“ Say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.

你要说，主耶和华如此说：这葡萄树岂能发旺呢？鹰岂不拔出它的根来，芟除它的果子，使它枯干，使它发的嫩叶都枯干了吗？也不用大力和多民，就拔出它的根来。

你要说，主耶和华如此说：这棵葡萄树岂能发旺呢？鹰岂不拔出它的根来，摘光它的果子，使它枯干，连长出的嫩叶都枯萎了吗？要把它连根拔除，并不需要费大力或动用许多人。

你要说，主耶和华如此说：这棵葡萄树岂能发旺呢？鹰岂不拔出它的根来，摘光它的果子，使它枯干，连长出的嫩叶都枯萎了吗？要把它连根拔除，并不需要费大力或动用许多人。

“你要告诉他们，主耶和华这样说，‘这树能长得枝繁叶茂吗？难道那鹰不把它连根拔起，摘掉它的果子，使树和嫩叶全部枯萎吗？不必费多大力气，也不需要多少人就可以把它连根拔起。

你要说：‘主耶和华这样说：这葡萄树怎能茂盛呢？鹰不是要拔出它的根来，啄光它的果子，使它和它长出的一切嫩叶都枯干吗？其实，要把它连根拔起，并不需要很多人或很大的气力。

你要說，主耶和華如此說：這葡萄樹豈能發旺呢？鷹豈不拔出它的根來，芟除它的果子，使它枯乾，使它發的嫩葉都枯乾了嗎？也不用大力和多民，就拔出它的根來。

你要說，主耶和華如此說：這棵葡萄樹豈能發旺呢？鷹豈不拔出它的根來，摘光它的果子，使它枯乾，連長出的嫩葉都枯萎了嗎？要把它連根拔除，並不需要費大力或動用許多人。

你要說，主耶和華如此說：這棵葡萄樹豈能發旺呢？鷹豈不拔出它的根來，摘光它的果子，使它枯乾，連長出的嫩葉都枯萎了嗎？要把它連根拔除，並不需要費大力或動用許多人。

「你要告訴他們，主耶和華這樣說，『這樹能長得枝繁葉茂嗎？難道那鷹不把它連根拔起，摘掉它的果子，使樹和嫩葉全部枯萎嗎？不必費多大力氣，也不需要多少人就可以把它連根拔起。

你要說：‘主耶和華這樣說：這葡萄樹怎能茂盛呢？鷹不是要拔出它的根來，啄光它的果子，使它和它長出的一切嫩葉都枯乾嗎？其實，要把它連根拔起，並不需要很多人或很大的氣力。

你要說：主永恆主這麼說：這葡萄樹哪能發旺呢？鷹難道不將它的根拔起，將它的枝子芟除，使發生的嫩葉都枯乾掉麼？這也不必用大力和許多人去從根那裏將它拔出呀。

爾當曰、主耶和華云、厥樹豈得繁盛乎、彼鷹豈不拔其根、摘其果、俾其憔悴、嫩葉枯槁乎、毋庸強臂眾民、拔其根株、

爾當傳我耶和華之命、曰、斯葡萄豈得枝繁葉盛、鷹將拔其根、所發之枝必槁、毋庸巨邦眾民、刪其根株、

爾當言曰、主天主如是云、斯葡萄樹、豈能發旺發旺原文作亨通下同乎、鷹必拔其根、去其果、根株皆枯、葉盛之枝必槁、毋庸巨力眾民以拔其根、

“ Ezekiel, tell the Israelites,‘ The Lord and King asks,“ Will the vine grow? Won’t it be pulled up by its roots? Won’t all its fruit be stripped off? Won’t it dry up? All its new growth will dry up. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up.

“ Say, Thus says the Lord God: Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots.

“ 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 fruit and let its leaves wither and die. I will pull it up easily without a strong arm or a large army.

“ You are to say,‘ This is what the Lord GOD says: Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.

Say,‘ This is what the Lord God says:“ Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers— so that all its sprouting shoots wither? And neither by great strength nor by many people can it be raised from its roots again.

“ Say,‘ Thus says the Lord GOD:“ Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, Cut off its fruit, And leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, And no great power or many people Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots thereof.

You are to say: This is what the Lord God says: Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.

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.

“‘ Say to them: This is what the sovereign LORD says:“‘ Will it prosper? Will he not rip out its roots and cause its fruit to rot and wither? All its foliage will wither. No strong arm or large army will be needed to pull it out by its roots.

“ Say,‘ The Lord Yahweh says:“ Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? It can’t be raised from its roots by a strong arm or many people.

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said,“ Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

“ Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord,“ to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.”A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation,to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing.

It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it— wither away in the plot where it grew?’”

But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?“‘ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.

‘ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city.I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath.I will strike down those who live in this city— both man and beast— and they will die of a terrible plague.After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:“ Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”

Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him.They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.

Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this city down.”

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.

But Moses said,“ Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!

Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him.There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah.Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.

“‘ But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord,‘ so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them.I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’”