1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
3 and say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers which had various colors, came to Lebanon and took away the highest branch of the cedar.
4 He cropped off the top of its young twigs and carried it into a land of merchants. He set it in a city of dealers.
5 He took also some of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field. He placed it by great waters and set it as a willow tree.
6 It grew and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under it. So it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.