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.”
Ekumbiko leenhwa mbali nolomuviinyu
1 Ndele ondjovo yOmwene ye uya kwaame ndele tai ti: 2 “Kaana komunhu, lombwela eumbo laIsrael otumbutumbu u tonge ekumbiko u tye: 3 Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Onhwa yakula nomavava manene, nomenya male noidudilo ihapuihapu, i noutotone vahapu, ye uya kuLibanon, ndele ya kufa oxulo yomuti womusederi. 4 Yo oya teya po oxulo yoitai yao ya hapa ndele ye i twala moshilongo shovalandifi. Yo ye i tula moshilando shovalandifi. 5 Yo oya kufa yo ombuto moshilongo osho ndele ye i kuna mepya. Yo ye i twala komeva mahapu ye i twika ngaashi oshixwa. 6 Ndele osho sha tutuma nosha ninga omuviinyu wa hapa nawa, mokukula wa li muxupi, noitai yao ya tandavela langhele lwokonhwa nomidi dao da shiiva okukala koshi yayo. Osho ngaha sha ninga omuviinyu, ndele wa ninga oitai noutai va twiyuka.
7 Ndele natango pa li vali onhwa i nomavava manene noidudilo ihapu. Ndele tala, omuviinyu ou wa endamenifa omidi dao kuyo noitai yao yomoimhungu omo wa twikwa, we i shikula, opo yo i u tekele. 8 Sho osha twikwa medu liwa pomeva mahapu, opo shi twiyuke nokwiima, shi ninge omuviinyu wa wapala. 9 Tya: Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Tau ka kala tuu nawa? Onhwa itai ka duda mo omidi dao nokukola oiimati, opo tau kukuta, heeno, tau kukuta fiyo okomafo ao aeshe a hapa? Ndele itau shilwa mo keenghono dokwooko nokouhapu wovanhu eshi tau dudwa mo nomidi dao. 10 Heeno, tala, wa twikwa, ndele otau ka kala tuu nawa? Owo aushe itau ka kukuta, omhepo yokoushilo ngeenge tai pepe kuwo, tau kukuta moimhungu omo wa twikwa.”
11 Ndele ondjovo yOmwene ye uya kwaame ndele tai ti: 12 “Lombwela hano eumbo lovatangalali: Inamu shiiva oinima ei tai ti shike? Tya: Tala, ohamba yomuBabilon ye uya kuJerusalem ndele ya kufa mo ohamba yomusho nomalenga asho ndele ye va eta kuye muBabilon. 13 Opo nee yo oya kufa umwe womepata leehamba ndele ya dika ehangano naye ndele ye mu anifa, ndelenee ovanaenghono vomoshilongo ya ya navo, 14 opo ouhamba u kale wa xutuka ndele itau ehene komesho, ndelenee mokudiinina ehangano u shiive okukala po. 15 Ndelenee ye okwe mu twila ondubo, eshi a tuma ovatumwa kuEgipiti, opo vo ve mu pe eenghambe novakwaita vahapu. Ye ota ka kala tuu nawa? Ou ta ningi oinima ya tya ngaha, ota dulu okuya onhapo. Ou ta teya ehangano, ota xupu tuu? 16 Oshili ngaashi Ame ndi nomwenyo, Omwene Kalunga ta ti, oshilielela, monhele tuu oyo ohamba ei tai kala ye mu ninga ohamba, eano layo ye e li dina nokuteya po ehangano nayo, opuyo, meni laBabilon, omo ye ota ka fila. 17 Ndele Farao novanhu vaye vahapu nomatanga aye mahapu ite mu popile moita, vo ngeenge tava fe ohote yedu ndele tava tungu eehotengulu va nyonaune po eemwenyo dihapu, 18 osheshi ye okwa dina eano mokuteya po ehangano. Ndele, tala, nande ye a yandja eke mokupaafana omake, ye okwa ninga oinima aishe ei. Ye ite ke lixupifa.
19 “Onghee hano, Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: Oshili ngaashi Ame ndi nomwenyo, oshilielela, Ame ohandi ka efela komutwe waye eano lange, ye e li dina nehangano lange, ye e li teya po. 20 Ndele ondjadja yange ohandi ke i yala kombada yaye, nomelulo lange ta ka kwatwa. Ndele Ame ohandi ke mu twala kuBabilon noko handi ke mu tokola, molweliteeko laye, ye eshi e liteeka nge. 21 Ndele ovainhapo vaye aveshe vomomatanga aye, otava ka dipawa keongamukonda, novaxupifwa tave ke lihanifwa keembinga adishe domhepo, ndele vo otava ka shiiva nokutya, Ame Omwene nde shi tongele.”
22 Omwene Kalunga ta ti ngaha: “Ndele Ame mwene ohandi ka kufa koxulo yomuti mule womusederi okatai, heeno, okoxuloelela omoitai ohandi ka kufa okatai kapu, ndele Ame mwene ohandi ke ka twika komhunda ile noya tumbala. 23 Komhunda ile yaIsrael Ame ohandi ke ka twika, ndele taka piti oitai nokwiima oiimati ndele taka ka ninga omusederi wa wapala, opo eedila adishe doutotone ve lili nove lili di shiive okukala muwo, do otadi ka kala momudile woitai yao. 24 Ndele omiti adishe domomufitu otadi ka shiiva nokutya, Omwene ohandi ninipike omuti mule ndele handi nenepeke omuti munini. Omuti mutalala ohandi ke u kukutika nomuti mukukutu ohandi ke u hapifa. Aame, Omwene nde shi popya nonde shi ninga.”
