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.”
Eyele lyekodhi nomuviinu
1 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 2 “Muna gwomuntu, lombwela Aaisraeli eyele ndika, 3 li ya tseyithile shoka ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, tandi ya lombwele: Okwa li ku na ekodhi enenenene li na omalwenya go opala nomawawa omanene ga pakalala. Olya tuka kombanda yoondundu dhaLibanon e tali teya ko ondungu yomusendeli 4 nolye yi fala koshilongo shokuhalitha e tali yi tula moshilando shaanangeshefa. 5 Olya kutha ihe oshimeno oshishona moshilongo Israel e tali shi tsike mevi lyo ondoka, mpoka hapu tondoka omeya goku shi kokitha. 6 Oshimeno osha tsapuka oshihupihupi nosha ningi omuviinu gwa yalalala. Iitayi yagwo oya koko yu uka lwokekodhi, nomidhi odha yi muule. Omuviinu ogwi igandjana nogwa ziza nawa.
7 “Okwa li ishewe ekodhi ekwawo li na omawawa omanene nomalwenya ga thita. Omuviinu ogwa taandeleke iitayi yagwo lwokulyo, nomafo gagwo oga taalela kulyo, opo li gu tekele nawa shi vule omeya gomoshikunino. 8 Ihe omuviinu ogwa tsikwa nale mevi lyo ondoka nolya tuta nawa, opo gu zize omafo nogu ime omandjembele, gu ninge omuviinu gwo opala. 9 Ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, otandi pula ngashingeyi: Omuviinu nguka otagu kala tuu gu na omwenyo gu koke? Ekodhi lyotango itali tudha mo omidhi dhagwo nokutona ko omahila nokuteya iitayi noku yi kukutika? Itashi pula oonkondo odhindji nenge oshigwana oshinankondo oku gu tudha po. 10 Eeno, ogwa tsikwa, ihe otagu kala tuu gu na omwenyo notagu koko? Itagu kukuta, ombepo yokuuzilo nge ye gu pepele? Itagu kukutile mpoka gwa kokele?”
Eyele tali fatululwa
11 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 12 “Pula aatangalali mbaka, ngele oyu uvite ko tuu eyele shoka tali ti. Ya lombwela kutya omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia okwe ya kuJerusalem e ta kutha mo omukwaniilwa nomalenga ge e te ya fala kuBabilon. 13 Okwa kutha gumwe gwomezimo ekwaniilwa, a hangana naye e te mu ganitha egano lyokuvulika. Aanamadhina okwe ya ningi oonkwatwa. 14 Ina hala oshigwana shi penduke po ishewe nokutonatela ehangano lyawo li dhigininwe. 15 Ihe omukwaniilwa gwaJuda okwa tsu ondumbo e ta tumu aatumwa kuEgipiti, ya ka tale ko uukambe nomatanga omanene giita. Ote shi vulu tuu? Ota hunuka mo ngaa? Ita vulu okuyona ehangano lyawo e ta kala inaa geelwa!
16 “Oshili ngaashi ngame Kalunga omunamwenyo,” Omuwa Omupangeliawike ta popi, “omukwaniilwa nguka ota ka sila muBabilon, oshoka okwa yono egano lye nehangano ndyoka a hangana nomukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia, ngoka e mu tula koshipundi. 17 Etangakwiita enankondo lyaEgipiti itali vulu oku mu popila, uuna Aababilonia taa tungu omutuni gwekondekela notaa fulu omikanka, opo ya dhipage aantu oyendji. 18 Okwa yono egano lye nehangano e li hangana. Ayihe mbika okwe yi ningi, noita ka hunuka we.”
19 Omuwa Omupangeliawike ota ti: “Oshili ngaashi ngame Kalunga omunamwenyo, otandi ke mu geela, sho a yono ehangano ndyoka a ganene medhina lyandje, e li dhiginine. 20 Otandi ka lukila omwigo gu mu yule. Otandi ke mu fala kuBabilonia noku mu geelela hoka, oshoka ina inekela ndje. 21 Aakwiita ye ya pyokoka otaa ka dhipagelwa molugodhi, naamboka taa hupu ko, otaa ka halakanithilwa koombinga adhihe. Otamu ka tseya kutya ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Euvaneko lyaKalunga lyetegameno
22 Omuwa Omupangeliawike ota popi ta ti:
“Otandi ka kutha ondungu yomusendeli,
okatayi opo ka tsapuka tandi ke ka teya;
otandi ka tsike kondundu onde,
23 okondundu ondeendeka yaIsrael.
Otaka ka tsapuka iitayi
e taka imi e taka ningi omusendeli gwo opala.
Oondhila dhomaludhi agehe
otadhi gongalele mo,
tadhi kala momuzile gwagwo.
24 Omiti adhihe moshilongo otadhi ka tseya
kutya ongame Omuwa.
Otandi ke po omiti omile
notandi kokitha omiti omifupi.
Otandi kukutike omiti dha ziza
notandi zizike omiti dha kukuta.
Ongame Omuwa nda popi. Otandi ningi shoka nda ti, otandi shi ningi.”
