2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a ^aparable to the house of Israel,  ‡

3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
^a“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And ^btook from the cedar the highest branch. ‡

5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in ^aa fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it ^blike a willow tree. ‡

6 And it grew and became a spreading vine ^aof low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots. ‡