Ezekiel 31

1 And it cometh to pass, in the eleventh year, in the third [month], in the first of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been unto me, saying:

On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 'Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and unto his multitude: To whom hast thou been like in thy greatness?

“Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his many people: Who is as great as you?

3 Lo, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Fair in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, And between thickets hath its foliage been.

Look at Assyria. It was like a cedar in Lebanon, with its beautiful branches providing shade in the forest. It was so high that its top reached the clouds.

4 Waters have made it great, The deep hath exalted him with its flowings, Going round about its planting, And its conduits it hath sent forth unto all trees of the field.

Deep springs of water made it grow tall and sent streams all around it to water all the other trees.

5 Therefore higher hath been his stature than all trees of the field, And multiplied are his boughs, and long are his branches, Because of many waters in his shooting forth,

It became really tall, higher than any other tree in the forest. Its branches grew thick and long because it was so well-watered.

6 In his boughs made a nest hath every fowl of the heavens, And under his branches brought forth hath every beast of the field, And in his shade dwell do all great nations.

All kinds of birds nested in its branches, while underneath it different wild animals had their young, and all the powerful nations lived in its shade.

7 And he is fair in his greatness, In the length of his thin shoots, For his root hath been by great waters.

It was beautiful and majestic with its long branches, because its roots reached down to the plentiful water.

8 Cedars have not hid him in the garden of God, Firs have not been like unto his boughs, And chesnut-trees have not been as his branches, No tree in the garden of God hath been like unto him in his beauty,

The cedars in God's garden were no match for it. No pine tree had such great branches, nor did any plane tree. No tree in God's garden was as beautiful.

9 Fair I have made him in the multitude of his thin shoots, And envy him do all trees of Eden that [are] in the garden of God.

I made it beautiful with its many branches. All the trees of Eden in God's garden envied it.

10 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because that thou hast been high in stature, And he yieldeth his foliage between thickets, And high is his heart in his haughtiness,

So this is what the Lord God says: Since it became so tall, reaching up into the clouds, it grew proud because of its height.

11 I give him into the hand of a god of nations, He dealeth sorely with him, In his wickedness I have cast him out.

So I handed it over to the leader of a foreign nation who will punish it for its wickedness. I have thrown it out.

12 And cut him off do strangers, The terrible of nations, and they leave him, On the mountains and in all valleys have his thin shoots fallen, And broken are his boughs at all streams of the land, And go down from his shade do all peoples of the land, and they leave him.

Foreigners from the cruelest of all the nations chopped it down and left it lying there. Its branches lie fallen and broken in the mountains and valleys of the countryside. Everybody in earth came out of its shadow and abandoned it.

13 On his ruin dwell do all fowls of the heavens, And on his boughs have been all the beasts of the field,

Birds came to live on its fallen trunk, and wild animals hid among its fallen branches.

14 In order that none of the trees of the waters May become haughty because of their stature, Nor give their foliage between thickets, Nor any drinking waters stand up unto them in their haughtiness, For all of them are given up to death, Unto the earth — the lower part, In the midst of the sons of men, Unto those going down to the pit.

This was in order that no other trees growing by the water would grow up so high and have their tops reach the clouds. This was so that no other trees, however much water they had, would be as tall as them, For they all will die and go down into earth, just like human beings who go down into the grave.

15 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: In the day of his going down to sheol I have caused mourning, I have covered for him the deep, and diminish its flowings, And restrained are many waters, And I make Lebanon black for him, And all trees of the field have been covered for him. (Sheol h7585)

This is what the Lord God says: On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I had the deep waters mourn for it; I stopped its rivers flowing; I held back all its waters. I covered Lebanon in darkness, and all the trees in the forest withered. (Sheol h7585)

16 From the sound of his fall I have caused nations to shake, In My causing him to go down to sheol, With those going down to the pit, And comforted in the earth — the lower part, are all trees of Eden, The choice and the good of Lebanon, All drinking waters. (Sheol h7585)

I made the nations tremble when they heard it fall, when I threw it down into Sheol with those who die. Then all the trees of Eden, the finest and best in Lebanon, all the trees that had plenty of water, were happy that this tree joined them in the earth below. (Sheol h7585)

17 Also they with him have gone down to sheol, Unto the pierced of the sword, And — his arm — they dwelt in his shade in the midst of nations. (Sheol h7585)

They also went down with it into Sheol, to those who had been killed by the sword. They had been part of its army living in its shade among the nations. (Sheol h7585)

18 Unto whom hast thou been thus like, In honour and in greatness among the trees of Eden, And thou hast been brought down with the trees of Eden, Unto the earth — the lower part, In the midst of the uncircumcised thou liest, With the pierced of the sword? It [is] Pharaoh, and all his multitude, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

Who is as great and glorious as you among the trees of Eden? But you too will be brought down to the earth below to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie there with the heathen, with those killed by the sword. This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his many people, declares the Lord God.”