Ezekiel 31

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

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

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

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 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 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 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.

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

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

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. All the trees of Eden in God's garden envied it.

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

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

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

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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)

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 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 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.