1 The word of Adonai came to me saying,
2 “Son of man, propose a riddle and tell a parable to the house of Israel.”
3 Say, thus says Adonai Elohim: “A great eagle with large wings and broad wings, full of feathers which had varied colors, came to Lebanon and took hold of the top of the cedar.
4 He plucked off its topmost twigs, carried them to the land of trade and set it in a city of merchants.
5 Then he took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fruitful soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig.
6 Then it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine, with its branches turned toward him, but its roots grew under him. So it became a vine, produced branches and sent out shoots.