Ezekiel 17:3
and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:
What it says
A great eagle with vast wings and rich plumage comes to Lebanon and takes the top of the cedar.
What it is doing
This verse introduces the first imperial power in vivid royal imagery.
In context
1Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel 3and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 4He plucked off its topmost shoot, 5He took some of the seed of the land 6It sprouted and became a spreading vine, 7But there was another great eagle 8It had been planted in good soil 9So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: 10Even if it is transplanted,