他必在我的網羅中被捕獲；我要把他帶到巴比倫去，並且要在那裡因他對我不忠的罪審判他。

²⁰I will spread my net on him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.

²¹他軍中所有的精兵，都必倒在刀下；剩下的也必分散到四方；你們就知道說這話的是我耶和華。

²¹All his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it.

²²移植香柏樹的比喻“‘主耶和華這樣說：我要從高大香柏樹的樹梢上取去一根樹枝，把它栽上；我要從樹頂的嫩枝中折下一根枝子，把它栽種在高聳的山上；

²²Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain:

²³我要把它栽種在以色列的高山上，它要長出枝子，結出果子，成為佳美的香柏樹；各種各類的飛鳥都必在樹下棲宿，就是棲宿在枝子的蔭下。

²³in 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 birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches shall they dwell.

²⁴田野所有的樹木都必知道我耶和華使高大的樹矮小，矮小的樹高大；使青綠的樹枯乾，枯乾的樹茂盛。我耶和華怎樣說了，就必怎樣行。’”

²⁴All the trees of the field shall know that I, Yahweh, 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, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.