Ezekiel:17-18

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* And the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , put forth a riddle , and speak a parable unto the house of Israel ; * And say , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; A great eagle with great wings , longwinged , full of feathers , which had divers colours , came unto Lebanon , and took the highest branch of the cedar : * He cropped off the top of his young twigs , and carried it into a land of traffick ; he set it in a city of merchants . * He took also of the seed of the land , and planted it in a fruitful field ; he placed it by great waters , and set it as a willow tree . * And it grew , and became a spreading vine of low stature , whose branches turned toward him , and the roots thereof were under him : so it became a vine , and brought forth branches , and shot forth sprigs . * There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers : and , behold , this vine did bend her roots toward him , and shot forth her branches toward him , that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation . * It was planted in a good soil by great waters , that it might bring forth branches , and that it might bear fruit , that it might be a goodly vine . * Say thou , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Shall it prosper ? shall he not pull up the roots thereof , and cut off the fruit thereof , that it wither ? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring , even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof . * Yea , behold , being planted , shall it prosper ? shall it not utterly wither , when the east wind toucheth it ? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew . * Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Say now to the rebellious house , Know ye not what these things mean ? tell them , Behold , the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem , and hath taken the king thereof , and the princes thereof , and led them with him to Babylon ; * And hath taken of the king 's seed , and made a covenant with him , and hath taken an oath of him : he hath also taken the mighty of the land : * That the kingdom might be base , that it might not lift itself up , but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand . * But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt , that they might give him horses and much people . Shall he prosper ? shall he escape that doeth such things ? or shall he break the covenant , and be delivered ? * As I live , saith the Lord GOD , surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king , whose oath he despised , and whose covenant he brake , even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die . * Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war , by casting up mounts , and building forts , to cut off many persons : * Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant , when , lo , he had given his hand , and hath done all these things , he shall not escape . * Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; As I live , surely mine oath that he hath despised , and my covenant that he hath broken , even it will I recompense upon his own head . * And I will spread my net upon him , and he shall be taken in my snare , and I will bring him to Babylon , and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me . * And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword , and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds : and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar , and will set it ; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one , and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent : * In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it : and it shall bring forth boughs , and bear fruit , and be a goodly cedar : and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell . * And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree , have exalted the low tree , have dried up the green tree , and have made the dry tree to flourish : I the LORD have spoken and have done it . * The word of the LORD came unto me again , saying , * What mean ye , that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel , saying , The fathers have eaten sour grapes , and the children 's teeth are set on edge ? * As I live , saith the Lord GOD , ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel . * Behold , all souls are mine ; as the soul of the father , so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth , it shall die . * But if a man be just , and do that which is lawful and right , * And hath not eaten upon the mountains , neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel , neither hath defiled his neighbour 's wife , neither hath come near to a menstruous woman , * And hath not oppressed any , but hath restored to the debtor his pledge , hath spoiled none by violence , hath given his bread to the hungry , and hath covered the naked with a garment ; * He that hath not given forth upon usury , neither hath taken any increase , that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity , hath executed true judgment between man and man , * Hath walked in my statutes , and hath kept my judgments , to deal truly ; he is just , he shall surely live , saith the Lord GOD . * If he beget a son that is a robber , a shedder of blood , and that doeth the like to any one of these things , * And that doeth not any of those duties , but even hath eaten upon the mountains , and defiled his neighbour 's wife , * Hath oppressed the poor and needy , hath spoiled by violence , hath not restored the pledge , and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols , hath committed abomination , * Hath given forth upon usury , and hath taken increase : shall he then live ? he shall not live : he hath done all these abominations ; he shall surely die ; his blood shall be upon him . * Now , lo , if he beget a son , that seeth all his father 's sins which he hath done , and considereth , and doeth not such like , * That hath not eaten upon the mountains , neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel , hath not defiled his neighbour 's wife , * Neither hath oppressed any , hath not withholden the pledge , neither hath spoiled by violence , but hath given his bread to the hungry , and hath covered the naked with a garment , * That hath taken off his hand from the poor , that hath not received usury nor increase , hath executed my judgments , hath walked in my statutes ; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father , he shall surely live . * As for his father , because he cruelly oppressed , spoiled his brother by violence , and did that which is not good among his people , lo , even he shall die in his iniquity . * Yet say ye , Why ? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father ? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right , and hath kept all my statutes , and hath done them , he shall surely live . * The soul that sinneth , it shall die . The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father , neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son : the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him , and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him . * But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed , and keep all my statutes , and do that which is lawful and right , he shall surely live , he shall not die . * All his transgressions that he hath committed , they shall not be mentioned unto him : in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live . * Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? saith the Lord GOD : and not that he should return from his ways , and live ? * But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness , and committeth iniquity , and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth , shall he live ? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned : in his trespass that he hath trespassed , and in his sin that he hath sinned , in them shall he die . * Yet ye say , The way of the Lord is not equal . Hear now , O house of Israel ; Is not my way equal ? are not your ways unequal ? * When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness , and committeth iniquity , and dieth in them ; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die . * Again , when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed , and doeth that which is lawful and right , he shall save his soul alive . * Because he considereth , and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed , he shall surely live , he shall not die . * Yet saith the house of Israel , The way of the Lord is not equal . O house of Israel , are not my ways equal ? are not your ways unequal ? * Therefore I will judge you , O house of Israel , every one according to his ways , saith the Lord GOD . Repent , and turn yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin . * Cast away from you all your transgressions , whereby ye have transgressed ; and make you a new heart and a new spirit : for why will ye die , O house of Israel ? * For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth , saith the Lord GOD : wherefore turn yourselves , and live ye . * Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel ,

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