17:1 耶和華的話臨到我說：
17:2 「人子啊，你要向以色列家出謎語，設比喻，
17:3 說主耶和華如此說：有一大鷹，翅膀大，翎毛長，羽毛豐滿，彩色俱備，來到黎巴嫩，將香柏樹梢擰去，
17:4 就是折去香柏樹儘尖的嫩枝，叼到貿易之地，放在買賣城中；
17:5 又將以色列地的枝子栽於肥田裡，插在大水旁，如插柳樹，
17:6 就漸漸生長，成為蔓延矮小的葡萄樹。其枝轉向那鷹，其根在鷹以下，於是成了葡萄樹，生出枝子，發出小枝。
17:7 又有一大鷹，翅膀大，羽毛多。這葡萄樹從栽種的畦中向這鷹彎過根來，發出枝子，好得它的澆灌。
17:8 這樹栽於肥田多水的旁邊，好生枝子，結果子，成為佳美的葡萄樹。
17:9 你要說，主耶和華如此說：這葡萄樹豈能發旺呢？鷹豈不拔出它的根來，芟除它的果子，使它枯乾，使它發的嫩葉都枯乾了嗎？也不用大力和多民，就拔出它的根來。
17:10 葡萄樹雖然栽種，豈能發旺呢？一經東風，豈不全然枯乾嗎？必在生長的畦中枯乾了。」
1 The word of the Lord came to me:2
"Son of man, propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of
Israel; 3 say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle with great wings and long
pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of
the cedar. 4 He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a
land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took of the seed of
the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters.
He set it like a willow twig, 6 and it sprouted and became a low spreading
vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it
stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.
7 "And there was another great eagle
with great wings and much plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward
him and shot forth its branches toward him from the bed where it was planted,
that he might water it. 8 It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters,
that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.
9 "Say, Thus says the Lord God: Will
it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it
withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a
strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. 10 Behold, it is planted;
will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither
away on the bed where it sprouted?"
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上帝以兩隻鷹與兩棵樹的謎語告訴以色列人。第一隻鷹，是指「巴比倫王」。黎巴嫩指「猶大國」。香柏樹梢指「約雅斤」王，於西元前597年被擄至巴比倫。以香柏樹暗指「約雅斤」，一方面因為猶大王宮是「黎巴嫩林宮」，中間使用大量的香柏木木料。另一方面一般人認為香柏樹才是真正的「樹中之王」。從這隻鷹的描述，顯出這是一隻巨大又生氣蓬勃的鷲鷹。牠搬移香柏樹嫩枝的動機並沒有被闡述，只是說明這個舉動，也沒有任何負面的形容。鷹對葡萄樹有任何惡意，甚至還表達出這鷹給予葡萄樹相當優渥的環境。
另一隻鷹，是指「埃及王」，不過顯然此處的鷹比不上頭先的鷹（巴比倫王），因為形容其厲害的篇幅短很多。也表示以色列不應該靠這隻鷹，以免得罪先前的鷹。
西底家的國力薄弱，根本經不起巴比倫的攻擊。巴比倫只要出一點力氣，就可以報復西底家的不忠心，於是西底家與埃及的曖昧關係，就為自己的國家帶來滅亡。
這也告訴我們面對敵人要弄清楚真正的問題，就像教會面對同志的問題，不要忘記背後的更大問題是人不信主耶穌和悖逆上帝，此問題沒有面對，光面對同志問題有何意義？淫亂的罪沒有處理，就無法處理同性戀的問題了！
