1. The word of the Lord came to me:
2. Son of man, propose a riddle, and tell this proverb to the house of Israel:
3. Thus says the Lord God:The great eagle, with wide wingspanand long feathers, with thick plumage,many-hued, came to Lebanon.He plucked the crest of the cedar,
4. broke off its topmost branch,And brought it to a land of merchants,set it in a city of traders.
5. Then he took some native seedand planted it in fertile soil;A shoot beside plentiful waters,like a willow he planted it,
6. That it might sprout and become a vine,dense and low-lying,With its branches turned toward him,its roots beneath it.Thus it became a vine, produced branches,and put forth shoots.