Ezekiel 17

1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 and he seide, Sone of man, sette forth a derk speche, and telle thou a parable to the hous of Israel;

Son of man, relate a tale, and speak a parable to the house of Israel:

3 and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis. A greet egle of grete wyngis, with long stretchyng out of membris, ful of fetheris and of dyuersite, cam to the Liban, and took awei the merowe of the cedre.

and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; A great eagle with large wings, spreading them out very far, with many claws, which has the design of entering into Libanus—and he took the choice [branches] of the cedar:

4 He pullide awei the hiynesse of boowis therof, and bar it ouer in to the lond of Chanaan, and settide it in the citee of marchauntis.

he cropped off the ends of the tender twigs, and brought them into the land of Chanaan; he laid them up in a walled city.

5 And he took of the seed of the lond, and settide it in the lond for seed, that it schulde make stidfast roote on many watris; he settide it in the hiyere part.

And he took of the seed of the land, and sowed it in a field planted by much water; he set it in a conspicuous place.

6 And whanne it hadde growe, it encreesside in to a largere vyner, in lowe stature; for the boowis therof bihelden to that egle, and the rootis therof weren vndur that egle; therof it was maad a vyner, and it made fruyt in to siouns, and sente out boowis.

And it sprang up, and became a weak and little vine, so that the branches thereof appeared [upon] it, and its roots were under it: and it became a vine, and put forth shoots, and sent forth its tendrils.

7 And another greet egle was maad, with grete wyngis, and many fetheris; and lo! this vyner as sendynge hise rootis to that egle, stretchide forth his siouns to that egle, that he schulde moiste it of the cornfloris of his seed.

And there was another great eagle, with great wings and many claws: and, behold, this vine bent itself round toward him, and her roots [were turned] towards him, and she sent forth her branches towards him, that [he] might water her together with the growth of her plantation.

8 Which is plauntid in a good lond on many watris, that it make boowis, and bere fruyt, that it be in to a greet vyner.

She thrives in a fair field by much water, to produce shoots and bear fruit, that she might become a great vine.

9 Seie thou, Ezechiel, The Lord God seith these thingis, Therfor whether he schal haue prosperite? Whether Nabugodonosor schal not pulle awei the rootis of hym, and schal streyne the fruytis of hym? And he schal make drie alle the siouns of buriowning therof, and it schal be drie; and not in greet arm, nether in myche puple, that he schulde drawe it out bi the rootis.

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; Shall it prosper? shall not the roots of her tender stem and her fruit be blighted? yea, all her early shoots shall be dried up, and [that] not by a mighty arm, nor by many people, to tear her up from her roots.

10 Lo! it is plauntid, therfor whether it schal haue prosperite? Whether not whanne brennynge wynd schal touche it, it schal be maad drye, and schal wexe drie in the cornfloris of his seed?

And, behold, it thrives: shall it prosper? shall it not wither as soon as the east wind touches it? it shall be withered together with the growth of its shoots.

11 And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide, Seie thou to the hous terrynge to wraththe,

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying,

12 Witen ye not what these thingis signefien? Seie thou, Lo! the king of Babiloyne cometh in to Jerusalem; and he schal take the kyng and the princis therof, and he schal leede hem to hym silf in to Babiloyne.

Son of man, say now to the provoking house, Know ye not what these things were? say [to them], Whenever the king of Babylon shall come against Jerusalem, then he shall take her king and her princes, and shall take them home to Babylon.

13 And he schal take of the seed of the rewme, and schal smyte with it a boond of pees, and he schal take of it an ooth; but also he schal take awei the stronge men of the lond,

And he shall take of the seed royal, and shall make a covenant with him, and shall bind him with an oath: and he shall take the princes of the land:

14 that it be a meke rewme, and be not reisid, but that it kepe the couenaunt of hym, and holde it.

that it may become a weak kingdom, so as never to lift itself up, that he may keep his covenant, and establish it.

15 Which yede awei fro hym, and sente messangeris in to Egipt, that it schulde yyue to hym horsis and miche puple. Whether he that dide these thingis, schal haue prosperite, ether schal gete helthe? and whether he that brekith couenaunt, schal ascape?

And [if] he shall revolt from him, to send his messengers into Egypt, that [they] may give him horses and much people; shall he prosper? shall he that acts as an adversary be preserved? and shall he that transgresses the covenant be preserved?

16 Y lyue, seith the Lord God, for in the place of the king that made hym kyng, whos ooth he made voide, and brak the couenaunt, which he hadde with hym, in the myddis of Babiloyne he schal die.

[As] I live, saith the Lord, verily in [the] place where the king is that made him king, who dishonoured my oath, and who broke my covenant, shall he die with him in the midst of Babylon.

17 And not in greet oost, nether in myche puple Farao schal make batel ayens hym, in the castyng of erthe, and in bildyng of palis, that he sle many persones.

And Pharaoh shall make war upon him not with a large force or great multitude, in throwing up a mound, and in building of forts, to cut off souls.

18 For he dispiside the ooth, that he schulde breke the boond of pees, and lo! he yaf his hond; and whanne he hath do alle these thingis, he schal not ascape.

Whereas he has profaned the oath so as to break the covenant, when, behold, I engage his hand, and he has done all these things to him, he shall not escape.

19 Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, Y lyue, for Y schal sette on his heed the ooth which he dispiside, and the boond of pees which he brak.

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord; [As] I live, surely mine oath which he has profaned, and my covenant which he has transgressed, I will even recompense it upon his head.

20 And Y schal spredde abrood my net on hym, and he schal be takun in my net, and Y schal brynge hym in to Babiloyne; and there Y schal deme hym in the trespassyng, bi which he dispiside me.

And I will spread a net upon him, and he shall be caught in its snare.

21 And alle hise flieris a wei with al his cumpenye schulen falle doun bi swerd, forsothe the remenauntis schulen be schaterid in to ech wynd; and ye schulen wite, that Y the Lord spak.

In every battle of his they shall fall by the sword, and I will scatter [his] remnant to every wind: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

22 The Lord God seith these thingis, And Y schal take of the merowe of an hiy cedre, and Y schal sette a tendir thing of the cop of hise braunchis; Y schal streyne, and Y schal plaunte on an hiy hil, and apperynge fer.

For thus saith the Lord; I will even take of the choice [branches] of the cedar from the top [thereof], I will crop off their hearts, and I will plant it on a high mountain:

23 In the hiy hil of Israel Y schal plaunte it; and it schal breke out in to buriownyng, and it schal make fruyt, and it schal be in to a greet cedre, and alle briddis schulen dwelle vndur it; ech volatil schal make nest vndur the schadewe of hise boowis.

and I will hang it on a lofty mountain of Israel: yea, I will plant it, and it shall put forth shoots, and shall bear fruit, and it shall be a great cedar: and every bird shall rest beneath it, even every fowl shall rest under its shadow: its branches shall be restored.

24 And alle trees of the cuntrei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord; Y made low the hiy tre, and Y enhaunside the low tre, and Y made drie the greene tree, and Y made the drie tree to brynge forth boowis; Y the Lord haue spoke, and Y haue do.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord that bring low the high tree, and exalt the low tree, and wither the green tree, and cause the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].