Ezekiel 31

1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Who can be compared to your greatness?

Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitude: To whom art thou like in thy greatness?

3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.

Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar upon Lebanon, with fair branches; An overshadowing thicket, high of stature; And his top was among thick boughs.

4 The waters made it grow; the deep springs made it tall, directing their streams all around its base and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.

The waters made him great; the deep waters made him high; Their streams went around their plantation, And sent forth their channels to all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant waters.

Therefore his height was exalted Above all the trees of the field. And his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long, Because of the abundance of water when he shot forth.

6 All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.

In his boughs all the birds of heaven made their nests, And under his branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; And under his shadow dwelt all the great nations.

7 It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant waters.

Thus was he beautiful in his greatness, in the length of his branches; For his root was by many waters.

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with its beauty.

The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him; The cypress-trees were not like his boughs, And the plane-trees were not like his branches. Not any tree in the garden of God Was like to him in his beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with its many branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God.’

I made him beautiful in the multitude of his branches, So that all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God, envied him.

10 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because he lifted himself up in stature, And shot up his top among the thick boughs, And his heart was lifted up on account of his height,

11 I delivered it into the hand of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its wickedness. I have banished it.

Therefore I delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, To deal hardly with him; I drave him out for his wickedness;

12 Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

And strangers, the terrible of the nations, cut him off and cast him away. Upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches fell; And his boughs were broken in all the valleys of the land. And all the nations of the earth withdrew from his shadow and left him;

13 All the birds of the air nested on its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its boughs.

Upon his ruin dwelt all the birds of the heavens, And upon his branches were all the beasts of the forest.

14 This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

To the end that none of all the trees by the waters Might exalt themselves for their stature, Nor shoot up their top among the thick boughs, And that none of the trees that drink water should cleave to them on account of their height; For all of them are delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, In the midst of the sons of men, To them that have gone down to the pit.

15 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. (Sheol h7585)

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when he went down to the grave, I caused the deep to mourn, I covered it for him; I restrained on account of him the streams, and the great waters were kept back; And I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, And all the trees of the field fainted for him. (Sheol h7585)

16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. (Sheol h7585)

At the sound of his fall I made the nations to shake, When I cast him down to the grave, To them that have gone down to the pit; And all the trees of Eden, The choice and best of Lebanon, Even all that drink water, Were comforted in the lower parts of the earth. (Sheol h7585)

17 They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations. (Sheol h7585)

They also went down into the grave with him, To them that have been slain with the sword; They also that were his arm, That dwelt under his shadow among the nations. (Sheol h7585)

18 Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”

To whom art thou thus like in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? Thou shalt be brought down with the trees of Eden To the lower parts of the earth; Thou shalt lie down in the midst of the uncircumcised, With them that are slain by the sword. Thus shall it be with Pharaoh and all his multitude, Saith the Lord Jehovah.