Ezekiel 31

1 On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year, a message from the Lord 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 all his many people: Who is as great as you?

Son of man, say to Pharao king of Egypt, and to his multitude; To whom have you compared yourself in your haughtiness?

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

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

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 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.

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

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 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.

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

because of the multitude of his branches: and the trees of God's paradise of delight envied him.

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

therefore I delivered him into the hands of the prince of the nations, and he wrought his destruction.

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.

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

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 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)

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 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)

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 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 went down to hell with him among 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 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.”

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.