< Ezekiel 31 >

1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt and his multitude: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
Son of man, say to Pharao king of Egypt, and to his multitude; To whom have you compared yourself in your haughtiness?
3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, of high stature; and its top was amongst the thick boughs.
Behold, the Assyrian was a cypress in Libanus, and was fair in shoots, and high in stature: his top reached to the midst of the clouds.
4 The waters nourished it. The deep made it to grow. Its rivers ran all around its plantation. It sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
The water nourished him, the depth made him grow tall; she led her rivers round about his plants, and she sent forth her streams to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied. Its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it spread them out.
Therefore was his stature exalted above all the trees of the field, and his branches spread far by the help of much water.
6 All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs. Under its branches, all the animals of the field gave birth to their young. All great nations lived under its shadow.
All the birds of the sky made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches all the wild beasts of the field bred; the whole multitude of nations lived under his shadow.
7 Thus it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.
And he was fair in his height by reason of the multitude of his branches: for his roots were amidst much water.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it. The cypress trees were not like its branches. The pine trees were not like its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.
And such cypresses [as this] were in the paradise of God; and there were no pines like his shoots, and there were no firs like his branches: no tree in the paradise of God was like him in his beauty,
9 I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it.’
because of the multitude of his branches: and the trees of God's paradise of delight envied him.
10 “Therefore thus said the Lord GOD: ‘Because he is exalted in stature, and he has set his top amongst the thick branches, and his heart is lifted up in his height,
Therefore thus says the Lord; Because you are grown great, and have set your top in the midst of the clouds, and I saw when he was exalted;
11 I will deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He will surely deal with him. I have driven him out for his wickedness.
therefore I delivered him into the hands of the prince of the nations, and he wrought his destruction.
12 Foreigners, the tyrants of the nations, have cut him off and have left him. His branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land. All the peoples of the earth have gone down from his shadow and have left him.
And ravaging strangers from the nations have destroyed him, and have cast him down upon the mountains: his branches fell in all the valleys, and his boughs were broken in every field of the land; and all the people of the nations are gone down from their shelter, and have laid him low.
13 All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches,
All the birds of the sky have settled on his fallen trunk, and all the wild beasts of the field came upon his boughs:
14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, and don’t set their top amongst the thick boughs. Their mighty ones don’t stand up on their height, even all who drink water; for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, amongst the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.’
in order that none of the trees by the water should exalt themselves by reason of their size: whereas they set their top in the midst of the clouds, yet they continued not in their high state in their place, all that drank water, all were consigned to death, to the depth of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
15 “The Lord GOD says: ‘In the day when he went down to Sheol, I caused a mourning. I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers. The great waters were stopped. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)
Thus says the Lord God; In the day wherein he went down to Hades, the deep mourned for him: and I stayed her floods, and restrained her abundance of water: and Libanus saddened for him, all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)
16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit. All the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth. (Sheol h7585)
At the sound of his fall the nations quaked, when I brought him down to Hades with them that go down to the pit: and all the trees of Delight comforted him in the heart, and the choice of [plants] of Libanus, all that drink water. (Sheol h7585)
17 They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, who lived under his shadow in the middle of the nations. (Sheol h7585)
For they went down to hell with him amongst the slain with the sword; and his seed, [even] they that lived under his shadow, perished in the midst of their life. (Sheol h7585)
18 “‘To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness amongst the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth. You will lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. “‘This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.”
To whom are you compared? descend, and be you debased with the trees of paradise to the depth of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword. Thus shall Pharao be, and the multitude of his host, says the Lord God.

< Ezekiel 31 >