The word from the Lord came to Ezekiel that said, Tell them a riddle, a story showing something to the house of Israel.

Let it be this: A great eagle with great big wings and full of feathers of many colors came to Lebanon and took the tallest branch of the cedar tree and carried it to a land with many stores.

He took the seeds of the tree too, and planted it in a good field full of fruit by waters and set it there like a willow tree. It grew by the great waters and spread out with good roots under it.

Then there was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers that took a vine and planted it in good ground by great waters so it would grow big and have good big fruit.

Then the Lord asked, Will it grow big and beautiful? No, it will shrivel and die. Tell the rebels of My house, Do you know what this story means?

Look how the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took the king and the princes and their sons and daughters and made a deal them.

They also took the strong warriors in the land so the kingdom wouldn’t be puffed up about itself, but would stand strong in what the Lord says, and last and be happy and right and good.

But he turned away from the Lord and sent bags of gold to Egypt to get their king to help instead of asking the Lord God for help.

So I promise with all my heart, says the Lord God, that the king who turned away from My good promise and broke it will die where they took him, in the middle of Babylon. He won’t escape to run away but will have to stay in the bad thing he did.

And I, the Lord, will take will take a tiny little twig and plant it on a high mountain in Israel and make it grow strong and tall and good and have lots of juicy sweet fruit so that every kinds of bird with every kind of wings will come and live in its branches.

And all the trees of the field, the people, will know that I, the Lord took the high tree and made it low, and I took the low tree and made it high and good. I said it and I have done it.

Don’t say anymore that the fathers eat sour grapes and the kids teeth are rough from it.

All the souls of the people that live are MINE says the Lord God.

I don’t spank the kids for what the father did because I’m fair and do what is right. When a Dad does bad, I put it back on him and when a son does bad I put it back on him. Each one is spanked for what he does not what someone else does.

If a man listens to Me and bows down to Me and doesn’t take stuff from other people or hurt them, he will live and have a good life.

But if he has a son who is a robber who bows down to bad ones and hurts other people and steals their stuff or charges too high prices, he won’t live but will die and it will be all his own fault.

I don’t want people to hurt other people or to die. I want everyone I made to be happy and have good fun everyday.

Turn back to Me from all your bad stuff so you won’t be ruined.

Make a new heart in you. I don’t want anyone to die.

The Lord gave Ezekiel a sad song to sing for Israel.

It said, What is your Mom? She is a lion. She has babies and takes care of them while they grow up.

But one of her babies grew up to be bad and eat people. So the countries caught him and took him away.

Then another of her baby lions grew up and did that too.

Your Mom was a vine planted by big waters that was full of big sweet fruit.

And some of the rods were good to make into rulers or princes but she turned away from Me and now is all dried up and fire burned up her strong branches that were to be princes ruling.

In the 7^th year after being captured the leaders went to Ezekiel with some questions to ask the Lord.

But the Lord told Ezekiel, I won’t answer any of their questions. Show them all the bad stuff their fathers did.

I showed them how strong I am in Egypt with the signs I showed them, telling them I am the Lord their God.

I brought them out and gave them the best and most beautiful of all the lands flowing down with milk and honey.

I told them to throw away the statues they bowed down to. They make you dirty to My eyes, but they turned their backs and would not listen to me.

So I will give them the bad stuff they do back on their own heads. They make me look so bad in front of the other countries. I’m not like what they show.

They hated My rules and chased after the bad ones and did bad stuff. So I spanked them in the wilderness but kept some of them for My specialness.

Then when I brought them into My special land and gave it to them, they put statues that I hate under every green tree and on every high hill.

So I will not tell them any answers at all. When you need help, go bow down to those lumps of metal and blocks of wood that can’t do anything.

But the ones who stay with Me will be kept special.

And you will know that I am the Lord who made and is over everything.

You will remember and be upset and hate the bad stuff you did.