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And the word of Jehovah was unto▵ me, saying,
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Son of man, riddle a riddle, and enunciate an enunciation to▵ the house of Israel;
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and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovih*; The great eagle with great wings, long pinions*, full of feathers, which were as embroidery for it, came to▵ Lebanon, and took the top··branch of the cedar;
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he cropped··off the head of its tender··branches, and brought it to▵ a land of commerce*; he set it in a city of merchants.
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And he took of the seed of the land, and put◦ it in a field of seed; he took it by◦ many waters, and set it carefully◦.
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And it grew, and became a draping vine of low stature, its offshoots faced toward▵ him, and its roots of it were under him; and it became a vine, and made poles, and sent out branches.
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And there was one other great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did ply her roots toward him, and put··forth◦ her offshoots toward◦ him, to water◦ her in the soils of her planting.
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She◦ was planted◦ in▵ a good field by many waters, to make boughs, and to bear fruit, to be a magnificent vine.
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Say thou, Thus says the Lord Jehovih: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull··up her roots, and cut··off her fruit, that it dry··up? It shall··dry··up all the leaves torn from her growth, and not with a great arm and with many people to lift it up from her roots.
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And, behold, being planted◦, shall it prosper? drying··up shall· it not ·dry··up when◦ the wind of the east touches it? upon the soils of its growth it shall dry··up.
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And the word of Jehovah was unto▵ me, saying,
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Say now◦ to the rebellious house, Know you not what these things mean? Say, Behold, the king of Babylon has come··into Jerusalem, and has taken the king, and the princes, and brought them with him to▫ Babylon.
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And he has taken of the seed of the kingdom, and cut a covenant with him, and has brought him into an oath; and he has taken the powerful ones of the land,
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that▫ the kingdom may be lowly, that▫ she may not▵ lift· herself ·up, that▫ she may keep his covenant, that▫ she may stand.
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But he revolted against◦ him in sending his messengers into Egypt, so··that▵ they might give to him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall· he ·escape that does these things? or◦ shall he make· the covenant ·of··none··effect, and escape?
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As I◦ am alive, says◦ the Lord Jehovih, surely in the place of the king who made· him ·king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he made··of··none··effect, even with◦ him in the midst of Babylon he shall··die.
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And Pharaoh, by his great host and by an assembly of many shall not make war for him, by pouring··out an embankment, and by building a ramp, to cut··off many souls;
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and he despised the oath by making· the covenant ·of··none··effect, and, behold, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape.
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Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovih; As I◦ am alive, Is it not My oath that he has despised, and My covenant that he has brought··to··nothing? And I will put◦ it on◦ his own head.
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And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be caught in My hunting net, and I will bring him into Babylon, and will judge with◦ him there his trespass, which is a trespass against◦ Me.
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And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that are left shall be spreading toward◦ all winds; and you shall know that I◦, Jehovah, have spoken it.
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Thus says the Lord Jehovih; I◦ will also◦ take of the top··branch of the exalted cedar, and will give it; I will crop··off from the head of its tender··branches a soft one, and I◦ will plant it on a tall mountain and mound:
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in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bear boughs, and make fruit, and be a magnificent cedar: and under it shall reside every bird of every wing; in the shadow of the offshoots shall they reside.
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And all the trees of the field shall know that I◦, Jehovah, have made· the tall tree ·low, have made· the low tree ·tall; I have dried··up the fresh tree, and have made the dry tree flourish; I◦, Jehovah, have spoken and have done it.
