The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ The parable of the two Egles sygnifyeth that Sedechias, whiche contrarye to his othe had forsa∣ken the frendshyp of Nabuchodonosor, turned hym selfe to the Kyng of Egypt, and therfore perysshed. An exposicyon of the parrable. A prophecye of Chryste.

CAPI. XVII.

THe worde of the Lorde came vnto me, [ A] saying: Thou sonne of man: put forth a darcke speakynge and a parable, vnto the house of Israel, and saye: Thus saythe the Lorde God: There came a greate Egle with greate wynges, yea with myghtye long wynges, & full of fethers of dyuerse colours, vpon the mounte of Lybans, & toke a braūch from a Cedre tree, and brake of the toppe of his twygge, and caryed it in to the lande of Canaan, and set it in a cytye of marchauntes. He toke also a braunche of the lande, & plan∣ted it in a frutefull grounde, he brought it vn¦to greate waters, and set it as a willye tree therby.

Then dyd it growe, and was a greate vine stocke, but lowe by the grounde: thus there came of it a vyne, and it brought forth blos∣somes, and spred out braunches.

But there was an other Egle, a greate one [ B] which had greate winges and many fethers, and beholde, the rotes of this vyne hadde an hunger after him, and spred oute his braun∣ches towarde him, to water his frutes. Ne∣uertheles it was planted vpon a good groūd

besyde greate waters: so that (by reason) it shulde haue brought out braunches & frute, & [ C] haue bene a goodly vyne. Speake thou ther∣fore, thus saythe the Lorde God: Shal this vyne prospere? shall not his rotes be pluckte out, his frute be broken of, his grene braun∣ches wither and fade away? yea without ei∣ther stronge arme or many people, shall it be plucked vp by the rotes. Beholde, it was plā¦ted: shall it prospere therfore. Shall it not be dryed vp and wythered, yea euē in the shu¦tynge out of his blossomes, as soone as the east wynde bloweth?

[ D] Moreouer, the worde of the Lorde came vnto me sayinge: Speake to that frowarde housholde: knowe ye not, what these thyn∣ges do sygnifye? Tell them: Beholde, the kynge of Babylon came to Ierusalem, and toke the kyng and his prynces, & led them to Babylon.

He toke of the kynges sede, and made a couenaunt with him, and toke an oth of him: The Princes of the lande toke he with him also, that the lande myght be holden in sub∣iection, and not to rebell, but kepe the coue∣naunt, and fulfyll it. But he fell frome him, and sent his Embassadours in to Egypt that he myght haue horses and moche people. Shoulde that prospere? Shulde he be kepte safe, that doth suche thinges? Or shulde he escape, that breaketh his couenaunt?* 1.1 As tru∣lye [ E] as I lyue sayth the Lorde God: He shal dye at Babylon, in the place where the king dwelleth, that made him kinge: whose othe he hath despysed, and whose couenaunte he hath broken. Neither shall Pharao with his greate hoost and multytude of people, mayn¦teyne him in the warre: when they caste vp dytches, and set vp bulworkes to destroye moche people. For seinge he hathe despysed the othe, and broken the couenaunte (where as he yet gaue his hande thervpon) and done all these thinges, he shall not escape.

[ F] Therfore thus sayth the Lorde God: As trulye as I lyue, I wyll brynge myne othe that he hath despysed, and my couenaūt that he hathe broken, vpon his owne heade. I wyll caste my net about him,* 1.2 and catche him in my yarne. To Babylon will I carye hym, there will I punysshe hym, because of the great offence that he made me.

As for those that fle frome him out of the hoost, they shall be slayne with the swearde. The resydue shal be scatered towarde al the wyndes: and ye shall knowe, that I y^e Lord haue spoken it.

Thus sayth the Lorde God: I will also [ G] take a braunche frome an hyghe Cedre tree, and wyl set it, & take the vppermost twigge, that yet is but tendre, and plante it vpon an hye hyll: Namely vpon the hye hyll of Sion wyll I wyl plant it: that it may bryng forth twygges, and gyue frute, and be a greate Ce¦dre tree: so that all maner of foules maye byde in it: and make theyr nestes vnder the shadowe of his braunches.

And all the trees of the felde shall knowe that I the Lorde hath broughte downe the hyghe tree, and set the lowe tree vp: that I haue dryed vp the grene tree, and made the drye tree to floryshe: Euen I the Lorde that spake it, haue also brought it to passe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Couenaunt breakers.
• * 1.2

  Ezechie .xii. d xxii. a.