Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 The word of the Lord came to me:

³ say, Thus says the Lord God: ^(A)A great eagle ^(B)with great wings and long pinions, ^(C)rich in plumage of many colors, came ^(D)to Lebanon ^(E)and took the top of the cedar.

⁵ Then he took of the seed of the land ^(A)and planted it in fertile soil.^[a] He placed it beside abundant waters. ^(B)He set it like a willow twig, ⁶ and it sprouted and became a ^(C)low ^(D)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 (E)“And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, ^(F)and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from ^(G)the bed where it was planted, that he might water it. ^8 (H)It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.