¹ La parole de l'Eternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

² Fils de l'homme, propose une énigme, dis une parabole à la maison d'Israël!

³ Tu diras: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel: Un grand aigle, aux longues ailes, aux ailes déployées, couvert de plumes de toutes couleurs, vint sur le Liban, et enleva la cime d'un cèdre.

⁴ Il arracha le plus élevé de ses rameaux, l'emporta dans un pays de commerce, et le déposa dans une ville de marchands.

⁵ Et il prit un rejeton du pays, et le plaça dans un sol fertile; il le mit près d'une eau abondante, et le planta comme un saule.

⁶ Ce rejeton poussa, et devint un cep de vigne étendu, mais de peu d'élévation; ses rameaux étaient tournés vers l'aigle, et ses racines étaient sous lui; il devint un cep de vigne, donna des jets, et produisit des branches.

⁷ Il y avait un autre aigle, grand, aux longues ailes, au plumage épais. Et voici, du parterre où elle était plantée, cette vigne étendit avec avidité ses racines de son côté et dirigea ses rameaux vers lui, afin qu'il l'arrosât.

⁸ Elle était plantée dans un bon terrain, près d'une eau abondante, de manière à produire des branches et à porter du fruit, à devenir une vigne magnifique.

⁹ Dis: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel: Prospérera-t-elle? Le premier aigle n'arrachera-t-il pas ses racines, n'enlèvera-t-il pas son fruit, afin qu'elle se dessèche, afin que toutes les feuilles qu'elle a poussées se dessèchent? Et il ne faudra ni beaucoup de force ni un peuple nombreux pour la séparer de ses racines.

¹⁰ Voici, elle est plantée: prospérera-t-elle? Si le vent d'orient la touche, ne séchera-t-elle pas? Elle séchera sur le parterre où elle a poussé.

¹¹ La parole de l'Eternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

¹² Dis à la maison rebelle: Ne savez-vous pas ce que cela signifie? Dis: Voici, le roi de Babylone est allé à Jérusalem, il en a pris le roi et les chefs, et les a emmenés avec lui à Babylone.

¹³ Il a choisi un membre de la race royale, a traité alliance avec lui, et lui a fait prêter serment, et il a emmené les grands du pays,

¹⁴ afin que le royaume fût tenu dans l'abaissement, sans pouvoir s'élever, et qu'il gardât son alliance en y demeurant fidèle.

¹⁵ Mais il s'est révolté contre lui, en envoyant ses messagers en Egypte, pour qu'elle lui donnât des chevaux et un grand nombre d'hommes. Celui qui a fait de telles choses réussira-t-il, échappera-t-il? Il a rompu l'alliance, et il échapperait!

¹⁶ Je suis vivant! dit le Seigneur, l'Eternel, c'est dans le pays du roi qui l'a fait régner, envers qui il a violé son serment et dont il a rompu l'alliance, c'est près de lui, au milieu de Babylone, qu'il mourra.

¹⁷ Pharaon n'ira pas avec une grande armée et un peuple nombreux le secourir pendant la guerre, lorsqu'on élèvera des terrasses et qu'on fera des retranchements pour exterminer une multitude d'âmes.

¹⁸ Il a méprisé le serment, il a rompu l'alliance; il avait donné sa main, et il a fait tout cela; il n'échappera pas!

¹⁹ C'est pourquoi ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel: Je suis vivant! c'est le serment fait en mon nom qu'il a méprisé, c'est mon alliance qu'il a rompue. Je ferai retomber cela sur sa tête.

²⁰ J'étendrai mon rets sur lui, et il sera pris dans mon filet; je l'emmènerai à Babylone, et là je plaiderai avec lui sur sa perfidie à mon égard.

²¹ Tous les fuyards de toutes ses troupes tomberont par l'épée, et ceux qui resteront seront dispersés à tous les vents. Et vous saurez que moi, l'Eternel, j'ai parlé.

²² Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Eternel: J'enlèverai, moi, la cime d'un grand cèdre, et je la placerai; j'arracherai du sommet de ses branches un tendre rameau, et je le planterai sur une montagne haute et élevée.

²³ Je le planterai sur une haute montagne d'Israël; il produira des branches et portera du fruit, il deviendra un cèdre magnifique. Les oiseaux de toute espèce reposeront sous lui, tout ce qui a des ailes reposera sous l'ombre de ses rameaux.

²⁴ Et tous les arbres des champs sauront que moi, l'Eternel, j'ai abaissé l'arbre qui s'élevait et élevé l'arbre qui était abaissé, que j'ai desséché l'arbre vert et fait verdir l'arbre sec. Moi, l'Eternel, j'ai parlé, et j'agirai.

¹⁴ Tous ceux qui l'entourent et lui sont en aide, Et toutes ses troupes, je les disperserai à tous les vents, Et je tirerai l'épée derrière eux.

¹ In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was struck, in the same day, the hand of Yahweh was on me, and he brought me there.

² In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south.

³ He brought me there; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

⁴ The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, you are brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.

⁵ Behold, a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.

⁶ Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up its steps: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad.

⁷ Every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and [the space] between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.

⁸ He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed.

⁹ Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.

¹⁰ The lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

¹¹ He measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;

¹² and a border before the lodges, one cubit [on this side], and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

¹³ He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of twenty-five cubits; door against door.

¹⁴ He made also posts, sixty cubits; and the court [reached] to the posts, around the gate.

¹⁵ [From] the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits.

¹⁶ There were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate all around, and likewise to the arches; and windows were around inward; and on [each] post were palm trees.

¹⁷ Then brought he me into the outer court; and behold, there were rooms and a pavement, made for the court all around: thirty rooms were on the pavement.

¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable to the length of the gates, even the lower pavement.

¹⁹ Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, [both] on the east and on the north.

²⁰ The gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured its length and its breadth.

²¹ The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

²² The windows of it, and its arches, and the palm trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and its arches were before them.

²³ There was a gate to the inner court over against the [other] gate, [both] on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate one hundred cubits.

²⁴ He led me toward the south; and behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.

²⁵ There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

²⁶ There were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on its posts.

²⁷ There was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits.

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

²⁹ and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

³⁰ There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits broad.

³¹ The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³² He brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures;

³³ and its lodges, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in its arches all around; it was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits broad.

³⁴ The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³⁵ He brought me to the north gate: and he measured [it] according to these measures;

³⁶ its lodges, its posts, and its arches: and there were windows therein all around; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth twenty-five cubits.

³⁷ The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

³⁸ A room with its door was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt offering.

³⁹ In the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to kill thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering.

⁴⁰ On the [one] side outside, as one goes up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables.

⁴¹ Four tables were on this side, and Four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they killed [the sacrifices].

⁴² There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

⁴³ The hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within all around: and on the tables was the flesh of the offering.

⁴⁴ Outside of the inner gate were rooms for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north.

⁴⁵ He said to me, This room, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the house;

⁴⁶ and the room whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the duty of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him.

⁴⁷ He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

⁴⁹ The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.