Ezekiel 17

1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

上主的話傳給我說：「

2 “Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel;

人子，你要向以色列家族說寓言，講比喻。

3 and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers which had various colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.

你應宣講說：吾主上主這樣說：有一隻大鷹，翅膀龐大，翅翼廣闊，羽毛豐滿，異彩燦爛，飛到黎巴嫩，啄下香柏的樹梢，

4 He cropped off the topmost of its young twigs, and carried it to a land of traffic. He planted it in a city of merchants.

折下了嫩枝的尖端，帶到貿易的地方，安放在商賈的城中。

5 “‘“He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fruitful soil. He placed it beside many waters. He set it as a willow tree.

牠又取了本地的種子，種植在苗圃中，把它栽種在多水之旁，有如栽植柳樹。

6 It grew and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him. So it became a vine, produced branches, and shot out sprigs.

它果然長起，成了一棵蔓延而軀幹矮小的葡萄樹；蔓子向鷹伸展，根子向下生長；它遂成了一棵葡萄樹，生出蔓子，長出枝子。

7 “‘“There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. Behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot out its branches toward him, from the ground where it was planted, that he might water it.

又有另一隻大鷹，翅膀龐大，羽毛豐滿；看，這裏葡萄樹往牠那裏伸展自己的根子，也把枝子蔓延到牠那裏，想獲得比在被栽植的園圃中更多的滋潤。

8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might produce branches and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a good vine.”’

但它原是種植在多水的肥田中，為生長枝蔓，結出果實，成為一棵茂盛的葡萄樹。

9 “Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, that it may wither, that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? It can’t be raised from its roots by a strong arm or many people.

你應宣講：吾主上主這樣說：它能茂盛嗎﹖那鷹豈不是要拔出它的根子，啄下它的果實，使正在生出的枝葉枯萎；為拔出它的根子，並不需要強有力的手和眾多的人。

10 Yes, behold, being planted, will it prosper? Won’t it utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the ground where it grew.”’”

它雖被栽植，但豈能茂盛﹖東風一吹來，豈不全要枯萎﹖它必在生長的園圃中枯萎。」

11 Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

上主的話又傳給我說：「

12 “Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon.

請向這叛逆的家族說：你們明白不明白這有什麼意思﹖你要說：看，巴比倫王來到耶路撒冷，捉住城中的君王和官員，把他 穿了王室的一個後裔同他立了約叫他宣了誓帶到巴比倫來見他。

13 He took one of the royal offspring, and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land,

他挑選了王室的一個後裔，同他立了約，叫他宣了誓；以後擄走了那地的貴族，

14 that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

為使那王國衰微，不再有野心，使她遵守盟約，得以生存。

15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the covenant, and still escape?

但是耶路撒冷的君王卻背叛了他，派使臣到埃及去，要求給他戰馬和大軍。他作了這事，豈能順利獲得救援﹖他破壞了盟約，豈能幸免逃脫﹖

16 “‘As I live,’ says the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the middle of Babylon he will die.

我指著我的生命起誓：──吾主上主的斷語──他必要死在立他為王者的地方，即巴比倫，因為他沒有尊重自己的誓言，破壞了同他所立的盟約。

17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won’t help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts to cut off many persons.

當人們堆起高台，建造雲梯，屠殺許多生靈時，法郎卻沒有率領大軍，也沒有召集人馬來協助他作戰。

18 For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things. He won’t escape.

他既然不尊重誓言，破壞了盟約，舉手宣誓之後，而又行了這一切，他決不會逃脫。

19 “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken.

因此，吾主上主這樣說：我指著我的生命起誓：因為他輕視了我的誓言，破壞了我的盟約，報復必臨在他的頭上。

20 I will spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me.

我要在他上面張開羅網，叫他陷在我的網中而被逮捕；以後帶他到巴比倫去，由於他背叛我的罪過，我要在那裏栽判他。

21 All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered toward every wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it.’

他軍中所有的精兵都要亡於刀下，剩餘的逃散到四方。那時你們便要承認是我上主說了這話。」

22 “The Lord Yahweh says: ‘I will also take some of the lofty top of the cedar, and will plant it. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

吾主上主這樣說：「我要親自由高大的香柏樹梢上取下一枝條，從嫩枝的尖上折下一根嫩芽，親自把它栽植在高山峻嶺之上，

23 I will plant it in the mountain of the height of Israel; and it will produce boughs, and bear fruit, and be a good cedar. Birds of every kind will dwell in the shade of its branches.

栽植在以色列的高山上，它要生長枝葉，結出果實，成為一棵高大的香柏；各種飛鳥要棲在它下，棲在他枝葉的蔭影之下。

24 All the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree flourish. “‘I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.’”

如此，田野間的一切樹木都承認我是上主，都知道我曾使高大的樹矮小，使矮小的樹高大，使綠樹枯萎，使枯木發綠，我上主言出必行。