Discovery BoxEzekiel 17:13-21 
Context17:13 He took one from the royal family, 1 made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. 2 He then took the leaders of the land 17:14 so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep its treaty with him in order to stand. 17:15 But this one from Israel’s royal family 3 rebelled against the king of Babylon 4 by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?
17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, surely in the city 5 of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – in the middle of Babylon he will die! 17:17 Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help 6 him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people. 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note 7 – he gave his promise 8 and did all these things – he will not escape!
17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him 9 for despising my oath and breaking my covenant! 17:20 I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me. 17:21 All the choice men 10 among his troops will die 11 by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!
1 tn Or “descendants”; Heb “seed” (cf. v. 5).
2 tn Heb “caused him to enter into an oath.”
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the member of the royal family, v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “place.”
6 tn Heb “deal with” or “work with.”
7 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something.
8 sn Heb “hand.” “Giving one’s hand” is a gesture of promise (2 Kgs 10:15).
9 tn Heb “place it on his head.”
10 tc Some manuscripts and versions read “choice men,” while most manuscripts read “fugitives”; the difference arises from the reversal, or metathesis, of two letters, מִבְרָחָיו (mivrakhyv) for מִבְחָריו (mivkharyv).
11 tn Heb “fall.”
