9. “So now the Sovereign lord asks:Will this vine grow and prosper?No! I will pull it up, roots and all!I will cut off its fruitand let its leaves wither and die.I will pull it up easilywithout a strong arm or a large army.
10. But when the vine is transplanted,will it thrive?No, it will wither awaywhen the east wind blows against it.It will die in the same good soilwhere it had grown so well.”
11. Then this message came to me from the lord:
12. “Say to these rebels of Israel: Don’t you understand the meaning of this riddle of the eagles? The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took away her king and princes, and brought them to Babylon.
13. He made a treaty with a member of the royal family and forced him to take an oath of loyalty. He also exiled Israel’s most influential leaders,
14. so Israel would not become strong again and revolt. Only by keeping her treaty with Babylon could Israel survive.
15. “Nevertheless, this man of Israel’s royal family rebelled against Babylon, sending ambassadors to Egypt to request a great army and many horses. Can Israel break her sworn treaties like that and get away with it?
16. No! For as surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, the king of Israel will die in Babylon, the land of the king who put him in power and whose treaty he disregarded and broke.
17. Pharaoh and all his mighty army will fail to help Israel when the king of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem again and destroys many lives.
18. For the king of Israel disregarded his treaty and broke it after swearing to obey; therefore, he will not escape.