Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; And say, Thus says the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had various colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: He cropped off the top of its young twigs, and carried it into a land of trade; he set it in a city of merchants. He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

Note: The programs on Biblical history that Ron refers to are his series on the Books of Samuel and Kings.

And when I passed by you, and saw you polluted in your own blood, I said unto you when you were in your blood, Live; yea, I said unto you when you were in your blood, Live. […] And I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall know that I am the Lord: That you may remember, and be ashamed, and never open your mouth any more because of your shame, when I provide toward you an atonement for all that you have done, says the Lord God.

So will I break down the wall that you have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation shall be uncovered, and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in its midst: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; That is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says the Lord God.

Therefore, you son of man, prepare you belongings for moving, and move by day in their sight; and you shall move from your place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. Then shall you bring forth your belongings by day in their sight, as belongings for moving: and you shall go forth at evening in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry out your belongings through it. In their sight shall you bear it upon your shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: you shall cover your face, that you see not the ground: for I have set you for a sign unto the house of Israel.

And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place where the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that the four had.

Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, And say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus said the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars. In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. And the slain shall fall in the middle of you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

And you, son of man, take a sharp knife, take a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon your head and upon your beard: then take balances to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and you shall take a third part, and strike about it with a sword: and a third part you shall scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take some of them, and bind them in your garments. Then take some of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for from there shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. […]

Therefore thus says the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against you, and will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. And I will do in you that which I have not done, and the like of which I will not do any more, because of all your abominations.

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak unto you. And the Spirit entered into me when he spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spoke unto me.

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stubborn. I do send you unto them; and you shall say unto them, Thus says the Lord god.

And they, whether they will hear, or whether they refuse, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them.