1. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:
2. “Human, give a riddle and tell a story to the people of Israel.
3. Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: A giant eagle with big wings and long feathers of many different colors came to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree.
4. He pulled off the top branch and brought it to a land of traders, where he planted it in a city of traders.
5. “ ‘The eagle took some seed from the land and planted it in a good field near plenty of water. He planted it to grow like a willow tree.