The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites a parable 3 to let them know what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree, 4 which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field, where there was always water to make it grow. 6 The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.
7 “There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing. 8 But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine.
9 “So I, the Sovereign Lord, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won't the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up. 10 Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won't it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won't it wither there where it is growing?”
The Parable Is Explained
11 The Lord said to me, 12 “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia. 13 He took one of the king's family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages 14 to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept. 15 But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!
16 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne. 17 Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people. 18 He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape.”
19 The Sovereign Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep. 20 I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me. 21 His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
God's Promise of Hope
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“I will take the top of a tall cedar
and break off a tender sprout;
I will plant it on a high mountain,
23 on Israel's highest mountain.
It will grow branches and bear seed
and become a magnificent cedar.
Birds of every kind will live there
and find shelter in its shade.
24 All the trees in the land will know
that I am the Lord.
I cut down the tall trees
and make small trees grow tall.
I wither up the green trees
and make the dry trees become green.
I, the Lord, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do.”
ǀGam ǃariǃkhāra tsî draibehais tsîra ǂkhōs
1 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli omma ǀhae kai tsî ǂkhō-e ǁgamba, 3 îts nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Kai ǃariǃkhās, kai ǁgabokha tsî ǃamga ūhâs, îsa ǀûga ūhâ ǃamxa danasa ūhâs ge Libanonni ǃoa ge hā. ǁÎs ge serderhais ǂamǃnâ ǂgonaba ū, 4 ǁîb ǀgapise ra ǂoaxa hairo-e ge khôaǁnâ. ǁÎs ge ǁî-e ǂharugu-aon ǃhūb tawa sī-ū tsî ǁamaǂharugu-aon ǃās ǃnâ sī ge ǂgā. 5 ǁÎs ge ǃkhomro-e ǃhūba xu ū tsî ǂûtanixa ǃhūb ǃnâ ge ǂgā. ǁÎs ge ǁîro-e ǂâusa ǁgam-i tawa ge sī-ū, tsî hoa ǂgomǃgâb ǀkha ge ǃhana. 6 ǁÎ-i ge ǁhai tsî ge draibehai kai tsî ǃhūb ǀgūses kōse ge khoraǂuisen. ǁÎs ǁnâugu ge ǁîb ǃoa ge ǁhai, ǁîs ǃnomagu ge ǁîs mâpa ǃkhō hâ. ǁNātis ge ǁîsa ge draibehai kai, ǁnâugu ge ge ǁhai tsî ǁîga ra khoraǂuise.’
7 “ǀNî kai ǃariǃkhās, kai ǁgabokha ūhâs tsî îsa ǃamxa danasa ge ūhâ is ge ge hâ i. Tsî mû! Nē draibehais ge ǁîs ǃnomaga ǁîs ǃoa ge khoraǂui. ǁÎs ge ǁnâugu âsa ǁîs ǃoa ge ǁhai kai, ǁîs nî ǁîsa ǂnâǃgaose, ǂgāhes ge hâ i ǃhanaba xu. 8 ǁÎs ge ǂûtanixa ǃhūb tsî ǂâusa ǁgam-i tawa ge ǃhanasa i, ǁnâugu nî ǁhoa tsî ǂûtani tsî îsa draibehai kaise.
