Ezekiel 31

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

Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

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

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his multitudes around him, 'In your greatness, who are you like?

3 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.

Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, giving shade to the forest, and the tallest in height, and the branches formed its treetop.

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

Many waters made it tall; the deep waters made it huge. Rivers flowed all around its area, for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.

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

Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, and its branches became very many; its branches grew long because of many waters as they grew.

6 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.

Every bird of the heavens nested in its branches, while every living thing of the field gave birth to its young under its foliage. All of the many nations lived under its shade.

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

For it was beautiful in its greatness and the length of its branches, for its roots were in many waters.

8 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.

Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it. None among the cypress trees matched its branches, and the plane tree could not equal its boughs. There was no other tree in the garden of God that was like it in its beauty.

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

I made it beautiful with its many branches and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.

10 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.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because it was tall in height, and it set its treetop between its branches, it lifted up its heart because of its height.

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

I have given it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations, to deal with it according to what its wickedness deserves. I have thrown it out.

12 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.

Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it.

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

All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree, and every animal of the field came to its branches.

14 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.

This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.

15 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)

The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when the cedar went down to Sheol I brought mourning to the earth. I covered the deep waters over it, and I held back the ocean waters. I kept back the great waters, and I brought mourning to Lebanon for him. So all the trees of the field mourned because of it. (Sheol h7585)

16 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)

I brought shuddering to the nations at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol with those who went down into the pit. So I comforted all the trees of Eden in the lowest parts of the earth. These had been the choicest and best trees of Lebanon; the trees that drank the waters. (Sheol h7585)

17 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)

For they also went down with it to Sheol, to the ones who had been killed by the sword. These were its strong arm, those nations who had lived in its shade. (Sheol h7585)

18 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.”

Which of the trees in Eden was your equal in glory and greatness? For you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth among the uncircumcised; you will live with those who were killed by the sword.' This is Pharaoh and all of his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”