NLT

NLT

Click to Change

Return to Top

Return to Top

Printer Icon

Print

Copy
Copy Options
Format by: Verse Paragraph
Strong's
Red Letter
Audio Bibles
The Blue Letter Bible

Ezekiel 17 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

toggle collapse
Choose a new font size and typeface
Audio Bibles
A Story of Two Eagles
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:1 - Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:2 - “Son of man, give this riddle, and tell this story to the people of Israel.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:3 - Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“A great eagle with broad wings and long feathers,
covered with many-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He seized the top of a cedar tree
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:4 - and plucked off its highest branch.
He carried it away to a city filled with merchants.
He planted it in a city of traders.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:5 - He also took a seedling from the land
and planted it in fertile soil.
He placed it beside a broad river,
where it could grow like a willow tree.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:6 - It took root there and
grew into a low, spreading vine.
Its branches turned up toward the eagle,
and its roots grew down into the ground.
It produced strong branches
and put out shoots.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:7 - But then another great eagle came
with broad wings and full plumage.
So the vine now sent its roots and branches
toward him for water,
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:8 - even though it was already planted in good soil
and had plenty of water
so it could grow into a splendid vine
and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:9 - “So now the Sovereign LORD asks:
Will this vine grow and prosper?
No! I will pull it up, roots and all!
I will cut off its fruit
and let its leaves wither and die.
I will pull it up easily
without a strong arm or a large army.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:10 - But when the vine is transplanted,
will it thrive?
No, it will wither away
when the east wind blows against it.
It will die in the same good soil
where it had grown so well.”
The Riddle Explained
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:11 - Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:12 - “Say to these rebels of Israel: Don’t you understand the meaning of this riddle of the eagles? The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took away her king and princes, and brought them to Babylon.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:13 - He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel’s most influential leaders,
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:14 - so Israel would not become strong again and revolt. Only by keeping her treaty with Babylon could Israel survive.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:15 - “Nevertheless, this man of Israel’s royal family rebelled against Babylon, sending ambassadors to Egypt to request a great army and many horses. Can Israel break her sworn treaties like that and get away with it?
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:16 - No! For as surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, the king of Israel will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him in power and whose treaty he disregarded and broke.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:17 - Pharaoh and all his mighty army will fail to help Israel when the king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem again and destroys many lives.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:18 - For the king of Israel disregarded his treaty and broke it after swearing to obey; therefore, he will not escape.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:19 - “So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will punish him for breaking my covenant and disregarding the solemn oath he made in my name.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:20 - I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and put him on trial for this treason against me.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:21 - And all his best warriors[fn] will be killed in battle, and those who survive will be scattered to the four winds. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.
(cf. Eze 31:1–9 )
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:22 - “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:23 - It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter in the shade of its branches.
Unchecked Copy BoxEze 17:24 - And all the trees will know that it is I, the LORD, who cuts the tall tree down and makes the short tree grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives the dead tree new life. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do what I said!”
NLT Footnotes
Or his fleeing warriors. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

BLB Searches
Search the Bible
NLT
 [?]

Advanced Options

Other Searches

Multi-Verse Retrieval
x
NLT

Daily Devotionals
x

Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness.

Daily Bible Reading Plans
x

Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

One-Year Plans

Two-Year Plan