9 “Nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: ǁÎsa kha ǂûtani tsî aiǃgûs nî? ǁÎsa xare ǁîs ǃnomaga ǂgaeǂui tide, ǁîs ǂûna ǀō tsî ǂnâ kai tide, ǁîs ǁhoa ra ǂnarega ǁō kai tide? ǀGaisa ǃommi tamas kai io ǀgaisa toroǂnubis ge ǁîs ǃnomaga ǃhūba xu ǂgaeǂuis ǃaroma ǂhâbasa tide. 10 ǁÎsa ǂgāǂuihes kao, ûis kha nî? Aiǂoas ǂoab ga hō si, os kha ǂnâ tide, a ǁhaiǃnâs ge ǃhanab ǃnâs ǂnâ tide?’ ”
ǂKhōs ge ra ǁguiǃāhe
11 Os ge ǃKhūb mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 12 “Nēsi khâikhâisenxa ommi ǃoa mî: ‘ǂAn tama du kha hâ tare-en nēna ra ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa?’ ǁÎna mîba: Babilons gao-aob ge Jerusalems ǁga go hā, ǁîs gao-aob tsî ǂammâisagu tsîna ū tsîb ge ǁîb ǀkha ǀhao hâse Babilons ǁga ge oa-ū. 13 ǁÎb ge gaoǁgâus di ǃnaesabegu di ǀguiba ū tsî ǁîb ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e ge dī, tsî ǁîba nūs ǀkha ge ǁgui-ai. Ob ge ǁîba ǃhūb ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge ǃkhō, 14 îb gaosiba ǃgamǃgamsenxa tsî tā aitsama ǀgapiǀgapisen, tsî ǃgaeǀhaosa ǃkhōǀgaipes ǀkha ǁî-e mâǁapo ǁkhā. 15 Xaweb ge ǁîba Babilons gao-aob ǃoagu sîsabega Egipteb ǁga sîs ǀkha ge khâikhâisen, ǁîgu nî ǁîba hāgu tsî kai toroǂnubisa mā ǁkhāse. ǁÎba ǃgâiǃgâ ǁkhāb a? Nē xūna ra dī-e ǃkhoeni ǁkhā i nî? ǃGaeǀhaosa khôa tsî ǃkhoeni ǁkhā i nî?
16 “Amase, tita ûi hâs ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.“ǁÎba ge gao-aose mâi gao-aob ra hâ ǃkhais ai, ǁîb nūsab ge ǃharaxūb tsî ǁîb ǃgaeǀhaosab ge khôab ao; amase ǁîb ge Babilons ǃnâ nî ǁō! 17 Faraob ge ǁîb ǀgaisa toroǂnubis tsî ǂgui toroǃkhamaogu ǀkha torob ǃnâ ǁîba hui ǁkhā tide, Babilonǁîn ga ǁkhuiga om tsî āga khao ǂgui khoena gu nî ǃgamse. 18 ǁÎb ge nūsa ǃharaxū tsî ǃgaeǀhaosa khôa xui-ao, ǁîb ǃomma mā, xaweb ge nē xūn hoana ǃaroma xui-aob ge ǃkhoeni ǁkhā tide.”
19 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: “Tita ûi hâ ǃkhais ao, tita ge amase, ǁîb danasa ti nūsab ge ǃharaxū tsî ti ǃgaeǀhaosa khôa ǃkhais ǃaroma nî ū. 20 Tita ge ti ǀûisa ǁîb ai nî ao tsî ti ǁnoas ge ǁîba nî ǃkhō. Tita ge ǁîba Babilons ǁga nî ǀkhī-ū tsî tita ǃoagub ge dī ǃûǂams ǃaroma ǀgoraǃgâs ǃnâ ǁîb ǀkha nî ǂgâ. 21 Hoaraga ǁhûiǂuisa toroǃkhamaogu ǁîb digu hoagu ge gôab xa nî ǃgamhe tsî ûiǃgau hân hoan ge mâ ǀkhāb hoab ai nî ǀgaruǀgaruhe. O du ge tita ǃKhūta go gowa ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
Elob mîmâis ǃâubasens dis
22 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî:
“Tita ǂûta ge sederhais ǀgapiseb di hairoba ū
tsî ǁî-e nî khaiǂui.
ǂGuro ra ǀgapise ǁhaiǂoaxa ǂgonaroba ta ge nî khôa,
tsî tita ǂûta ge ǁîba ǀgapi ǃhommi ai nî ǃhana,
23 Israelǃhommi di ǀgapib ai ta ge ǁîba nî ǃhana,
ǁîb ge ǀomkhâi, ǂûtani tsî nî kai ǀgaisa ǀkherahai kai.
ǁÎs ǃnân ge hoaǃnôa anirona nî ǁan,
hoaǃnôa ǁgaboxa anin ge ǁîs ǁnâugu sommi ǃnaka
ani-omrode nî kurubasen.
24 Hoaraga haidi ǃgarob didi ge
tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂanǃgâ.
Tita ge gaxu haide ǃhūb ai ra ǁgui,
ǃnubu haide ta ge ra gaxugaxu.
ǃAm haisa ta ge ra ǂnâ kai
tsî ǂnâsa haisa ra ǃam kai.
Tita ǃKhūta ge go ǃhoa. Tita ge ǁnāsa nî dī.”
